Catherine Ndereba
Home: Nairobi, Kenya
Age: 28
Personal best: 2:21:33 (Chicago, 2000)

Ndereba became the first Kenyan to win the women's title last year by pulling away from three-time defending champ Fatuma Roba in the final mile. Her time of 2:26:11 was a then-personal best. She bettered it by nearly five minutes at the Chicago Marathon, posting the fastest time of 2000 and the fifth-fastest ever. Ndereba has been ranked No. 1 by Runner's World three years running. She finished sixth (2:28:27) in her first Boston appearance in 1999. Ndereba regularly trains with her husband Anthony Maina and works as a telephone operator at a Kenyan prison.