By Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff

The men's and women's winners of the 2011 Boston Marathon are the headliners for the Boston Athletic Association 10K on June 24 in Boston.

Geoffrey Mutai and Caroline Kilel both won the inaugural BAA 10K last summer following their victories in April of 2011 in the marathon.

In the women's 10K, Kilel will face 2012 Boston Marathon women's winner Sharon Cherop.

The race starts and ends on Charles Street between the Boston Public Garden and Boston Common at 8 a.m. To register, go to the race's web page.

By the Associated Press

Boston Marathon officials have granted 2,160 deferments into the 2013 race to runners who opted to sit out this year because of the heat.

Boston Athletic Association spokesman Marc Davis says those runners will have a chance to register in August, before the rest of the field signs up. The B.A.A. doesn’t know how many will take it up on the offer.

The total field will remain at 27,000.

With temperatures forecast in the high 80s, the B.A.A. encouraged runners to skip April’s race and run next year instead. To be eligible for a deferment, runners had to pick up their bib number but sit the race out.

About 2,200 runners were on the original list, but 45 were identified in photographs as running the race after all.

By Ben Starr, Special to Boston.com

I hadn't planned to run another Boston Marathon until I made a qualifying time, but when offered a number this winter by a director of a charity organization that had received only two of this precious commodity, I gladly accepted the opportunity to donate and raise money in exchange.

I came within a few minutes of qualifying in recent years, but the new qualifying times made my quest to qualify less likely. But that wasn't why I accepted. The ripple of backlash against the charity component of the race from qualifiers and running snobs that arose when the BAA entry process was oversubscribed in the fall of 2010 brought out the long-lost populist in me.

Not only does the program raise well north of $10 million annually for local charities (and more than $120 million since its inception in 1989), but it was through this program that I first entered Boston in 2005 and quickly caught the marathoning bug. I've now run 10 total, including six marathons across the country that need us more mediocre runners to fill their fields and their host cities' hotel rooms and restaurants.

On the eve of this year's event I was reminded of the scarlet letter us non-qualifiers carried in a heat advisory email from the BAA, "It is our recommendation that anyone entered in the marathon who has not met the qualifying standards for their age and gender strongly consider not running ..."

Harrumph. But as I muddled through the hottest marathon I've attempted and, like fellow runners, focused on the water/Gatorade stops, I noticed that many of the overheated volunteers spread across the eight communities that make up this logistically unique nightmare of a marathon wore shirts or hats indicating the charity for whom they were affiliated. Tufts University, the Liver Foundation, Griffin's Friends and many more.

I had previously failed to realize that the charities did so much more than raise money.

They were part of the backbone of the marathon, a benefit to all runners, qualifiers and non-qualifiers.

Ben Starr, 45, is a veteran marathoner who lives in Beacon Hill with his wife and two children.

Lindsay Kos is one of five Boston Marathon entrants testing the Polar RCX5 personal training computer and blogging about it for Boston.com.

By Lindsay Kos, Boston.com Correspondent

It's hard to believe the marathon was a week ago. It feels like an already distant memory, though my still-aching quads tell a different story. I'm still feeling as proud, happy, accomplished, and relieved as when I crossed the finish line. My 3:09:28 finish was my slowest marathon, though I'll never remember it that way. Instead, it was the day I smiled for 26.2 miles straight and reignited my passion for the sport.

As race day neared and warnings from the BAA cautioned runners about the dangers of heat, I couldn't help but feel frustrated. Like thousands of other runners, I had trained all winter for this race and was in peak shape. It was beyond difficult to let my sub-3:00 attempt, almost literally, melt away. I chose to respect the heat and run at a slightly slower pace to ensure the experience was as positive as I could control. I didn't want to tarnish my first Boston Marathon experience by stubbornly attempting a PR and bonking.

We crossed the line and my face immediately lit up with a smile. We were off and running and I was determined to soak each and every moment in: something I rarely do while gunning for a PR. Even though our 7:00 pace felt comfortable over the first few miles, I didn't know exactly how my body would handle the heat over the distance. It was reassuring when I glanced at my Polar RCX5 and saw my heart rate staying steady in the familiar and comfortable 150s/160s.

We relaxed through Ashland and Framingham, but my friend and running buddy Alex wasn't feeling so hot and had to slow down around mile 10. I knew it was going to be a rough day for many, but I carried on through Natick. I high fived and cheered through Wellesley. I continued to grab water, ice cubes, and Gatorade at every single station. This was certainly the most hydrated I've ever been during a marathon, though the sugary sweet Gatorade did not sit well with my stomach and I had to make a pit stop at mile 13. I poured water over my head mile over mile, just to be dry a few minutes later. My quads started to feel off as we hit mile 16 and I slowed the pace to 7:15/7:20. I focused on simply surviving up the Newton Hills, and couldn't believe how good it felt when I crested Heartbreak Hill. The crowds at BC roared and I felt like a rockstar as I hit a 6:55 mile on the downhill.

I finally hit the wall around mile 23 and saw my heart rate climb into high 160s. I'm honestly surprised it wasn't higher, as I had regularly maintained 170s-180s in training and workouts. I felt myself working harder to push the pace, but struggling in frustration to do so. I actually made the conscious decision to stop trying to go faster and simply relax until I hit the finish. Time was out the window, so why make it stressful? I just wanted to relax and soak in every moment.

No feeling can compare to crossing the finish line on Boylston, not even the thrill upon completing my first marathon in NYC 2010. While this was my slowest marathon by 5 minutes, off my PR by 6 minutes, and off my goal time by 10-plus minutes, this was my favorite one to date. I feel thankful and relieved as I know it could have gone much worse, and did for many.

I ran a smart, conservative race and crossed the line as the 58th female finisher, a place that easily would have garnered a sub-3:00 finish in years past. While it's a bit frustrating to not have been able to cash in my training and have hit that time, it's a simultaneous confidence booster to know I'm right there. I'll just need to ramp it up again for Chicago in October: sub 3:00, I'm coming for you!

On Monday, I reminded my overly competitive self that running is about so much more than PRs; I run because I love it. A race can be memorable and exhilarating even if you don't race your fastest, and Boston was a nice reminder to myself and others to never forget that. Sometimes, it's not about the numbers, but instead about purely enjoying the run.

Thanks again for allowing me this incredible opportunity to share my journey and my race with you, Boston.com readers! To continue reading about my running, and for a more detailed race recap, visit my blog Lindsay Runs. I'll be taking on the Big Sur Marathon (at a casual pace!) this weekend as part of the 'Boston 2 Big Sur' Challenge.

Robin Nichols is one of five Boston Marathon entrants testing the Polar RCX5 personal training computer and blogging about it for Boston.com

By Robin Nichols, Boston.com Correspondent

Last weekend I spent the entire weekend checking the weather on my phone. I swear every time I checked, the temperature forecast increased.

The emails from the Boston Athletic Association didn’t calm my nerves either. We were in for record high heat for Marathon Monday and the BAA was allowing people to defer their entry. Let me tell you, I didn’t think twice about deferring. I was running the Boston Marathon no matter what.

The BAA had warned everyone to adjust their goals for their race, so I did. I picked what seemed like an easy pace and I also planned on running by my heart rate in order to keep me from overheating. My plan was set, it was time to run.

I rode to Hopkinton on a bus with my fellow Greater Lowell Road Runners teammates. Being among such experienced runners really allowed me to get in the mood for the race. We made it to Hopkinton with plenty of time to get to the start and I headed to the corals with another runner. As soon as I entered the coral, I turned to my friend and let out an “I’m running the Boston Marathon!” I was in the second wave, so we started at 10:20.

The first few miles were so amazing running through Hopkinton. The streets were lined with people, and I felt like we were in a parade. While there were people all around me, I really didn’t feel overcrowded one bit. We settled into our pace pretty quickly and I immediately realized this wasn’t going to be an easy day. The temperature was already approaching 80 and my legs felt it.

My easy pace wasn’t so easy, but I tried pushing to hold it. This was my big mistake of the day. I was hitting the correct paces, but my heart rate was climbing quickly.

At the halfway mark, I was having a blast, but was beginning to slow down because of the heat. At this point, I knew running the race for time was over and it was time to switch to survival mode. As you can see from my Polartraining information, my heart rate was way higher than it normally would have been at that pace. My body was not loving the heat at all. I cut my pace back and tried to get my heart rate down.

Unfortunately, the climbing temperature made my body work even harder so I switched to run walking at about mile 15. I was not excited about having to walk so early in my marathon, but I knew that was only way I would finish still standing.

I may have walked a lot those miles, but I soaked in every bit that Boston had to offer. I high-fived every person that I could. I felt like I was flying through Wellesley and BC because of the amazing crowds. I loved running through the spray tunnels and hoses.

As soon as I saw the Citgo sign, my legs felt like it was the beginning of the day. I started running as fast as I could handle and I ran the fastest miles I had run since the beginning.

Turning onto Hereford and seeing Boylston ahead sent my adrenaline soaring. I turned onto Boylston and saw the finish line up ahead and ran so hard. I celebrated the entire way yelling at the crowd and cheering for myself. I was finishing the Boston Marathon, five years of running had brought me to that moment.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 4:29 and the smile has still not left my face. The medal I earned is one I have been dreaming about. This was one of my slowest marathons, yet it was the hardest by far and I am so very proud.

Thank you Polar and Boston.com for allowing me to blog about my Boston experience. To read more about my running you can visit my blog, WestfordMommy.

Tara Bennett is one of five Boston Marathon entrants testing the Polar RCX5 personal training computer and blogging about it for Boston.com

“Bring it on.”

The last words of my last blog entry … well, Mother Nature did “bring it on.” Feeling a little “hot, hot, hot” on Monday was to say the least. So my run, and yes, it was a run and not a race, certainly turned out quite different than I had planned from when I excused myself from a meeting at 10 a.m. back in September to register for the Boston Marathon. My hopes of having a solid run on Monday faded quickly as I left Hopkinton on my 26.2 mile journey to Boston. And what a journey it was!

I was fortunate to connect with a good friend who invited my girlfriend Betsy (and fantastic runner partner) and I to come to a house her foundation had secured for their runners. Taking advantage of this offer was so perfect. The stage was set for marathon fever. I have never experienced the starting line festivities on marathon day. I thoroughly enjoyed the activities, seeing the wheelchair and elite women/masters start, and feeling the excitement, anticipation, and anxiety as the elite men and the first wave of runners took off. We had prime time access to a bathroom and met some new faces.

Got to love the spectators! You know life is good when, within 3 miles of the start of the race, you are surrounded by screaming adults holding plastic red cups and a rock band jammin’ away like it’s no one’s business. The fans made the race doable.

Thank you to all for the orange slices, Popsicles, loud cheers, cold water, and the sprinklers and hoses. And thank you to the fire stations for setting up the water tents and for opening up fire hydrants along the route. The Wellesley girls held up to their reputation, as did the students of Boston College. But I think the most memorable moments for me came when, after going through a water tent, I couldn’t clean off my glasses because my shirt was soaked so I ran up to a spectator and asked if I could use his shirt to wipe the water away – he said yes; and, when I was in the last mile and I stopped to stretch because I was fighting cramping and a woman kept telling me as I was stretching in front of her: “you can do it Tara, you will finish this race.”

These simple statements had been ones that I had been repeating over and over in my mind, but for some reason they hit me in the right place at the right moment. So thank you to all who made this run one to remember for me.

However, the best support came from Team Bennett – Bob, my husband, and my two kids, Liam and Aislinn. Wearing bright colors so I could easily spot them, the team met Betsy and me at five stops along the route – absolutely amazing! At each stop we had cold water and Gatorade, along with endurolytes, GUs, and ice, all of which was priceless at the last two stops.

Betsy and I found ourselves loitering a bit more at each stop as the race wore on. We were talking to other spectators and just could not get enough of the cold beverages. I would say from mile 10 on, we knew that this Boston Marathon was a marathon about finishing and not about racing. The heat was intense and this was evident in our heart rates.

After getting all my connections in order at the marathon expo Friday afternoon by Polar’s rep, Chris Zoller, I was eager to see my Monday results from the Polar products. Chris gave me his GPS belt clip, which rocked (thanks again, Chris!) so I didn’t have to wear the arm strap and I got my stride sensor connected with my watch.

Everything easily connected Monday morning (HR monitor, GPS, Stride Sensor) so I was ready to run. I took the first miles relatively easy, but still found my heart rate up in the lower 160s to high 150s – and this was going downhill! Good to have this info as it allowed me to adjust and made me realize around mile 2 that I needed to start dosing myself with water to cool down my body.

I was conscientious about my liquid and gel intake so as to make sure I did not fall behind my needs. In looking at my data, one would never know that I made it through the Newton Hills in decent shape because of the stops made to see both my family and Betsy’s family.

To say that the 2012 Boston did not match my expectations is an understatement. However, I am a realist and I believe I know my limits. I had to make adjustments to my expectations even before the start of the race. Though I qualified with a 3:38, I finished with a 4:25 on Monday; but I was happy not to part of the thousands who needed medical attention or DNF the race. I finished the 2012 Boston Marathon and I am happy with this accomplishment.

I will say that the Polar RCX5 provided me with solid and timely feedback on how my body handled the elements – especially in relation to my HR. I did have problems with my strap not staying in place. I attribute this to that I had it on top of my bra and it kept sliding from the moisture of the water. And I noticed that the distance did not come out to 26.2 – I swear I ran the whole race!! Other than that, I enjoyed using the Polar products.

I’m ready for my post-race massage on Wednesday and back to exercising on Thursday. I’m still enjoying the celebratory balloons, sign, chalk drawing in front of my house and beautiful flowers that my friends gave me.

Not sure what will be next on my running race docket but I am riding in the Pan Mass Challenge in August so I look forward to seeing how Polar will work when I start training on my bike.

Thanks again for letting me be part of this wonderful experience!

Marcus Grimm is one of five Boston Marathon entrants testing the Polar RCX5 personal training computer and blogging about it for Boston.com

By Marcus Grimm, Boston.com Correspondent

As the hours came closer to the start of the Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, it became painfully clear that us runners were facing practically unheard of situations in regard to the weather. The conversations among all the runners weren’t about if we were going to slow down, but how much we were going to slow down to avoid the dreaded DNF. Trust me: after you’ve bought a lot of “Boston Marathon” gear, there’s extra incentive to cross that finish line!

In my case, I’d decided to slow my marathon pace by 15 seconds per mile, but I realized around Framingham that doing that resulted in a heart rate of around 85 percent of my max. From experimenting with the Polar, I’d come to know that I can do a long, hard workout at 80 percent of max. But 85 percent, to me, seemed dangerous, so I immediately slowed my pace another 5 seconds per mile, and dropped my heart rate closer to the 80 percent number.

I’d love to tell you that this simple change turned my 2012 Boston Marathon into a wonderful experience, but that would be a lie. It was the hottest marathon, by far, that I’ve done, and I spent much of my time hunting down the “angels” along the sides of streets with bags of ice. They became my heroes for the day! But that data from the Polar pulled me far enough from the brink of disaster to keep on keepin’ on!

In the end, I finished in 3:33, very close to my slowest marathon ever, and a full 15-20 minutes slower than I expected to be. That said, I finished in around 3,500th place. Considering I was bib No. 8348, in the end I handled the heat better than a lot of people. And for that, I give all of the credit to the Polar. If you visit my splits and heartrate from the race (which I started a minute prior to crossing the start line), you can see I averaged about 83 percent max for the race, which shows that given the conditions, I gave it my all.

As runners, we often spend too much time focusing on our times and not enough on our experiences. I’d like to thank the Boston Marathon for providing me with my most incredible marathon experience to date. When I think about qualifying for Boston a year ago, I think about how proud I was of my result. When I think about the Boston Marathon of 2012, however, I think about a lifetime of memories I’m grateful to have.

Thanks again to Boston.com and Polar for the opportunity to share my journey with you. Please feel free to visit my blog.

The Boston Athletic Association said on Tuesday approximately 2,181 runners sought medical treatment in one of seven medical tents set up along the course or at the finish area of Monday’s Boston Marathon

As of early this afternoon, nine runners remained hospitalized in critical but not life threatening condition, according to a BAA spokesman.

About 500 more runners visited Red Cross aid tents, the BAA said. High temperatures were present throughout Monday’s race.

Estimates about the race were shared with the media at a post-race press conference Tuesday. Officials also said an estimated 215 runners were either taken to a hospital or visited one on their own, and between 15 and 20 were still receiving treatment at a hospital as of Tuesday morning.

Here’s a look at the other stats provided by the BAA:

26,716 entered the 116th Boston Marathon

22,863 picked up race numbers

22,535 started the marathon

21,603 finished the marathon

3,853 did not pick up race numbers

328 are eligible to defer their entry to next year. The BAA did say the number could increase because it is still sorting through additional requests for deferment based on entrants who chose not to travel and communicated their intentions after the deferral option was introduced on Saturday.

932 dropped out

The BAA also said no adjustments would be made to qualifying standards for 2013 based on the heat.

Dale Lolar, Bob Bryant and Barry Dana posed at the finish line on Sunday, then all three reached it again in Monday's Boston Marathon. (Caleb Raynor/TNC)

By Matt Pepin, Globe Staff

Running is one way Barry Dana feels a special connection to his heritage as a member of the Penobscot Indian Nation in Maine.

"Running has been part of my culture for thousands of years. It's like the Kenyans today, it was like a way of life," Dana said. "In my life, I've tried to make it part of my lifestyle."

Dana got the opportunity to use running to improve things for the Penobscot Nation on Monday in the Boston Marathon. Dana and two other men associated with the Penobscots ran to raise money for the Penobscot River Restoration Project, an effort to remove two dams and add fish ladders to other areas to restore the river to a former state.

"The Penobscot River is our indigenous homeland, I grew up on the reservation right there in the middle of the river. But I never knew it like my ancestors," Dana said.

Dana, a former chief of the Penobscot Indian Nation, Dale Lolar, a counselor to the nation, and Bob Bryant, whose wife and children are Penobscot members, all ran on charity numbers obtained by the Nature Conservancy, which is assisting in the project.

Their goal was $20,000. According to their fund-raising web site, they're at just over $13,000.

But for those who pledged, Dana, Lolar and Bryant held up their end of the bargain. All three finished the marathon -- Dana in 3:54:11, Lolar in 3:58:18 and Bryant in 4:35:19. An added connection to history for the three men was that this year's Boston Marathon was the 100th anniversary of a second-place finish by a Penobscot named Andrew Sockalexis.

"I take a lot of honor and pride to be asked to be a part of it," Bryant said.

By Ty Velde, Globe Correspondent

I knew it was going to be a tough day when I broke a sweat just walking to the starting line.

On top of it all there were the multiple warnings sent by the BAA, which I have to say were freakishly scary. While I certainly was not going to defer, it did make me rethink how I was going to approach yesterday’s race.

Of all the warnings/advice put forth by the BAA, the one the really resonated with me read as follows:

For the overwhelming majority of those who have entered to participate in the 2012 Boston Marathon, you should adopt the attitude that THIS IS NOT A RACE. It is an experience.

While I had run in heat before, I certainly don’t remember heat as intense as this. Yes, I was there in 2004, but to be honest I must have erased this from my memory bank as I really don’t recall the heat being as much of a factor.

Therefore, while I was certainly not scared by the heat, I knew that it was something that could not be ignored, and most importantly an element to be respected.

Needless to say, I knew that this was not going to be a day to shoot for a personal record, and about five miles into the race, I knew that this was not even going to be a day to shoot for re-qualifying. As a result, I made a conscious decision to just slow down my pace and soak in the experience.

While it was certainly far from an ideal day for running, it was an ideal day for spectating. This was apparent by the throngs of people lining the course. While this is not necessarily unique for Boston, the energy that these folks provided was clearly needed on a day like yesterday. To all those out there with the hoses ... thank you! To all those handing out water, oranges and flavor ice ... thank you! To the fire departments and towns who opened up their hoses and hydrants ... thank you! To the BAA for a race well done… thank you!

Needless to say, yesterday was quite an experience. While my time yesterday was far from my best (actually my worst by about 28 minutes) I still felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

To me, yesterday was not about beating the clock. It was about beating the elements. It was about mental toughness. It was about keeping my streak alive. In the end, it was simply about the joy of just crossing the finish line.

Congratulations to all!

See you again in 2013.