Kenyans Wesley Korir, Sharon Cherop, Win Hot Boston Marathon [Video]

Kenyan Wesley Korir won the Boston Marathon today with a 2 hours, 12 minutes, 40 seconds time. Sharon Cherop won the women’s race.

ESPN reports that Korir’s race winning time was five minutes slower than the record set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 and was the second slowest time since 1985. Temperatures rose into the 80s today which caused more than 4,000 participants to sit out and slowed down top competitors like Korir. Mutai, who was hoping a break his marathon record, dropped out of the race after 18 miles.

According to the CS Monitor, the Boston Athletic Association allowed competitors to defer participation until next year due to the heat. Red Cross spokeswoman Kat Powers said:

“This is people pushing themselves to the limit. Every year we are cautious with runners. This year the heat is an added factor.”

Korir, who has won the Los Angeles Marathon twice, continued Kenya’s dominance at the Boston Marathon with his victory today. 19 of the last 22 marathons have been won by men from Kenya. Greg Meyer was the last American to win the race in 1983.

The women’s race was decided once again with a final sprint down Boylston Street. Cherop raced Jemima Jelegat Sumgong to the finish line. Cherop won the race by two seconds and finished with 2:31:50.

Here’s a video about the 2012 Boston Marathon.