Courtesy: press release

ING recently announced the introduction of the ING World Marathon Ranking, the first-ever elite, global points system to determine the best marathoner in the world, which culminates at the 2005 ING New York City Marathon with a $1 million prize.

For the first time, the rankings put men and women in one pool to determine the world's overall best marathoner. The athlete's points will be calculated on the basis of their performance in the best of three marathons over a two-year period. The performance in one race will be related to the world record, the course record and the field for that particular race - with a position bonus for top ten runners (male and female).

"Marathon racing provides a great match to several of ING's core values - commitment, accessibility and the ability to overcome challenges," said Ewald Kist, chairman, ING Group. "As a marathon enthusiast and participant in several races, I am especially proud ING is introducing the new global ranking system that will ultimately elevate the sport of running and make marathons more attractive to a greater audience."

ING World Marathon Ranking is a two-year system developed through consultation with a range of sports authorities including athletes, race organizers like the New York Road Runners, race organizations such as the Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS), journalists and statisticians.

"By working with a wide variety of sources in the development of the ING World Marathon Ranking, ING has created a credible and easy-to-understand system to rank the best runners in the world," said Allan Steinfeld, president and CEO, New York Road Runners. "We are pleased to work with ING to continue to enhance the sport of running and look forward to the culmination of the first ranking at the ING New York City Marathon in 2005."

"This scoring system will definitely add to the appeal of marathon running," said Haile Gebrselassie, world premiere long distance runner. "Besides giving added incentive to marathoners and creating a unique opportunity for runners to compete on a global scale, this should get more people interested in the sport of marathon running."

Prize money will be given to the top 10 runners in the global ranking system. The winner's purse will be $1 million, and the total prize money will be $1.7 million.

The new ranking system will start with the Tokyo International Women's Marathon on November 16 and conclude with the ING New York City Marathon in November 2005 - followed by an awards ceremony gala in New York.

The list is still preliminary, but it is anticipated that the first Ranking may include the race results of athletes who compete in the following marathons:
* Tokyo International Women's Marathon (November 2003 and 2004)
* Fukuoka Marathon (December 2003 and 2004)
* Osaka Marathon (January 2004 and 2005)
* Tokyo International Men's Marathon (February 2004 and 2005)
* Fortis Rotterdam Marathon (April 2004 and 2005)
* Paris Marathon (April 2004 and 2005)
* Flora London Marathon (April 2004 and 2005)
* Boston Marathon (April 2004 and 2005)
* Olympic Marathon (August 2004)
* World Championships (August 2005)
* Real Berlin Marathon (September 2004 and 2005)
* ING Brussels Marathon (October 2004 and 2005)
* LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon (October 2004 and 2005)
* Beijing Marathon (October 2004 and 2005)
* ING Amsterdam Marathon (October 2004 and 2005)
* ING New York City Marathon (November 2004 and 2005)

The Ranking will be updated immediately after each race and will be published on www.INGWorldMarathonRanking.com

As part of its global commitment to the sport of running, ING is also the title sponsor of the ING New York City Marathon, ING Amsterdam Marathon, and ING Brussels Marathon, and continues to look at sponsoring running events in other countries. ING's efforts represent the first time a company has taken on the sponsorship of marathons and running events on a truly global scale.