2012 Chicago Marathon

The 2012 Chicago Marathon was the 35th edition of the annual marathon race in Chicago, Illinois and was held on Sunday, October 7. An IAAF Gold Label Road Race, it was the fourth and final World Marathon Majors event to be held that year. Tsegaye Kebede won the men's race in a course record of 2:04:38 hours and Atsede Baysa was the women's winner in a personal best of 2:22:03.[1] A total of 37455 runners finished the race (20688 men, 16767 women).[2]

35th Chicago Marathon
Fun runners at the 2012 race
VenueChicago, United States
DatesOctober 7
Champions
MenTsegaye Kebede (2:04:38 CR)
WomenAtsede Baysa (2:22:03)

Summary

The focus of the women's race was Liliya Shobukhova, who had won the race three times consecutively but had dropped out of the Olympic marathon. Kenya's Lucy Wangui Kabuu was the second-fastest entrant with a best of 2:19:34 hours. Other prominent entrants included Ethiopians Atsede Baysa and Merima Mohammed. Tsegaye Kebede and Wesley Korir, runners-up in 2010 and 2011 respectively, were the principal contenders for the men's race.[3]

Demonstrating the depth of the field, the men's race had thirteen runners in the pack by the halfway point (timing 1:02:54) – all of them Kenyan or Ethiopian. By the time the two pacemakers (Shadrack Kosgei and Merkabu Birke) had dropped out around the 30 km mark, Tsegaye had assumed the head of the pack. Laban Korir and Michael Kipyego had fallen away at that point. Tsegaye accelerated and a succession of four sub-4:40 miles reduced the lead pack to himself, Tilahun Regassa, Sammy Kitwara and Feyisa Lilesa. Wesley Korir was twenty seconds behind after 35 km. With one mile left, only Feyisa remained alongside Tsegaye, but the latter steadily pulled away in the final section of the race to win by a margin of fourteen seconds with a course record 2:04:38 hours. Feyisa took the runner-up spot and Tilahun completed the podium half a minute later. Kitwara and Wesley Korir were next to finish. Dathan Ritzenhein closed his race quickly to place ninth, the first non-East African to finish, with a personal record 2:07:47.[1][4]

The women's race also had a number of contenders left as the race reached the half marathon mark in 1:11:15 hours, with two Russians, three Kenyans and four Ethiopians in the pack of nine. Kabuu seized the lead after this point and by 30 km she had divided the pack in two, with Fatuma Sado, Caroline Rotich and Rita Jeptoo all five seconds ahead of Atsede, Shobukhova and Werknesh Kidane. Merima Mohammed was the first prominent race drop-out. Over the next 5 km Fatuma faded away and Atsede had pushed her way back to the front. Rotich soon fell behind and the final mile stretch became a hotly contested duel between Atsede and Jeptoo. Atsede was the one to reach the line first by a very narrow margin – 2:22:03 to Jeptoo's 2:22:04. Kabuu took third while Shobukhova finished quickly for fourth place. Renee Metivier Baillie was the first American home in a personal record run of 2:27:17 for eighth.[1][4]

The men's wheelchair race was won by Josh Cassidy and Tatyana McFadden defended her women's title.

Results

Elite men
The large leading pack of elite men at mile six
PositionAthleteNationalityTime
Tsegaye Kebede Ethiopia2:04:38 CR/PB
Feyisa Lilesa Ethiopia2:04:52 PB
Tilahun Regassa Ethiopia2:05:27 PB
4Sammy Kitwara Kenya2:05:54 PB
5Wesley Korir Kenya2:06:13 PB
6Bernard Kipyego Kenya2:06:40
7Samuel Ndungu Kenya2:07:26
8Dadi Yami Ethiopia2:07:43
9Dathan Ritzenhein United States2:07:47 PB
10Shami Abdulahi Ethiopia2:08:39

Elite women
Winner Atsede Baysa (in red) leading the women's pack
PositionAthleteNationalityTime
Atsede Baysa Ethiopia2:22:03 PB
Rita Jeptoo Kenya2:22:04 PB
Lucy Wangui Kabuu Kenya2:22:41
4Liliya Shobukhova Russia2:22:59
5Caroline Rotich Kenya2:23:22 PB
6Mariya Konovalova Russia2:25:38
7Fatuma Sado Ethiopia2:26:09 PB
8Renee Metivier Baillie United States2:27:17 PB
9Dot McMahon United States2:32:11
10Stephanie Pezzullo United States2:32:42

Wheelchair
The first turn of the men's wheelchair race
Men
Position Athlete Nationality Time
Josh Cassidy Canada1:32:58
Adam Bleakney United States1:34:23
Joshua George United States1:36:06
Women
Position Athlete Nationality Time
Tatyana McFadden United States1:49:52
Susannah Scaroni United States1:56:30
Kelsey LeFevour United States2:20:02

See also

References
  1. Gugala, Jon (2012-10-07). Course record for Kebede, Baysa dethrones Shobukhova - Chicago Marathon report. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  2. Chicago Marathon - Race Results. Marathon Guide. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  3. Gugala, Jon (2012-10-05). Three-time winner Shobukhova poised for a fourth in Chicago - PREVIEW. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  4. 2012 Chicago Marathon Leaderboard. Chicago Marathon. Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
Race results
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