The 112 Boston Marathon commenced on April 21, 2008. It consisted of a point-to-point course that took runners from Hopkinton, Mass., to Back Bay in Boston. It was a record-breaking year for a couple of reasons. First of all the prize purse was nearly 40 percent more than last year's and the women's elite race was so close that first and second place were separated by only two seconds.

Boston Marathon Statistics

There were 25,283 runners that entered the Boston Marathon this year, 22,375 of which started the race and all but 1.8 percent finished. About 41 percent of the runner population was made up of women and 122 were older than age 70. In the wheelchair division there were 16 entrants that started the race and all 16 finished the race. In the handcycle division there were 12 entries.

Boston Marathon Prize Purse

This was a record-breaking year for this historical marathon event. Up 38 percent from last year, this event offered $796,000 in prize money. This money was split between the open division, masters division and wheelchair/handcycle divisions. In the open division, equal prize money was given to the top finishers in the men's and women's divisions. First place winners received $150,000, second place winners received $75,000 and third place winners received $40,000. Other cash prizes in lower denominations were also awarded to fourth through 15th place winners.

In the master's division five cash prizes were awarded. First place winners received $10,000, second place winners received $5,000, third place was awarded $2,500, fourth place was awarded $1,500 and fifth place was awarded $1,000.

Top Female Finishers</strong><p>The time different between first place and fifth place in the women's elite division was less than five minutes. The top finisher was Dire Tune from Ethiopia with a time of 2:25:25. In second place was Alevtina Biktimirova from Russia with a time of 2:25:27, a mere two second difference. In third place was Rita Jeptoo of Kenya with a time of 2:26:34, in fourth place was Jelena Prokopcuka from Latvia with a time of 2:28:12 and in fifth place was Askale Tafa Magarsa also from Ethiopia with a time of 2:29:48. In sixth place was Bruna Genovese of Italy with a time of 2:30:52, in seventh place was Nuta Olaru from Romania with a time of 2:33:56, in eighth place was Robe Tola Guta from Ethiopia with a time of 2:34:37, in ninth place was Lidiya Grigoryeva from Russia with a time of 2:35:37 and in tenth place was Stephanie A. Hood from Canada with a time of 2:44:44.

Top Male Finishers

The male elite race was just as tight as the women's race, however, times were spread out slightly more. In first place was Robert K. Cheruiyot from Kenya with a time of 2:07:46. Cheruiyot is a repeat winner of the Boston Marathon. In second place was Abderrahime Bouramdune with a time of 2:09:04. Kahlil E. Boumlili came in third with a time of 2:10:35, Gashaw Asfaw from Ethiopia came in fourth with a time of 2:10:42 and Kasime Adillo, also from Ethiopia, came in fifth place with a time of 2:12:24.