Samuel Wanjiru, Paul Tergat, Atsushi Fujita and Toshinari Takaoka headline the elite field at Fukuoka on December 2.

I know that Wanjiru has never run a marathon and Tergat and Takaoka are among the giants of the sport, but I think the hype is justifiable. Wanjiru has run 26:41, which he did as a junior in the race where Bekele set his world record, and holds the half marathon world record of 58:33.

Tergat is, well, Tergat.

I'll confess that I didn't know too much about the Japanese guys. Takaoka is old at 37 (though not as old as Tergat) and on the comeback trail, but he has a 2:06:16 to his name from 2002. Takaoka was also 4th at Helsinki. Fujita is also a 2:06 guy, and that 2:06 is the course record at Fukuoka.

This really ought to be the sixth major marathon. The two questions: who do you think will win and how fast will Wanjiru run?

I say Fujita wins and Wanjiru runs 2:07.

Foreign Runners:
Paul Tergat (38, Kenya), 2:04:55
Haile Negussie (28, Ethiopia), 2:08:16
Daniel Yego (28, Kenya), 2:08:16
Alberto Chaiqua (34, Portugal), 2:09:25
Mark Carroll (35, Ireland), 2:10:54

Domestic Runners:
Toshinari Takaoka (37, Team Kanebo), 2:06:16
Atsushi Fujita (31, Team Fujitsu), 2:06:51 (course record)
Shigeru Aburaya (30, Team Chugoku Denryoku), 2:07:52
Atsushi Sato (29, Team Chugoku Denryoku), 2:08:36
Yuko Matsumiya (27, Team Konica Minolta), 2:09:18
Samuel Wanjiru (21, Team Toyota Jidosha Kyushu), 58:33* (world record)