In the women's race for the prize, Kenya's Rita Jeptoo looks on the brink of becoming the first athlete in the history of the competition to score the maximum 100 points available.

All the Boston Marathon winner needs to do to secure victory is successfully defend her Chicago Marathon title at this year's event on October 12.

Even second place at Chicago will make her points total almost unbeatable for her second placed compatriot Edna Kiplagat, the reigning marathon world champion, who is currently 10 points behind Jeptoo.

However, if Jeptoo fails to finish in the first five next month, the title race opens up to include another fellow Kenyan in the form of Priscah Jeptoo, the London 2012 Olympic marathon silver medallist.

Both Kiplagat and Priscah are due to race in New York.

Tsegaye Kebede currently tops the men's World Marathon Majors leaderboard
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Meanwhile, current men's leader and defending champion Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia and third placed Kenyan Dennis Kimetto are scheduled to compete at the Berlin Marathon on September 28 both in the hope of taking their points total to 75.

Should either of them cross the line first in the German capital, current series second placed athlete Kenyan Wilson Kipsang, the current marathon world record holder with a time of 2 hours 03min 23sec set in Berlin last year, would need to win the final race at the New York City Marathon in November to take his points total to 76 and become the reigning men's champion.

The remaining races in the series are the Berlin Marathon on September 28, the Chicago Marathon on October 12 and the New York City Marathon on November 2, with

Points are at stake for all athletes in each of the remaining marathons in Berlin, Chicago and New York.

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