Boston Marathon : Top Field Features Foreigners

They’ve been calling this year’s Boston Marathon a dual between Tanzania and Kenya, because both countries have sent their finest athletes--among the fastest in the world--here, but the field lining up at 9 a.m., PDT, today in Hopkinton, Mass., is even better than that.

It also includes top runners from Italy, Great Britain, Mexico and Japan, not to mention Rosa Mota, of Portugal, the third-fastest female marathoner in history.

With Americans skipping Boston in favor of the upcoming U.S. Olympic marathon trials, the field here is composed mostly of foreigners, many seeking to make their own country’s Olympic teams.

They include Juma Ikangaa, Zakariah Barie, Sulieman Nyambui and Gidamis Shahanga of Tanzania; Joseph Nzau, Sam Ngatia, Ibrahim Hussein and Gabriel Kamau of Kenya; Gianni Poli, Orlando Pizzolato and Gelindo Bordin of Italy; Geoff Smith and Steve Jones of Great Britain; Rodolfo Gomez and Jose Gomez of Mexico; and Hidki Kita and Tomoyuki Tamiguchi of Japan.

The race, televised by ESPN the past two years, is being televised only in the Boston area this year.

There is a total of $237,500 in prize money, to the top 15. It includes $45,000 and a car worth $35,000 for the first-place winner in both the men’s and women’s divisions. There is a $25,000 bonus for a course record and a $50,000 bonus for a world record.