byLarry Eder
Wesley Korir, 2012 BAA Boston, photo by PhotoRun.netIt was about two pm, and Steve Vaitones, the manager of the USATF New England office sat down next to me in the Fairmont Copley media center, and said, ” it was not a dark and stormy night.”
In conditions that have not been seen in Boston since 1977, Sharon Cherop and Wesley Korir battled the sun, the heat, the humidty and fields fighting to make their countries’ selectors notice them in conditions that exhausted the two defending champions, putting the fastest man in the world, Geoffrey Mutai, on his back at 30 kilometers.
Sharon Cherop, 2012 Boston, photo by PhotoRun.net
Here are the numbers: In 2012, there were 27,716 official entrants in Boston Marathon. This past weekend, 22,853 picked up their packets for today’s race. That means that 3,863 did not pick up packets. This morning, after the third wave, there were 22,426 official starters, meaning that a 98.13 percentage of marathoners who picked up their packets, leaving 427 folks who picked up their packets not running.
By 1.30 pm today, the medical tents were working hard to keep people comfortable. They had already pulled 200 people off the course, and expected more after 3 p.m.
Sharon Cherop, Welsey Korir, 2012 Boston Marathon winners, photo by PhotoRun.net
The race up front was fascinating on both sides. The women elite went out slow, hitting the first 5k in 18:50, then 18:15 through 10k, 18:12, 18:08, and 17:37 for 25k. Caroline Kilel battled to keep control of the race, but for naught. Sharon Cherop and Jasmine Sumgong cut the pack from 11 to 8 to five to three, and then, Dado dropped back. How slow and brutal was heat? Women were two minutes behind last year’s pace at 5k mark.
And then, at 35k there were two. It was not really until after 40k, heck, until 600 meters to go, that Sharon Cherop unleashed a vicious kick, to win by two seconds!
Sharon Cherop won the womens race in 2:31.50, with Jasmine Sumgong taking second in 2:31.52. Five years in a row, with women duking it out over the final 600 meters.
On the men’s side, an American lead for about seven kilometers, wearing a PowerBar logo. While the young man had a 2:20.54 PB, he was not a potential threat to this field and they knew it (Randall finished in 2:37).
Levy Matebo was pushing the pace from 15k (5k in 15.05, 10k in 31.02), in 46.49. Geoffrey Mutai, last year’s winner, lead through 20k, in 62.42, then went into the pack, only to collapse after 18 miles, due to stomach cramps. Nic Ariniaga lead a pack of ten through 25k in 1:18.08.
Kisorio and Matebo, running side by side, put the hammer down 25k to 30k, with a 14.59 split, and the race was on! Levy Matebo continued to push, breaking Kisorio.
Un beknownst to Matebo, Wesley Korir, who had been back in the pack, began to move through the field, from seventh, to second, closing in on Matebo at 40k, hit in 1:56.48. In such punishing conditions, Korir had run 14:39 for the 5k, to reach Matebo.
Levy Matebo went past Wesley Korir, and one wondered, did Matebo have it? But, Wesley Korir moved up, from a fifty meter deficiit and reached Matebo at 40 kilometers. The men ran together, and on a downhill, Wesley Korir charged up the small hill and built a 26 second lead between 25 miles and the finish.
Wesley Korir won the men’s race in 2:12:41, with Levy Matebo holding on for second, running 2:13.06.
2012 BAA Boston Marathon, men: 1. Wesley Korir, Kenya, 2:12.40, 2. Levy
Matebo, Kenya, 2:13.06, 3. Bernard Kipyego, Kenya, 2:13.13, 4. Jason
Hartmann, USA, 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
2012 BAA Boston Marathon, women: 1. Sharon Cherop, 2.31.50, Kenya, 2.
Jemima Sumgong, 2.31.52, Kenya, 3. Georgina Rono, Kenya, 2.33.09,
4.Firehiwot Dado, Ethiopa, 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, USA, 2.41.55,
To see how the Marathon developed in real time, we suggest that you look at Runblogrun’s LIVE Blog coverage:
https://client.scribblelive.com/Event/2012_Boston_Marathon_April_16_2012
