Kenyan marathon runner Wesley Korir won the 2012 Boston Marathon on Monday for the men, becoming the 19th Kenyan man to win the marathon in the last 22 years. The 29-year-old won in a heat-slowed time of two hours, 12 minutes and 40 seconds that was almost 10 minutes behind the world record set by fellow Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai.

One key that I was really paying attention to is hydrating as much as possible,'' Korir said to The Boston Globe. Other than that, I just took it step by step.

Here are 10 things to know about the 2012 Boston Marathon men's winner:

  • It was Korir's first time running the Boston Marathon
  • Korir attended college at Murray State before transferring to Louisville and graduating with a biology degree
  • Korir has yet to become a United States citizen.
  • Korir won the Los Angeles Marathon in back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010
  • Korir finished second in the Chicago Marathon in 2011 with a personal best of 2:06:15
  • Korir is married to Canadian runner Tarah McKay
  • Korir's has a daughter with Tarah named Mckayla
  • Korir runs the Kenyan Kids Foundation in his hometown of Kitale, Kenya to provide youth education, healthcare and unavailable medical services
  • Through the Kenyan Kids Foundation, Korir plans to build a hospital that will provide patients with medication and low cost treatments to improve formerly unavailable health care services in the Rift Valley, according to website of The Believers Church in Louisville, which has partnered with the foundation
  • According to the Kenyan Kids Foundation website, Korir was a member of the Louisville track team for four years, and is currently running professionally for Nike

Sharon Cherop, a 28-year-old fellow Kenyan, won the women's race in two hours, 31 minutes and 50 seconds, becoming the seventh different winner since Catherine Ndereba won back-to-back races in 2004-05.

We started slowly, we did not start fast like last year, Cherop, who finished in third place in last year's race, told reporters. I was really prepared this time around. It's not my first time running in the heat and humidity.

Here are 10 things to know about the 2012 Boston Marathon women's winner:

  • Cherop is the second-born in a family of four
  • Cherop started running as a pupil at Tirap Primary School in Marakwet District, competing up to provincial level in the 10,000-metre race in 1997.
  • Cherop won a bronze medal at 16 years old in the 5000-metre race at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Santiago, Chile
  • Cherop got married in 2006 and gave birth to a baby girl Natalia Jepng'etich
  • Cherop ran her maiden marathon race in 2009 at the Nairobi Standard Chartered Marathon, finishing third with a time of 2:33.53.
  • Cherop won her first marathon, the Hamburg Marathon, in 2010
  • Cherop won the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2010, posting a personal best the fastest marathon time on Canadian soil (2:22:42)
  • Cherop won the bronze medal winner in the marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
  • Cherop's personal best is 2:22:39, set at the 2012 Dubai Marathon.
  • Cherop trains in Iten, Kenya with her husband, Mathew Kosgei, a marathoner
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