Bank of America Chicago Marathon 2012 ballot: 35th edition, 37,455 finishers
Tsegaye Kebede broke the course record at the 35th Bank of America Chicago Marathon on 7 October 2012, winning in 2:04:38 to become the first Ethiopian man to take the title, while Atsede Baysa edged Rita Jeptoo by one second in the women's race.
What made 2012 notable
Tsegaye Kebede ran the race of the weekend. The Ethiopian clocked 2:04:38 to win the 35th edition, breaking the 2:05:37 course record Moses Mosop had set a year earlier and becoming the first Ethiopian man ever to win in Chicago. Feyisa Lilesa followed in 2:04:52 and Tilahun Regassa in 2:05:27 to complete an Ethiopian sweep. The women's race was decided by a single second: Atsede Baysa held off Rita Jeptoo, 2:22:03 to 2:22:04, with Lucy Kabuu third. Some 37,455 runners finished. Entry was still first-come in 2012, and the 45,000-place field sold out in six days, a record pace that pointed straight at the lottery Chicago would adopt in 2014.
Applications over time
Time qualifier standards
View full age-group standards
| Age group | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 2:50:00 | 3:20:00 |
| 35-39 | 2:55:00 | 3:25:00 |
| 40-44 | 3:00:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 45-49 | 3:10:00 | 3:40:00 |
| 50-54 | 3:15:00 | 3:50:00 |
| 55-59 | 3:25:00 | 3:55:00 |
| 60-64 | 3:40:00 | 4:15:00 |
| 65-69 | 3:55:00 | 4:30:00 |
| 70-74 | 4:15:00 | 4:45:00 |
| 75-79 | 4:30:00 | 5:00:00 |
| 80-84 | 4:50:00 | 5:20:00 |
| 85-89 | 4:50:00 | 5:20:00 |
| 90+ | 4:50:00 | 5:20:00 |
Questions about the 2012 ballot
Who won the 2012 Chicago Marathon?
Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia won the men's race in a course record 2:04:38, the first Ethiopian man to win the race, ahead of Feyisa Lilesa in 2:04:52 and Tilahun Regassa in 2:05:27. Atsede Baysa of Ethiopia won the women's race in 2:22:03, one second ahead of Rita Jeptoo in 2:22:04, with Lucy Kabuu third.
What was the 2012 Chicago Marathon course record?
Tsegaye Kebede ran 2:04:38, breaking the 2:05:37 course record Moses Mosop had set in 2011. It made Kebede the first Ethiopian man to win the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
When was the 2012 Chicago Marathon?
Sunday, 7 October 2012. It was the 35th running of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and 37,455 runners finished.
How did you enter the 2012 Chicago Marathon?
Entry was first-come in 2012, not a lottery. The 45,000-place field sold out in just six days, a record at the time, with charity team places the remaining way in. Chicago did not move to a non-guaranteed entry drawing until 2014, so no drawing acceptance rate or application count exists for 2012.