From race press release.

Columbus, Ohio---The 23rd annual Columbus Marathon will be led by a strong elite field that should pose a threat to at least three of the four course records.

"I would be surprised if the course record isn't broken for the females," said Creigh Kelley, commentator for the Columbus Marathon. "The race will be between Belarus, Ukraine and Russia."

The current female course record of 2:31:09 was set in 1989 by former Olympian and home state favorite, Julie Isphording of Cincinnati. The front-runners to break the course record are Albina Ivanova of Russia (2:30:21 PR), Lyudmyla Pushkina of Ukraine (2:32:03) and Alena Vinitskaya of Belarus (2:32:17). Additionally, last year's champion, Tatiana Titova of Russia, is coming back to defend her title.

The 2002 Columbus Marathon elite male field is not short on talent, either.

"For the first time ever, we're going to have a Columbus resident who has a real chance of winning," said Gwen Stultz, elite athlete coordinator for the Columbus Marathon. "Jim Jurcevich (photo) is a world-class half marathon runner and recently made his marathon debut in Twin Cities in a time of 2:16:18."

There are several challengers to Jurcevich, though.

"We certainly have a strong pack of 2:17 to 2:19 times," Kelley said. "Mike Korir has posted a marathon time of 2:14 before. He will definitely challenge Jurcevich."

Additionally, the Columbus Marathon is known for its exceptional elite wheelchair field. This year, there are four strong wheelchair racers that may challenge both male and female course records, as well.

Krige Shabort, the male wheelchair record holder (1:31:25) will be returning to Columbus and will be joined by world-class wheelchair racers and former Columbus Marathon winners Saul Mendoza and Scot Hollenbeck. Also, Candace Cable, 7-time female Columbus Marathon champion has vowed to come back and break the female course record.

The 2002 Columbus Marathon - a Running USA Founding Member - will feature more than 5,000 runners, walkers and relay participants on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2002. The Columbus Marathon has been continuously ranked by Runners World as one of America's top 20 marathons. Additionally, it has been ranked by USA Today as one of the top 10 fall marathons.

For more information please visit www.columbusmarathon.com or call 614-421-7866 (RUNN).

Photo credit: Greg McMillan (www.mcmillanrunning.com).