Boston Marathon 2012: Hot Conditions Lead to Disappointing Storylines

The 2012 Boston Marathon is a hot event.

Literally.

Monday is an unusually warm April day in Massachusetts, and the marathon has felt the effects. According to the Associated Press, today's race is taking place in temperatures rising into the 80s. For a marathon, conditions like those are far, far from ideal.

In fact, the AP notes that a significant portion of the entrants decided they were better off sitting out of the 2012 Boston Marathon. It's possible that as many as 4,300 individuals decided not to test the heat.

This is understandable. Relatively few racers carry out their training in high temperatures, so choosing to be safe rather than sorry is a smart call given the circumstances. Race organizers made appropriate preparations for the heat, but that doesn't mean it was safe for everyone to run.

Even one of the best marathoners in the world couldn't handle the heat. Geoffrey Mutai—who last year ran the Boston Marathon in two hours, three minutes and two seconds—had to bow out of the race with cramps at mile 18.

It suffices to say that this result is not what Mutai was looking for. He entered the race looking to earn a spot on the Kenyan marathon team for the 2012 Olympics. Today's result puts his status in doubt.

Meanwhile, the men's race was won by fellow Kenyan Wesley Korir, who is also a permanent resident of the United States. He finished with a time of two hours, 12 minutes and 40 seconds, well behind Mutai's world record. It's worth noting that it's also nearly 10 minutes slower than the time Mutai posted in the 2011 Boston Marathon.

Once again, that's likely the heat at work.

Sharon Cherop won the women's race with a time of two hours, 31 minutes and 50 seconds. She had to out-sprint Jemima Jelagat Sumgong to win it. Cherop's time is over 10 minutes slower than Margaret Okayo's course record, which was set in 2002.

On the bright side, Canadian racer Joshua Cassidy finished the wheelchair race in one hour, 18 minutes and 25 seconds, the fastest time ever recorded.

Even still, the story concerning this year's race, both immediately and several years down the road, is the toll the heat took on the event. The race has a storied history of problems with hot weather, and this year's race will be added to the pile.

Nearly 27,000 people registered to compete in the race. Fewer than 22,500 bothered to show up for the start. Hats go off to those who actually manage to finish.