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 The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) is a non-profit, running-focused, organized sports association for the Greater Boston area. The B.A.A. hosts such events as the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. 10K, the B.A.A. Half Marathon, the ...

, it was the first of the

World Marathon Majors The World Marathon Majors (WMM) (known for sponsorship reasons as the Abbott World Marathon Majors) is a championship-style competition for marathon runners that started in 2006. A points-based competition founded on six major marathon races reco ...

series to be held in 2012. A total of 22,426 runners started the race. The competition was held in hot running conditions, reaching 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.Morse, Parker (April 16, 2012)
Korir and Cherop the best as warm weather slows Boston
IAAF. Retrieved on April 28, 2012. 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 Wheelchair racing is the racing of wheelchairs in track and road races. Wheelchair racing is open to athletes with any qualifying type of disability, amputees, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and partially sighted (when combined with another ...

section. In the masters section, Uli Steidl won the men's marathon and Svetlana Pretot (ninth overall) was the women's champion.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 April 27, 2012.

Race description

Build up

The champions from 2011,

Geoffrey Mutai Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai (born 7 October 1981) is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. On 18 April 2011 at the Boston Marathon, Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever at the time in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 ...

and

Caroline Kilel Caroline Cheptanui Kilel (born 21 March 1981) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in road running competitions. She was the winner at the 2011 Boston Marathon and the Frankfurt Marathon in 2010 and 2013. Kilel took the silver medal ...

, announced their intentions to try to defend their titles at the start of the year. 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 The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor (commercial), sponsor) is an annual Marathon (sport), marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest mar ...

champion

Gebre Gebremariam Gebregziabher Gebremariam (born September 10, 1984 in Tigray) is a retired Ethiopian long-distance runner. He established himself at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, winning the junior title in 2002 and two silver medals in the senio ...

. Levy Matebo and

Wilson Chebet Wilson Kwambai Chebet (born 12 July 1985, in Marakwet District) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. He has a marathon best of 2:05:27 hours. He began competing internationally in 2005 and ...

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 Aselefech Mergia Medessa ( Oromo: ''Asallafach Margaa Mardaasaa''; Amharic: አሰለፈች መርጊያ; born 23 January 1985) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in the marathon. She was a bronze medallist in the event at the 2009 ...

and Mamitu Daska had better personal bests. Sharon Cherop (third at the 2011 race) and

Firehiwot Dado Firehiwot Tufa Dado (born January 9, 1984 in Assela, Arsi) is a female long-distance runner from Ethiopia, who won the New York City Marathon in 2011 with a personal best time of 2:23:15 hours. She also took three consecutive victories in the R ...

(reigning New York champion) were also prominent competitors.Boston Marathon announces elite fields
IAAF (February 9, 2012). Retrieved on April 28, 2012.Morse, Parker (April 13, 2012)
Mutai is the outstanding favourite in Boston - PREVIEW
IAAF. Retrieved on April 28, 2012. The most prominent American athletes, such as 2011 Boston top-five finishers Ryan Hall,

Desiree Davila Desiree "Des" Nicole Linden (née Davila; born July 26, 1983) is an American long-distance runner. She represented the United States in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics women's marathon. In 2018, she won the Bost ...

and

Kara Goucher Kara Goucher (born Kara Grgas on July 9, 1978) is an American long-distance runner. She was the 10,000 meters silver medalist at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and represented the USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympi ...

, missed the 2012 edition of the Boston race as they focused their preparations towards the marathon at the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

instead.

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 Kisorio and Matebo had broken away and defending champion Mutai had pulled out of the race altogether.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 April 28, 2012.Nearman, Steve (April 16, 2012)
Kenyans weather the heat to win Boston Marathon
''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughou ...

''. Retrieved on April 27, 2012. As the course began its uphill stage, Kisorio slowed significantly and Matebo held a clear lead at . 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 . Korir won in a time of 2:12:40 hours with Matebo over twenty seconds behind. The rest of the midpoint leaders slowed in the latter stages and Kenya's Bernard Kipyego and American

Jason Hartmann Jason Hartmann (born March 23, 1981) is an NCAA coach and a former American long-distance runner who specializes in marathon races. He won the Twin Cities Marathon in 2009. He was the top American finisher at the 2010 Chicago Marathon and was f ...

moved up to take third and fourth place.

Women's race

The women's field was reduced in calibre before the start as Bogomolova, Aselefech Mergia and Mamitu Daska were all pre-race withdrawals. The race began slowly—the runners responding to the heat—and it was not until that the large pack of elite runners began to break up. By the halfway point

Agnes Kiprop Agnes Jepkemboi Kiprop (born January 14, 1980) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in marathon events. Initially a cross country specialist, she has focused on marathons since 2008 and has won races in Reims, Turin, Frankfurt, Prague a ...

and Rita Jeptoo had fallen half a minute behind. Upon reaching the first major uphill section after , Caroline Rotich, Diana Sigei Chepkemoi and

Genet Getaneh Genet Getaneh Wendimagegnehu (born 6 January 1986) is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner who competes in half marathon and marathon competitions. She represented Ethiopia at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2007 and 2008 ...

progressively fell behind the leading pace. A volunteer attempting to assist the leading runners by handing them some water actually disrupted the pack at and defending champion Caroline Kilel dramatically slowed soon after, eventually dropping out at . The final section of the race at Heartbreak Hill saw Firehiwot Dado fall out of contention, leaving just a Kenyan trio of Sharon Cherop,

Georgina Rono Georgina J. Rono (born 19 May 1980 in Kapsabet, Rift Valley Province) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in marathon running. She was third at the 2012 Boston Marathon. Rono won the Hamburg Marathon in 2014. In January 2023, it ...

and Jemima Jelagat Sumgong to battle out the medal positions. Cherop increased the pace and at the 25-mile mark (40 km) Rono had slipped behind and just Cherop and Sumgong remained. The two engaged in a battle to the finish and it was the 2011 runner-up Cherop who came out on top, recording a time of 2:31:50 hours, with Sumgong finishing just two seconds behind. Rono made it a Kenyan podium sweep as she was next to cross the line just over a minute later.

Results

Elite men

Wesley Korir winner of 2012 Boston Marathon

Elite women

2012 Boston Marathon - Cherop and Sumgong last turn

Wheelchair men

Shirley Reilly winning 2012 Boston Marathon

Wheelchair women

References

;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. {{World Marathon Majors 2012

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Boston Marathon Boston Marathon Marathon Boston Marathon April 2012 sports events in the United States