IAAF Gold Label Road Races 2009

What is the IAAF? The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is the international governing body for the athletic sports. At its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden in 1912, it was formed by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation. It has been headquartered in Monaco since October 1993. In 2001, the word "amateur" was dropped from its title. The IAAF has a total of 213 member federations from the seven continents. The IAAF organizes many major athletics competitions worldwide and is charged with the standardization of timekeeping methods and world records.

What are IAAF Gold Label Road Races

Following the recommendations of the IAAF Road Running Commission, chaired by President Lamine Diack, Council approved the introduction of the IAAF Label for Road Races in 2008. The Labels are attributed to races that satisfy a number of important criteria concerning the organizational standard of the race, course measurement, safety and medical standards and media services. The deciding factors for the attribution of a Gold or Silver Label are the number of elite athletes engaged and the level of international TV coverage achieved by the participating races.

The following road races have made it to the Gold Label list in 2009.

• Xiamen International Marathon, 3 January , held in Xiamen, China
• Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, 1 March, held in Osaka, Japan
• World's Best 10k Race, 1 March, held in San Juan, Puerto Rico
• EDP Half Marathon of Lisbon, 22 March, held in Lisboa, Portugal
• Marathon International de Paris, 5 April, held in Paris, France

• BAA Boston Marathon, 20 April, held in Boston, United States
• Conergy Marathon Hamburg, 26 April, held in Hamburg, Germany
• Flora London Marathon, 26 April, held in London, United Kingdom
• Bupa Great Manchester Run, 17 May, held in Manchester, United Kingdom
• Bogota International Half Marathon, 2 Aug, held in Bogota, Columbia

• Bupa Great North Run, 20 September, held in Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
• Real Berlin Marathon, 20 September, held in Berlin, Germany
• RTP Half Marathon of Portugal, 27 September, held in Lisboa, Portugal
• Bank of America Chicago Marathon, 11 October, held in Chicago, United States
• Beijing International Marathon, 18 October, held in Beijing, China

• Bupa Great South Run, 25 October, held in Portsmouth, United Kingdom
• Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon, 25 October, held in Frankfurt, Germany
• Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, 1 November, held in Delhi, India
• ING New York City Marathon, 1 November, held in New York

On top of these races, other races are listed under their Silver Label List. These two lists together cover most of the races elite long distance runners are focusing on in 2009. These are often the dream races that ordinary runners are trying to enter. Hence, the media like them and follow them like wasps. Somewhere in the world, be it in United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Africa or Asia, there is always one of these important races going on. The world is getting smaller, so is the long distance runner's world.

Advertisement

Running & Marathons @

• Training & Fitness
• Running & Marathons
• Marathons/Races