New York, USA - Both the men’s and women’s fields in the 2006 edition of the ING New York City Marathon are deep in talented athletes who know how to win. Here is a look at the ones who seem most likely to end up on the podium Sunday 5 November 2006, at the end of a race which takes place in the presence of IAAF President Lamine Diack who is in New York as a guest of the organisers.

MEN

There are ten entrants who have personal bests under 2:09. Still, after last year’s stirring and near-dead-heat run between Paul Tergat of Kenya and Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, you have to consider them the co-favourites for 2006.

Tergat holds the World record at 2:04:55, which gives him a nearly two-minute edge on the field. But that was accomplished on the fast, flat Berlin course with the help of “rabbit” Sammy Korir, who pulled Tergat to the run of his life, and nearly stole it finishing just a second adrift.

It was also in 2003, and Tergat, now 37, hasn’t raced at all since his 59:42 half marathon showing which brought him fourth place on the downhill course in Lisbon, Portugal on 26 March. But he says he is in good shape and well prepared.

Ramaala, on the other hand, comes off a recent win at the Great North Run half marathon in Newcastle, England, and an earlier fast third place in Flora London in April in a PB 2:06:55. And having won here in 2004 and missing by the smallest of margins in 2005, he surely must be as motivated as anyone can be.

Tergat expects that someone will try to break away from the lead pack somewhere between 16-20 miles. Last year it was Ramaala, who clocked an amazing 4:17 mile as they ran up First Avenue.

Says Tergat, “Whoever breaks away, I feel I can go with them. I’m not concerned about it.”

Last year here, America’s 2004 Olympic silver medallist, Meb Keflezighi, was with Tergat and Ramaala for 40km before losing contact with them. He was a strong third place (2:09:56) in Boston in April, and would dearly love to lose his ‘bridesmaid’ status this weekend.  His coach, Bob Larsen, reports that Keflezighi missed more than a week of training this autumn with a right hamstring strain, but got back on track quickly and shows no after-effects of the injury. “Meb is ready,” says Larsen.

Italy’s Stefano Baldini ran a heady race to win the 2004 Olympic marathon in Athens, and did it again winning this summer’s European Championships.  He also set a personal best finishing fifth in London last April, running 2:07:22. 

Tergat respects Baldini’s finishing ability. “He is very aggressive at the end of the race. You don’t want him to be with you at the end.”

In addition to Tergat, there are six other Kenyans in the race who have run under 2:09, and thus have to be considered: 2002 New York winner Rogers Rop (PB 2:07:34); William Kipsang (2:06:39); Titus Munji (2:06:45); Raymond Kipkoech (2:06.47); Daniel Yego (2:08:16); and Daniel Cheribo (2:08:35). It’s reasonable to imagine that one or two of them might have a career day and find himself in the lead at the end of the race

Finally, there is the much-anticipated marathon debut of American Dathan Ritzenhein, who has been called “the future of American distance running” for so long one is surprised he’s only 23. He respects his elders, but he’s not afraid to run with them.

After Ritzenhein’s third-place finish in this year’s Great North Run (in 1:01:25), Hendrick Ramaala, who won the Great North, commented, “He ran with guts. He was not intimidated.”

WOMEN 
 
You don’t find many women’s marathons which include two women who have run sub-2:20. There are two of them here.

2003 World champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya has done it three times, including the 2:18:47 World record (then a World best) she set winning Chicago in 2001. And in the 14 marathons she has run since 1 January 2000, she has won seven - including four at Boston and two in Chicago - and taken second in the other seven! She also has the second-fastest women’s time ever over the difficult New York course – 2:23:03.

What’s more, the 34-year-old Ndereba, the 2003 World and 2004 Olympic silver medallist, has been hot this year, winning the Osaka Ladies Marathon (2:25:05) and then taking a fast half marathon in New York on 27 August in 1:09:43 (downhill course).

You can’t bet against her for a place on the podium.

But it won’t be easy for her to win the gold medal (yes, this year for the first time, ING New York is awarding gold, silver and bronze medals to the place winners).

The reason is Deena Kastor. Kastor, the 2004 Olympic bronze medallist, has raced only twice this year, and set American records in both of those races. She won London in 2:19:36, and the Berlin Half Marathon in1:07:34.

“This year I’m concentrating on the New York Marathon,” says Kastor, 33. Her last New York appearance, two and half months after her Olympic third place, was a disaster; she couldn’t finish. That’s a memory she is determined to erase.

Usually, she has a time goal; but not this Sunday. She feels she can run with any pace, and pour it on over the last 10 kilometres.

There are several others in the field who aren’t going to lie down and play dead for Ndereba and Kastor.

Rita Jeptoo of Kenya finished fast to win last April’s Boston Marathon in a PB 2:23:28, and has been running well all year, establishing an African 20km record (63:47) when finishing third at the recent World Road Running Championships. At 25, she is young for a world class marathoner, and figures to keep improving here.

Defending New York champion Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia came close to winning at Boston this spring before Jeptoo outfinished her by 20 seconds, and she obviously knows how to handle the ups and downs of the course here and win.

Susan Chepkemei, the third top Kenyan in the field, has come close in New York, finishing second in 2001, 2004 and 2005. At 31, she’s in her prime, having improved her marathon best by 90 seconds while finishing third in London in April.

The sixth strong contender is Lornah Kiplagat, a Kenya-born Dutch citizen, and the winner of several major marathons including Amsterdam (1999), Los Angeles (1997 & 98), Osaka (2002) and Rotterdam (2005)  She has been a top-ten finisher in the last four New York Marathons, but never better than her third-place national record of 2:23:43 in 2003. Recently, though, she set a World record for 20km at the World Road Racing Championships, which might give her the confidence she needs to break through here.

James Dunaway for the IAAF