Chicago Marathon 2012 Results: What We Learned from Year's 4th World Major

It doesn't matter if you're a veteran marathoner, treadmill junkie or a couch potato who never once stepped foot on pavement, you have to appreciate the milestone thousands of competitors achieved this past weekend at the 2012 Chicago Marathon. 

In the year's fourth World Marathon Major, a pair of Ethiopian athletes brought home the victory on the men's and women's side, furthering the African nation's dominance in one of the most grueling athletic events. 

We learned a few things after an unforgettable day of endurance competition at the 2012 Chicago Marathon.

Let's take a look.

Ethiopia Is Dominant

A number of Ethiopian runners shined on Sunday at the Chicago Marathon. On the men's side, three Ethiopians finished in the Top Three, led by winner Tsegaye Kebede, who broke the course record, shattering it by nearly one full minute. He finished in a time of two hours, four minutes and 38 seconds.

Feyisa Lilesa and Tilahun Regassa also finished toward the top, with Lilesa crossing the line just 14 seconds after Kebede. Dadi Yami and Shami Dawit of Ethiopia also earned Top 10 finishes, coming in eight and 10th, respectively. 

On the women's side, Atsede Baysa brought home another win for Ethiopia, finishing one second ahead of Kenya's Rita Jeptoo. The photo finish highlighted a phenomenal day for the Ethiopians in the Windy City.

Sunday marked the first time since 2001 that the winner on both the men's and women's side came from the same country. Kenya swept the top spots at the Chicago Marathon 11 years ago.

Liliya Shobukhova Was Not Herself

Russia's Liliya Shobukhova had won the last three Chicago Marathons on the women's side coming into 2012, but she was clearly not herself on Sunday, as she settled for fourth place. Shobukhova completed the 26.2-mile course in a time of 2:22:59, 56 seconds off the winning pace. 

Although Shobukhova's time was hardly a poor one, it comes as a surprise considering that she won last year's event in a time of 2:18:20, more than four minutes faster than her 2012 time. 

We have to give a lot of credit to the Top Three finishers on the women's side, but it's also safe to say that Shobukhova didn't run her best race on Sunday. A three-time Chicago Marathon champion, most people expected another dominant performance from the Russian running star. 

Chicago Marathon 2012 Top Finishers (via Chicago Marathon's official website):

Men

Place	Name	Country	Time
1	Tsegaye Kebede	Ethiopia	02:04:38
2	Feyisa Lilesa	Ethiopia	02:04:52
3	Tilahun Regassa	Ethiopia	02:05:27
4	Sammy Kitwara	Kenya	02:05:54
5	Wesley Korir	Kenya	02:06:13
6	Bernard Kipyego	Kenya	02:06:40
7	Samuel Ndungu	Kenya	02:07:26
8	Dadi Yami	Ethiopia	02:07:43
9	Dathan Ritzenhein	USA	02:07:47
10	Shami Dawit	Ethiopia	02:08:39

Women

Place	Name	Country	Time
1	Atsede Baysa	Ethiopia	02:22:03
2	Rita Jeptoo	Kenya	02:22:04
3	Lucy Kabuu	Kenya	02:22:41
4	Liliya Shobukhova	Russia	02:22:59
5	Caroline Rotich	Kenya	02:23:22
6	Maria Konovalova	Russia	02:25:38
7	Fatuma Sado	Ethiopia	02:26:09
8	Renee Metivier Baillie	USA	02:27:17
9	Dot McMahan	USA	02:32:11
10	Stephanie Pezzullo	USA	02:32:42

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