BOSTON, Dec. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock
Financial today announced the return of 2012 Boston Marathon
champions Sharon Cherop and Wesley
Korir of Kenya for the
117th running of the race on April 15.
Wesley Korir ran the smartest
race of his life in winning the 116th Boston
Marathon. Deftly handling blistering heat that reached a high
of 85F, Korir patiently stayed connected to the leaders of the
fastest men's field ever assembled. Heading into the Newton hills,
he resisted the surges of front-runners Geoffrey Mutai and Levy Matebo, and instead ran
within himself and focused on strategy. Singing out loud and
staying hydrated, Korir found inspiration to pass first one
heat-fatigued runner and then the next. He deliberately moved
from sixth place at mile 20, to second at mile 24, to undisputed
champion at the finish (2:12:40). Kenyans Levy Matebo and Bernard
Kipyego and American Jason Hartmann
finished second through fourth respectively.
"Winning the Boston Marathon was the biggest accomplishment of
my life and the win placed me in a distinguished group of champions
who are legendary," said Korir who is a permanent U.S. resident of
Louisville, Kentucky. "The entire
world recognizes and respects the Boston Marathon, and I am proudly
a Boston Marathon champion forever." Korir said 2013 marks his fifth year of marathon running and
his main goal for the year is to defend his Boston title. He is a two-time marathon winner
in Los Angeles and was runner up
in Chicago in 2011.
Boston's 2012 women's race was
equally as strategic as Sharon Cherop's experience on the course
proved to be the deciding factor. In her 2011 Boston debut,
Cherop ran in sync with countrywoman Caroline Kilel and American Desiree Davila until the final meters, but could
not keep pace with the duo and was denied the win by six seconds
and the runner-up spot by four seconds. This year, Cherop
made amends and after running side by side with countrywoman Jemima
Sumgong over the final miles, she put in a crushing surge at the
home-stretch corner of Hereford and Boylston. Sumgong was
unable to respond and Cherop reached the tape first in 2:31:50,
just two seconds ahead of her rival. The close finish marked the
fifth consecutive year the women's race has been decided by three
seconds or less. Kenyan Georgina
Rono finished third and was followed by Ethiopian Firehiwot
Dado, the 2011 New York City champion.
"I will be in Boston to try to
win again and perform at my best level," said Cherop. "I know that
there are some of the best athletes in the world competing in
Boston in 2013, but I'll be ready
for the big race. The course is very hard because there are a lot
of hills and you are running without pacers, but I like this course
because it's also making a natural selection among the athletes."
Cherop is past marathon champion in Toronto and Hamburg, and was the bronze medalist at the
IAAF World Championships Marathon in 2011.
"As John Hancock closes in on 30 years of sponsorship of the
Boston Marathon, we are thrilled to have our defending champions
returning for the 2013 race," said Rob
Friedman, head of Sponsorship and Event Marketing at John
Hancock. "Both Wesley and Sharon held off an excellent field in
2012 and will face another one this year as we once again honor our
commitment to bring the world's top runners to the race. Marathon
Monday will be here before you know it and we fully expect millions
of spectators and viewers will experience yet another thrilling
race on April 15th."
"It is with great pride that we welcome back Wesley Korir and Sharon Cherop to defend their
titles at this year's Boston Marathon," said Tom Grilk, Boston Athletic Association Executive
Director. "Their insightful and tactical races in challenging
conditions last year will be remembered for years to come as part
of Boston's rich tradition of
excellence. Thanks to John Hancock Financial Services, both of
these great champions have the opportunity to add another Boston
Marathon win to their distinguished careers."
The 2013 Boston Marathon marks the 28th year of John
Hancock's landmark sponsorship of the legendary race. For
additional information about the elite athlete program and
sponsorship, please visit
www.johnhancock.com/bostonmarathon/sportspartnerships.html or
follow us @jhboston26 on Twitter.
About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial
Corporation
John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation,
a leading Canada-based financial
services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada
and the United States. In 2012,
John Hancock celebrates 150 years of serving clients across
the United States, while Manulife
celebrates its 125th anniversary. Operating as Manulife
Financial in Canada and in most of
Asia, and primarily as John
Hancock in the United States,
Manulife Financial Corporation offers clients a diverse range of
financial protection products and wealth management services
through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution
partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its
subsidiaries were C$515 billion
(US$523 billion) as at September 30, 2012. Manulife Financial
Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under
'945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet
at manulife.com.
The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises
one of the largest life insurers in the
United States. John Hancock
offers a broad range of financial products and services, including
life insurance, annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k)
plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms
of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock
may be found at johnhancock.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin
and YouTube.
SOURCE John Hancock Financial