Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - The 29th running of the London Marathon, to take place this Sunday, will include the elite of the elite in the marathoning world. Led by 2008 London champions Martin Lel of Kenya and Irina Mikitenko of Germany, the field boasts four sub-2:06 runners and three women who have broken the 2:20 barrier.

Aiming to dethrone Lel on the men's side is countryman Samuel Wanjiru who, despite finishing second at last year's event, went on to capture gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics several months later. With podium finishes in 2007 and 2008 in London, Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco should once again compete for the title as well. Rounding out the 2:05 marathon group is American Khalid Khannouchi, who raced to victory in 2002. The 2006 champion, Felix Limo, enters the event with the fifth-fastest qualifying time.

Wanjiru currently owns a 10-point lead on the World Marathon Championship leaderboard.

Although the women's elite field includes champions from the past two years, the absence of world record holder and three-time London champion Paula Radcliffe from Great Britain will be felt. Radcliffe suffered a broken toe during training.

With Radcliffe out, the focus of the race shifts to Mikitenko, Olympic champion Constantina Dita, 2007 champion Zhou Chunxiu and Catherine "The Great" Ndereba. Ndereba (from Kenya) and Chunxiu (from China) finished second and third, respectively, behind Dita in Beijing.

Mikitenko currently sits atop of the World Marathon Championship leaderboard after her wins last year in London and Berlin.

The London Marathon accepts 46,000 applications every year. The race starts in Greenwich Park and winds around the city before ending in Westminster.