2012 Boston Marathon
The 2012 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday April 16, 2012. It was the 116th edition of the mass-participation marathon. Organized by the Boston Athletic Association, it was the first of the World Marathon Majors series to be held in 2012. A total of 22,426 runners started the race. The competition was held in hot running conditions, reaching 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31° celsius) that afternoon, and some of the 27,000 registered runners opted to take up the organizers' offer to defer their entry until the 2013 race.[1][2]
Wesley Korir and Sharon Cherop won the elite men's and women's races respectively. Josh Cassidy and Shirley Reilly were the winners of the wheelchair racing section. In the masters section, Uli Steidl won the men's marathon and Svetlana Pretot (ninth overall) was the women's champion.[3][4]
Race description
Build up
The champions from 2011, Geoffrey Mutai and Caroline Kilel, announced their intentions to try to defend their titles at the start of the year.[5] A large number of fast elite runners were invited to compete at the event, most of them being Ethiopian or Kenyan. Mutai was the pre-race favourite, with his two most prominent rivals being 2010 Boston winner Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot and 2010 New York City Marathon champion Gebre Gebremariam. Levy Matebo and Wilson Chebet were the other fastest runners, who entered the competition with personal bests under two hours and six minutes. Defending women's champion Kilel was not the fastest entrant in her section: Russia's Galina Bogomolova and Ethiopians Aselefech Mergia and Mamitu Daska had better personal bests. Sharon Cherop (third at the 2011 race) and Firehiwot Dado (reigning New York champion) were also prominent competitors.[6][7]
The most prominent American athletes, such as 2011 Boston top-five finishers Ryan Hall, Desiree Davila and Kara Goucher, missed the 2012 edition of the Boston race as they focused their preparations towards the marathon at the 2012 London Olympics instead.[7]
Men's race
In the men's race, fifteen runners reached the halfway point in a time of 1:06:11 hours (some minutes slower than previous years). Soon after, Mathew Kisorio upped the pace and reduced the leading pack to himself, Matebo, Mutai, Chebet, Wesley Korir and Laban Korir. After 18 miles (29 km) Kisorio and Matebo had broken away and defending champion Mutai had pulled out of the race altogether. As the course began its uphill stage, Kisorio slowed significantly and Matebo held a clear lead at 23 miles. However, he too began to slow and Wesley Korir, who had kept a more even pace, made his way up the field and took the lead at 25 miles (40 km). Korir won in a time of 2:12:40 hours with Matebo over twenty seconds behind. The rest of the mid-point leaders slowed in the latter stages and Kenya's Bernard Kipyego and American Jason Hartmann moved up to take third and fourth place.[3][8]
Women's race
Results
Elite men
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Wesley Korir |  Kenya |
2:12:40 |
 |
Levy Matebo | Kenya |
2:13:06 |
 |
Bernard Kipyego | Kenya |
2:13:13 |
| 4 | Jason Hartmann |  United States |
2:14:31 |
| 5 | Wilson Chebet | Kenya |
2:14:56 |
| 6 | Laban Korir | Kenya |
2:15:29 |
| 7 | Michel Butter |  Netherlands |
2:16:38 |
| 8 | David Barmasai | Kenya |
2:17:16 |
| 9 | Hideaki Tamura |  Japan |
2:18:15 |
| 10 | Mathew Kisorio | Kenya |
2:18:15 |
Elite women
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sharon Cherop | Kenya |
2:31:50 |
|
Jemima Jelagat Sumgong | Kenya |
2:31:52 |
|
Georgina Rono | Kenya |
2:33:09 |
| 4 | Firehiwot Dado |  Ethiopia |
2:34:56 |
| 5 | Diana Sigei | Kenya |
2:35:40 |
| 6 | Rita Jeptoo | Kenya |
2:35:53 |
| 7 | Mayumi Fujita | Japan |
2:39:11 |
| 8 | Nadezdha Leonteva |  Russia |
2:40:40 |
| 9 | Svetlana Pretot |  France |
2:40:50 |
| 10 | Sheri Piers | United States |
2:41:55 |
Wheelchair men
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Josh Cassidy |  Canada |
1:18:25 |
|
Kurt Fearnley |  Australia |
1:21:39 |
|
Kota Hokinoue | Japan |
1:23:26 |
Wheelchair women
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Shirley Reilly | United States |
1:37:36 |
|
Wakako Tsuchida | Japan |
1:37:37 |
|
Diane Roy | Canada |
1:42:37 |
References
- ^ Boston Marathon Results Kenya's Wesley Korir, Cherop win. Fox News (2012-04-16). Retrieved on 2012-04-27.
- ^ Morse, Parker (2012-04-16). Korir and Cherop the best as warm weather slows Boston. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-04-28.
- ^ a b O'Brien, James (April 2012). Kenya's Wesley Korir pulls away in the last mile to win over Levy Matebo. Boston Athletic Association. Retrieved on 2012-04-28.
- ^ Huebner, Barbara (April 2012). It was a duel to the finish, as Kenya's Sharon Cherop unleashes kick on Boylston Street to pull away from Jelagat Sumgong. Boston Athletic Association. Retrieved on 2012-04-27.
- ^ Mutai and Kilel to defend titles in Boston. IAAF/BAA (2012-01-05). Retrieved on 2012-04-28.
- ^ Boston Marathon announces elite fields. IAAF (2012-02-09). Retrieved on 2012-04-28.
- ^ a b Morse, Parker (2012-04-13). Mutai is the outstanding favourite in Boston - PREVIEW. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-04-28.
- ^ Nearman, Steve (2012-04-16). Kenyans weather the heat to win Boston Marathon. The Washington Times. Retrieved on 2012-04-27.
- Results
- 2012 Boston Marathon Top Finishers. Boston Marathon. Retrieved on 2012-04-28.
- Boston Marathon Results Kenya's Wesley Korir, Cherop win. Fox News (2012-04-16). Retrieved on 2012-04-27.