2012 Chicago Marathon

35th Chicago Marathon
Fun runners at the 2012 race
Venue	Chicago, United States
Dates	October 7
Champions
Men	Tsegaye Kebede (2:04:38 CR)
Women	Atsede Baysa (2:22:03)
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The 2012 Chicago Marathon was the 35th edition of the annual marathon race in Chicago, Illinois and was held on Sunday, October 7. An IAAF Gold Label Road Race, it was the fourth and final World Marathon Majors event to be held that year. Tsegaye Kebede won the men's race in a course record of 2:04:38 hours and Atsede Baysa was the women's winner in a personal best of 2:22:03. A total of 37455 runners finished the race (20688 men, 16767 women).

The focus of the women's race was Liliya Shobukhova, who had won the race three times consecutively but had dropped out of the Olympic marathon. Kenya's Lucy Wangui Kabuu was the second-fastest entrant with a best of 2:19:34 hours. Other prominent entrants included Ethiopians Atsede Baysa and Merima Mohammed. Tsegaye Kebede and Wesley Korir, runners-up in 2010 and 2011 respectively, were the principal contenders for the men's race.

Demonstrating the depth of the field, the men's race had thirteen runners in the pack by the halfway point (timing 1:02:54) – all of them Kenyan or Ethiopian. By the time the two pacemakers (Shadrack Kosgei and Merkabu Birke) had dropped out around the 30 km mark, Tsegaye had assumed the head of the pack. Laban Korir and Michael Kipyego had fallen away at that point. Tsegaye accelerated and a succession of four sub-4:40 miles reduced the lead pack to himself, Tilahun Regassa, Sammy Kitwara and Feyisa Lilesa. Wesley Korir was twenty seconds behind after 35 km. With one mile left, only Feyisa remained alongside Tsegaye, but the latter steadily pulled away in the final section of the race to win by a margin of fourteen seconds with a course record 2:04:38 hours. Feyisa took the runner-up spot and Tilahun completed the podium half a minute later. Kitwara and Wesley Korir were next to finish. Dathan Ritzenhein closed his race quickly to place ninth, the first non-East African to finish, with a personal record 2:07:47.