Wei Yanan
Home: Liaoning, China
Age: 20
Personal best: 2:26:34 (Beijing, 2000)

The youngest title threat, Wei edged her more experienced countrywoman Sun Yingjie by two seconds to capture the Beijing Marathon last October in course-record time. A month later, she won the Seoul Half-Marathon. Also in 2000, Wei placed third in Japan's Sendai Half-Marathon. This will be her first try at Boston.