Wanjiru to face tough field in Chicago

Kenya's Samuel Wanjiru, who won the Beijing Olympic marathon last year in record time, will face a strong field in his bid to capture the Chicago Marathon today.

Wanjiru, who turns 23 next month, would like nothing more than to break Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie's world record of two hours, three minutes and 59 seconds set last year in Berlin.

But he'll also settle for a personal best under the 2:05.10 he clocked in April in London.

His most impressive win though came at the 2008 Summer Games when he battled through hot temperatures and high humidity to capture the Olympic gold medal in 2:06.32, lowering the record by nearly three minutes.

The race attracts 45,000 runners including a world class elite field and 1.5 million spectators on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Wanjiru is seeking his fourth career marathon victory. In his four previous marathons he won three and placed second in the other.

This will be Wanjiru's first visit to the US where he will be challenged by 10 elite Africans, comprising seven Kenyans, two Moroccans and one Ethiopian.

On the women's side, Russian Lidiya Grigoryeva will battle German Irina Mikitenko and American Deena Kastor.