BOSTON -- Trailing the leaders by 200 yards when the Boston Marathon slogged through Heartbreak Hill, Wesley Korir passed them one by one until he took the lead on his way out of Kenmore Square. Thats when leg cramps forced him to slow down and relinquish the lead. "Its hot out there, in case you didnt know," he told reporters after enduring warm temperatures to win the 116th Boston Marathon on Monday. "I knew it was going to be hot, and one important thing that I had to take care of today was really hydrate as much as possible. I guess my biology degree kicked in a little bit." Singing religious songs as he plodded along the scorching pavement, the native Kenyan -- a permanent resident of the United States -- retook the lead from Levy Matebo in the final mile to win in a heat-slowed time of two hours 12 minutes 40 seconds. It was almost 10 minutes behind the world best established here a year ago by Geoffrey Mutai and the second-slowest Boston victory since 1985. Mutai, who was hoping a repeat victory would earn him a spot on the Kenyan Olympic team, dropped out after 18 miles with stomach cramps. Instead, it was Korir who may have won a ticket to the London Games. "To me, I think running the Boston Marathon is an Olympic event," the two-time Los Angeles Marathon winner said. "I dont care what comes up after this, but Im really, really happy to win Boston." Sharon Cherop won the womens race to complete the Kenyan sweep, outkicking Jemima Jelagat Sumgong to win by two seconds in 2:31:50. The womens winner was decided by a sprint down Boylston Street for the fifth consecutive race -- all of them decided by three seconds or less. Temperatures in the high 20s didnt seem to be a problem for Josh Cassidy of Oakville, Ont., who won the mens wheelchair race in 1:18:25, two seconds faster than the previous world best. American Shirley Reilly edged Japans Wakako Tsuchida during a sprint to the finish in the womens wheelchair division. Cherop, who was also hoping to be selected for the Kenyan Olympic team, was third at the world championships and third in Boston last year. "This time around, I was really prepared," she said. "Last time the race went so fast and I didnt know I was about to finish. I didnt know the course well and I didnt know the finish line was coming." Matebo finished 26 seconds behind Korir, and Bernard Kipyego was third as Kenyans swept the podium in both genders. Jason Hartmann, of Boulder, Colo., was in fourth place and the top American. "The pace wasnt blasting, so it wasnt anything that was over my head," Hartmann said. "There were so many times that you wanted to throw in the towel, but you just fought on. I dont think that anyone coming to this race really could say they were prepared for this heat." Korir was the 19th Kenyan mens winner in 22 years. But he is hardly typical of the African runners who have come to dominate the event since Greg Meyer became the last American winner in 1983. After starting college at Murray State -- the Racers, naturally -- he transferred to Louisville and graduating from there with a biology degree. He is hoping to receive American citizenship within a few years. The winners will receive US$150,000 apiece. Korir and his wife, Canadian runner Tarah McKay, run a foundation in his hometown of Kitale and have been building a hospital in the memory of his brother Nicholas, who was killed by a black mamba snake at the age of 10. The heat slowed the leaders and led to warnings that may have convinced as many as 4,300 no-shows to sit this one out. Race organizers offered those who picked up their registration packets but did not start the opportunity to save a place in next years race. The largely unprecedented offer was issued in response to forecasts that called for temperatures rising from 21 C at the start to a high of 31 C by mid-afternoon, when runners were still streaming across the Back Bay finish line at the end of their 42.2-kilometre trek. A total of 22,426 runners started the race in Hopkinton -- about 84 per cent of the registered field of 26,716 entrants. A total of 3,683 never collected their bib numbers over the weekend. Another 427 who picked up their starting bibs did not show up at the start; they will be offered a chance to run in 2013 instead. But Korir said that after coming from sixth place at Mile 20 to take the lead, he struggled to maintain his pace and Matebo went back in front. "I started to get really bad cramps in my legs and needed to slow down and needed to slow down a little bit and ... I was then passed," Korir said. "Soon, I started to feel better and was able to pick up my speed again." One year after cool temperatures and a significant tailwind helped Mutai finish in 2:03:02 for the fastest marathon ever, the heat had elite runners preparing for a slower pace and recreational runners trying to figure out how to finish at all. The Boston Athletic Association warned runners to be alert for signs of heat stroke and dehydration and asked those who were inexperienced or ill to skip this race. The B.A.A. also offered a limited deferment in 2010, when the Icelandic volcano eruption stalled air traffic in Europe and prevented about 300 runners from getting to Boston. Five-gallon jugs of water -- twice as many as usual, organizers said -- were already lining the route early in the morning as volunteers and medical staff stood by preparing for the influx of hot and tired runners. The Boston Marathon has had its share of hot weather, with the thermometer hitting 36 C during the 1909 race that came to be known as "The Inferno" and the 1976 "Run for the Hoses" that started in 38-degree heat and finished with spectators sprinkling winner Jack Fultz with garden hoses to cool him down. Hopkinton residents Ted and Nanda Barker-Hook have been handing out sports drinks, coffee, water, bananas, and sunscreen on the road leading to the starting gate for the past five years. This year, no one was touching the coffee. Those who did show up said they were prepared. "Youve got to know your own body," Mike Buenting, of Minneapolis, who has run 10 marathons, said as he waited for the starting gun. "You have to know how to hydrate and the rest will take care of itself." . Not the 6-foot-9 all-encompassing mountain that is Zdeno Chara, but the reigning (and likely repeat) Selke Trophy winner and the “underrated” thorn in the Leafs side. 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Listen to all-day coverage on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg and TSN Radio 1260 in Edmonton. Also, TSNs Ryan Rishaug will be filing news and videos from the morning skate on TSN.ca. The Oilers open this season at home after missing out on the playoffs for a seventh straight season in 2013. Meanwhile, Winnipegs postseason drought is only slightly shorter, as the franchise last qualified for the playoffs in the spring of 2007 when the club was still known as the Atlanta Thrashers. Winnipeg missed out on the postseason by eight points in 2011-12 and by a mere four points last season. As part of the NHLs realignment plan for this season, the Jets are moving from the East to the West, conference wise, to join the Central Division, which expects to be much tougher than the clubs previous home in the now- defunct Southeast. Not only will the Central be the home of the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, but the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild also expect to challenge for the division title, while the Jets, Colorado, Dallas and Nashville simply try to stay afloat. Claude Noel is back for a third season behind the bench for Winnipeg, but he could be in the hot seat if the Jets struggle to find their footing in their new surroundings. The good news for Noel is there is no shortage of talent in Winnipeg, where Evander Kane leads the offense and blueliners Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom create havoc from the back end. Byfuglien did suffer a lower-body injury in Winnipegs final game of the preseason, but is expected to play in Tuesdays opener. The Jets also added forwards Devin Setoguchi and Michael Frolik via trades this summer, but time will only tell if those moves are enough to help Winnipeg keep pace in a new division and conference. Winnipeg netminder Ondrej Pavelec has proven himself to be a workhorse over the years, but there are some folks who question his ability to be a dependable No. 1 goaltender. The Czech will get plenty of chances to prove himself worthy this season, beginning with a start in Tuesdays opener. Pavelec played in 44 of Winnipegs 48 games in 2013 and was the clubs starting goaltender 43 times while recording a 21-20-3 record. However, his 2.80 goals against average and .905 save percentage were hardly impressive numbers. Still, with Al Montoya returning as the backup, Pavelec is the undisputed No. 1 netminder once again. The Oilers have stockpiled draft picks during its recent rebuilding phase, but there is reason to believe the club is ready to make the transition to playoff contender in 2013-14. Since losing to the Carolina Hurricanes as an upstart eighth seed in the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers have yet to make it back to the postseason, giving this once-proud franchise the longest current playoff drought in the NHL. Even worse, the Oilers have rarely been competitive during the downturn, as the seven-season playoff drought includes four last-place finishes and only two seasons oof 80 points or more.dddddddddddd. The Oilers finished 10 points out of a playoff spot during last years lockout-shortened campaign and it wasnt long before the heads began to roll. General manager Steve Tambellini was fired in mid-April and replaced by Craig MacTavish, who had previously coached the club from 2000-09. MacTavish then fired head coach Ralph Krueger after his first season at the job and replaced him with Dallas Eakins, Edmontons fifth different head coach in the last six seasons. Eakins, who was the head coach of the AHLs Toronto Marlies over the last four seasons, will make his debut as an NHL head coach in Tuesdays opener. The turnover didnt stop with management or coaches, however, as MacTavish also chose to part ways with players like former captain Shawn Horcoff, fellow forward Magnus Paajarvi and defenseman Ryan Whitney. Taking over as captain for Horcoff is defenseman Andrew Ference, who signed a four-year deal with the Oilers this offseason after spending the last seven seasons in Boston. The 34-year-old is an Edmonton native and is excited just to be playing with his hometown club, let alone serving as the Oilers captain. "To know that Im able to come back to my hometown and be so extremely proud to pull on the jersey, letter or not, I know how fortunate I am to have that kind of path in a career like this," said Ference. "It really is an ultimate privilege and honor to just have that jersey on in the first place." Under Eakins, the Oilers, who are loaded with talented and highly-touted players stockpiled through the draft, are expected to play with more grit and determination, or the roster upheaval could claim more victims. Although Edmonton is stacked with offensive potential, the club finished 21st in the league in even-strength goals in 2013. Eakins would like to see an improvement in that area this season, but it could be hard in the early going with forwards Sam Gagner (broken jaw) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (offseason shoulder surgery) both on the shelf to start the season. Last season, Devan Dubnyk supplanted veteran Nikolai Khabibulin as Edmontons starting goaltender and enters this season opener with the No. 1 job all to himself. Khabibulin departed to sign a free-agent deal with Chicago and the Oilers replaced him with Jason LaBarbera, who at 33 years of age seems to be a better fit as a backup option than his 40-year-old predecessor. 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