2012 Boston Marathon

The 116th running of the Boston Marathon was certainly a hotly contested battle between some of Kenya’s best. In the men’s race, it came down to the last few miles, with Wesley Korir pulling away from Levy Matebo to win in 2:12:40 to 2:13:06; the fourth-slowest winning time in the past 35 years. The women’s race was not to be outdone in last-gasp moments as well, with Kenya’s Sharon Cherop bursting ahead just after the turn onto Boylston Street to take home the victory in 2:31:50; the seventh-slowest time in the past 35 years. Second place went to Kenya’s Jemima Jelagat Sumgong in 2:31:52. In the last five years, the women’s race has been decided by a combined time of 10 seconds. Through John Hancock’s sponsorship for the 27th year, more than $823,000 in prize money was awarded by the B.A.A. to the top finishers. The Boston Marathon Charity Program, in its 24th year of enabling selected charitable organizations to raise millions of dollars for worthwhile causes, together with 31 participating charities, raised more than $11 million. Temperatures reached 87-degrees in Boston, making for one of the warmest races in recent years.