Distance travelled by them in first hour = 12 km
Distance travelled by them in second hour = 13 km
Distance travelled by them in third hour = 14 km and so on
Thus in 9 hours they will cover exactly 144 km and in 9 h each will cover half the total distance.
( 8 x 9 = 72 and 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 = 72)