Boston Marathon 2012 Results: Warm Temperatures Highlight Dangers

If you needed any more proof that marathon running can be a dangerous art, the sweltering heat at the Boston Marathon on Monday was evidence enough.

In humid weather that reached the 80s, several notable names withdrew from the Boston Marathon on Monday, including 2011 winner and record-breaker Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya, who bowed out with cramps after 18 miles.

The reality is, given the conditions on Monday, it could have turned out far worse at the marathon this year. People have died running marathons, after all. Running over 26 miles is not for the unprepared.

It used to be that you had to run a qualifying time in a prior marathon to enter the Boston Marathon field. Now, it's become a race for the masses, which makes it even more important that runners take it seriously. I mean, if Mutai had to drop out, imagine how other competitors were feeling on Monday.

Adding to the heat on Monday was the fact that the Boston Marathon has become the premier marathon in the U.S. throughout the years, with its grueling course challenging even the most experienced and celebrated runners. Monday's winner, Kenya's Wesley Korir, called the Boston Marathon an Olympic event.

Korir's official time of two hours, 12 minutes, 40 seconds was the second-slowest winning time in the Boston Marathon since 1985. 

Korir said, via ESPN:

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"It's hot out there, in case you didn't know. I knew it was going to be hot, and one important thing that I had to take care of today...was really hydrate as much as possible. I guess my biology degree kicked in a little bit."

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According to ESPN, organizers said that the five-gallon jugs of water that lined the course on Monday numbered twice as many as usual, exemplifying just how dangerous it was out there.

Given how conditioned many athletes are each year at the Boston Marathon, it's easy to forget that they are human beings, too, and Mutai's withdrawal on Monday was proof that even the front-runners can fall.

Monday was a premier example of how prepared you must be to simply finish the Boston Marathon, and is a lesson for anyone considering running the world-famous race.