Kenyan sweep at 2012 Boston Marathon

BOSTON, April 16, 2012­�Under sunny skies and unseasonably warm weather, Wesley Korir of Kenya took the lead in the final mile at the B.A.A. Boston Marathon and held on to win the race in a time of 2:12:40.

Korir led a Kenyan podium sweep, with Levy Matebo finishing second in a time of 2:13:06 and Bernard Kipyego finishing third seven seconds later in 2:13:13.

In yet another extraordinarily close women's finish, Kenya's Sharon Cherop edged ahead of her countrywoman Jemima Jelagat Sumgong in the last 600 meters to win in 2:31:50. Sumgong followed only two seconds later in 2:31:52. Georgina Rono finished third in 2:33:09 to complete the Kenyan sweep. It was the fifth consecutive year that the women's champion had won by three seconds or less.

Cherop's victory has raised her to the top of the World Marathon Majors leaderboard with 45 points. She's leading Russia's Liliya Shobukhova by a slim five points. Tied for third are Kenyans Mary Keitany and Edna Kiplagat; they will look to improve their WMM positions at the Virgin London Marathon on Sunday, April 22.

Defending Boston Marathon champion Geoffrey Mutai dropped out of the race at 30K due to cramping. Mutai smashed the Boston course record last April when he crossed the line in 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 2 seconds, the fastest time ever run for the marathon distance. He remains in first place on the WMM leaderboard. Korir's win has landed him in second place in the standings, tied with fellow Kenyans Moses Mosop and Emmanuel Mutai.

The top five men and women finishers at the B.A.A. Boston, Virgin London, BMW Berlin, Bank of America Chicago, ING New York City, IAAF World Championships, and Olympic Games Marathons earn points in a $1 million two-year series to crown the World Marathon Majors championship. The 2011–12 series will conclude at the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 4. The men's and women's WMM champions will each win $500,000. The points breakdown is: 1st place�25, 2nd�15, 3rd�10, 4th�5, and 5th�1.

The current 2011–2012 World Marathon Majors standings are:

PlaceNameCountry Point Total

1 Geoffrey MutaiKEN 50