The men's [[marathon]] at the [[London 2012|2012 Olympic Games]] in [[London]] took place on the [[2012 Olympic Marathon Course|Olympic marathon street course]] on 12 August, the final day of the Games.<ref>[http://www.london2012.com/athletics/about/ Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics]</ref>
The men's [[marathon]] at the [[London 2012|2012 Olympic Games]] in [[London]] took place on the [[2012 Olympic Marathon Course|Olympic marathon street course]] on 12 August, the final day of the Games.<ref>[http://www.london2012.com/athletics/about/ Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics]</ref>
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The course started and finished on [[The Mall, London|The Mall]] in central London. Runners completed one short circuit of 2.219 miles around part of the [[City of Westminster]] and then three longer circuits of 8 miles around Westminster, the [[Victoria Embankment]] and the [[City of London]]. The course was designed to pass many of London's best known landmarks, including [[Buckingham Palace]], [[Trafalgar Square]], [[St Paul's Cathedral]], the [[Bank of England]], [[Leadenhall Market]], [[Monument to the Great Fire of London|the Monument]], the [[Tower of London]] and the [[Palace of Westminster|Houses of Parliament]].<ref>http://www.london2012.com/documents/general/london-2012-marathon-route-map.pdf</ref>
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The course started and finished on [[The Mall, London|The Mall]] in central London. Runners completed one short circuit of 2.219 miles around part of the City of Westminster and then three longer circuits of 8 miles around Westminster, the Victoria Embankment and the City of London. The course was designed to pass many of London's best known landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, St Paul's Cathedral, the Bank of England, Leadenhall Market, the Monument, the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament.<ref>http://www.london2012.com/documents/general/london-2012-marathon-route-map.pdf</ref>
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[[Stephen Kiprotich]] from [[Uganda at the 2012 Summer Olympics|Uganda]] won the gold medal — the country's only medal at the 2012 Games. [[Abel Kirui]] and [[Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich|Wilson Kipsang]], both from [[Kenya at the 2012 Summer Olympics|Kenya]], took silver and bronze respectively. Twenty athletes did not finish the race, which took place on a warm and sunny day.
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[[Stephen Kiprotich]] from [[Uganda]] won the gold medal — the country's only medal at the 2012 Games. [[Abel Kirui]] and [[Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich|Wilson Kipsang]], both from [[Kenya]], took silver and bronze respectively. Twenty athletes did not finish the race, which took place on a warm and sunny day.
The race started off slowly, as most championship races do. In the first five miles, [[Franck de Almeida]] broke away on two separate occasions, only to get swallowed up by the pack. Between 10K and 12K, [[Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich]] moved to the front in a more serious breakaway. The large pack broke up into a small chase pack of 8, primarily East African runners. With a fast mile 7, Kipsang Kiprotich opened up a gap of about 15 seconds, which lasted for the next 10 miles but never increased significantly. The chase group shrunk to [[Abel Kirui]] and [[Stephen Kiprotich]] (a Ugandan not related to Kipsang Kiprotich), with [[Ayele Abshero]] just behind. While Abshero did not gain contact, the other three formed a lead pack. The two Kenyan teammates ran together, with the Ugandan trailing slightly. By 35K, the group of three had over a minute gap on the next competitor, [[Marilson dos Santos]]. At the 22 mile marker, Kiprotich touched his leg as if he were struggling and he seemed to fall back a few seconds. At the 23 mile marker, Kiprotich moved past the two Kenyans. His next mile was 4:42, opening up a 17 second gap on Kirui, with Kipsang Kiprotich falling back. Kiprotich extended his lead by 9 seconds and picked up a Ugandan flag before crossing the finish line.
The race started off slowly, as most championship races do. In the first five miles, [[Franck de Almeida]] broke away on two separate occasions, only to get swallowed up by the pack. Between 10K and 12K, [[Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich]] moved to the front in a more serious breakaway. The large pack broke up into a small chase pack of 8, primarily East African runners. With a fast mile 7, Kipsang Kiprotich opened up a gap of about 15 seconds, which lasted for the next 10 miles but never increased significantly. The chase group shrunk to [[Abel Kirui]] and [[Stephen Kiprotich]] (a Ugandan not related to Kipsang Kiprotich), with [[Ayele Abshero]] just behind. While Abshero did not gain contact, the other three formed a lead pack. The two Kenyan teammates ran together, with the Ugandan trailing slightly. By 35K, the group of three had over a minute gap on the next competitor, [[Marilson dos Santos]]. At the 22 mile marker, Kiprotich touched his leg as if he were struggling and he seemed to fall back a few seconds. At the 23 mile marker, Kiprotich moved past the two Kenyans. His next mile was 4:42, opening up a 17 second gap on Kirui, with Kipsang Kiprotich falling back. Kiprotich extended his lead by 9 seconds and picked up a Ugandan flag before crossing the finish line.
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==Records==
==Records==
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{{As of|2012|07|09|alt=Prior to this event}}, the existing world and Olympic records stood as follows.
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{{As of|2012|07|09|alt=Prior to this event}}, the existing world and Olympic records stood as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 77:
Line 77:
|{{flagathlete|[[Patrick Makau Musyoki]]|KEN}}
|{{flagathlete|[[Patrick Makau Musyoki]]|KEN}}
|'''2:03:38'''
|'''2:03:38'''
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|[[Berlin]], Germany
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|Berlin, Germany
|25 September 2011
|25 September 2011
|-
|-
Line 89:
Line 89:
|{{flagathlete|[[Ayele Abshero]]|ETH}}
|{{flagathlete|[[Ayele Abshero]]|ETH}}
|'''2:04:23'''
|'''2:04:23'''
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|[[Dubai]], United Arab Emirates
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|Dubai, United Arab Emirates
|27 January 2012
|27 January 2012
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|}
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According to [[International Association of Athletics Federations|IAAF]] statistics, the top ten fastest men's marathon times prior to the 2012 Olympics are as follows:<ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=o/age=n/season=0/sex=M/all=y/legal=A/disc=MAR/detail.html 0 Toplists mar m – o]. iaaf.org. Retrieved on 27 April 2012.</ref><ref>http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=o/age=n/season=0/sex=W/all=y/legal=A/disc=MAR/detail.html iaaf.org. Retrieved on 27 April 2012.</ref>
The course started and finished on The Mall in central London. Runners completed one short circuit of 2.219 miles around part of the City of Westminster and then three longer circuits of 8 miles around Westminster, the Victoria Embankment and the City of London. The course was designed to pass many of London's best known landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, St Paul's Cathedral, the Bank of England, Leadenhall Market, the Monument, the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament.[2]
Stephen Kiprotich from Uganda won the gold medal — the country's only medal at the 2012 Games. Abel Kirui and Wilson Kipsang, both from Kenya, took silver and bronze respectively. Twenty athletes did not finish the race, which took place on a warm and sunny day.
The race started off slowly, as most championship races do. In the first five miles, Franck de Almeida broke away on two separate occasions, only to get swallowed up by the pack. Between 10K and 12K, Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich moved to the front in a more serious breakaway. The large pack broke up into a small chase pack of 8, primarily East African runners. With a fast mile 7, Kipsang Kiprotich opened up a gap of about 15 seconds, which lasted for the next 10 miles but never increased significantly. The chase group shrunk to Abel Kirui and Stephen Kiprotich (a Ugandan not related to Kipsang Kiprotich), with Ayele Abshero just behind. While Abshero did not gain contact, the other three formed a lead pack. The two Kenyan teammates ran together, with the Ugandan trailing slightly. By 35K, the group of three had over a minute gap on the next competitor, Marilson dos Santos. At the 22 mile marker, Kiprotich touched his leg as if he were struggling and he seemed to fall back a few seconds. At the 23 mile marker, Kiprotich moved past the two Kenyans. His next mile was 4:42, opening up a 17 second gap on Kirui, with Kipsang Kiprotich falling back. Kiprotich extended his lead by 9 seconds and picked up a Ugandan flag before crossing the finish line.
As is customary, the men's marathon medals were presented as part of the Closing Ceremony, which took place later that day, in the Olympic Stadium - the last medal presentation of the Games.
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