Pushing through 85-degree heat, Kenyans Wesley Korir and Sharon Cherop captured 2012 Boston Marathon titles. John Hancock Financial announced Tuesday Korir and Cherop will defend their titles in 2013.

“Winning the Boston Marathon was the biggest accomplishment of my life and the win placed me in a distinguished group of champions who are legendary,” Korir said in a release. “The entire world recognizes and respects the Boston Marathon, and I am proudly a Boston Marathon champion forever.”