London Marathon 2012: Men's and Women's Top Finishers

On Sunday, April 22, 2012 the 2012 London Marathon will kick off one of the premiere events in all of running.

The Virgin London Marathon is an intense 26.2-mile trek through the streets of historic London, but the best in the world aren’t trying to sight-see; they’re in England to win.

Just one week after the famous Boston Marathon, London’s version of the race kicks off with just as much fanfare. As they race approaches, we will be following everything that surrounds the marathon.

Keep it here for all of your London Marathon updates and final finishers when all is said and done.

UPDATE: Sunday, April 22, 7:30 a.m. ET by Donald Wood

After 26.2 miles of wild action, Kenyan man Wilson Kipsang and Kenyan woman Mary Keitany stole the show by winning the London Marathon. With lightning fast times, the men and women were on pace a few times to beat the all-time record.

While few records actually fell, the incredible pace set early made for a few very wild finishes. A great event filled with great people went off without a hitch again.

Men's Results:

"

1) Wilson Kipsang (Ken) 2:04:44

2) Martin Lel (Ken) 2:06:51

3) Tsegaye Kebede (Eth) 2:06:52

4) Adil Annani (Mar) 2:07:43

5: Jaouad Gharib (Mar) 2:07:44

"

Women's Results:

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1) Mary Keitany (Ken) 2:18:37

2) Edna Kiplagat (Ken) 2:19:50

3) Priscah Jeptoo (Ken) 2:20:14

4) Florence Kiplagat (Ken) 2:20:57

5) Lucy Kabuu (Ken) 2:23:12

"

After an intense battle that saw some of the best runners in the world giving their all, the 2012 London Marathon presented by Virgin is finally in the books. With the next event on the schedule the Summer Olympics from London, the focus has already shifted to the next task for most of these elite runners.

The weather held off and gave us an amazing event Sunday, despite what was forecasted as a possible rainy afternoon. Congratulations to all the men and women who finished all the races.

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What They’re Saying

English Olympic hopeful Lee Merrien told the UKPA about the pressure of making the Olympics and how running as a group will help them power through:

"

There were always only going to be a few places up for grabs. The Olympics is the biggest stage but pressure is good. People raise their game in pressure situations. It's a good thing for me as far as I'm concerned. There will be no shortage of people in our group wanting to run 2:11 and having someone who is comfortable running 65:30 at halfway will be great. We'll be pushing each other on.

"

While these runners have four years to qualify, the ones that get in on their last try may have the upper hand as they head into training with the most momentum. Runners like Merrien will be the ones to watch for as possible winners on Sunday.

Full Course Route

Virgin has produced an amazing virtual map for the runners and the spectators that can be viewed here. All runners and fans should have this map saved and on hand during the marathon. They will not regret it.

Weather

While London is notorious for rain, the luck may hold out for the marathon as the rain is supposed to hold off until 3:00 p.m. local time. That should be more than enough time to get most of the runners to the finish line.

Spectators and runners would be smart to come equipped for rain storms, but Mother Nature may smile on the runners this beautiful Sunday.

Good luck to all the runners and be safe!

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