History in the Making?
Truth be told, this race will be a beauty.

Let the drama begin!

What will it be for the leading ladies of The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon this year - pure speed, wise tactics, a certain outcome or a surprise ending?

All we know is that it will be about one tough woman who has the guts and determination to persevere and prevail against the others.

Who will it be? We'll just have to see.

Women marathon runners have made history in Chicago, showing the world that on this fast, flat course, you can do extraordinary things.

Two years ago, millions watched in person and on television as Great Britain's Paula Radcliffe devoured Chicago's course in a blistering 2:17:18. The performance earned her instant fame, sports diva status and an appearance on the Oprah Show. The time stood as the world record until she broke it six months later in London with an even more incredible 2:15:25 that still stands. But Paula isn't here after two DNFs at the Olympics, one in the marathon, the other in the 10,000 meters.

Last year in Chicago, it was more suspenseful as Russian Svetlana Zakharova bided her time and cruised to victory in 2:23:07, crushing the dreams of fading Constantina Tomescu-Dita of Romania on the 25th mile. Tomescu-Dita still recorded a personal best 2:23:35 with her runner-up performance.

There have been thrilling finishes, too. How about Joyce Chepchumba edging fellow Kenyan Margaret Okayo by one second, 2:25:59 to 2:26:00, in 1999. And Joan Benoit Samuelson's 2:21:21 back in 1985 stood as the American Record until Deena Kastor, this year's Olympic bronze medalist, broke it in 2003 with a 2:21:16 in London.

Which brings us to 2004. It is a year of promise and a year to expect the unexpected with a good degree of late entry juggling likely because of the Olympics.

"Last year and this year have been a departure from the world record attempts of previous years, but obviously, Paula Radcliffe is not here," said executive race director Carey Pinkowski. "But you've got the Berlin champion in Yasuko Hashimoto, the Boston champion in Svetlana Zakharova, plus Marla Runyan and Blake Russell of the United States - it will be a very competitive and interesting event."

It all starts with Zakharova, who seems to have a bottomless supply of energy. She conquered Chicago last year after winning at Boston with a 2:25:20 in the spring, and running the World Championship Marathon in Paris in August, placing ninth in 2:26:53. This year, she comes to Chicago after running the hot, humid women's Olympic Marathon, a race in which she also placed ninth with a 2:32:04.

"I would have been a little suspect, but she proved she could do it last year coming out of the world championships," Pinkowski said. "I saw her after the Olympic Marathon and she looked fine. I think she realized she wasn't going to medal and kind of put it on auto pilot. I think Chicago has been her focus all along."

Zakharova recovers fast and obviously is suited to the Chicago terrain. She posted her PR of 2:21:31 here in 2002, placing fourth when Radcliffe and Catherine Ndereba both went under 2:20 in their epic duel.

Her coach and husband, Nikolai, a former member of the Russian National Nordic Team, gets her out on cross-country skis to train during the winter months. Zakharova is stereotyped as a workhorse, but she successfully runs multiple marathons each year because she is smart and well-trained. Don't ever count her out.

After Zakharova and Tomescu-Dita, who also returns after finishing 20th in Athens with a 2:37:51, Hashimoto of Japan is a runner the other competitors will be watching. Hashimoto brings in a modest personal best of 2:26:32, which she ran last year while winning at Berlin under the radar when Paul Tergat set the world record of 2:04:55. She just missed making the Japanese Olympic team and has fresh legs for her October run in Chicago. She has raced successfully on Illinois soil this year, taking the Steamboat Classic 4-miler in Peoria in June with a 20:40. In that race, she beat runner-up Russell of the U.S. by five seconds and Tomescu-Dita by 13 seconds.

"Hashimoto has run a lot of marathons," Pinkowski said. "I saw her at Steamboat and she looked good. The Japanese know how to prepare. They've won the last two Olympic gold medals."

But with Runyan and Russell in this year's field, the U.S. runners won't be along for the ride. Both are aggressive, strong runners who like a challenge and don't mind jumping into the fire.

"For the first time in 10 years--since Kristy Johnston--Americans will factor into it," Pinkowski said. He referred to Johnston, who won in 1994 with a 2:31:34. Runyan and Russell have an opportunity at The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, no doubt about it. Runyan, who has shown world-class skills on the track, has yet to run to her potential at the marathon distance in two tries at New York and one at Boston. After a debut of 2:27:10 at New York in 2002, she slipped to 2:30:28 at Boston and 2:45:12 at New York last year. Russell went out fast at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in St. Louis, putting herself on the map while finishing fourth in 2:30:32. She is hungry to build on that experience. Russian Albina Ivanova also seeks a breakthrough race. She has run 2:25:35, good for fourth in Chicago last year, but appears ready to take her game to the next level. She was fourth again at London in the spring, and has raced very well at shorter distances since then. Looking for a long shot? Up-and-coming Olga Romanova of Russia was a pace-setter last year at the New York City Marathon and then ran her debut in warm, humid conditions at Honolulu in December, posting a 2:39:49. Tough to gauge will be Romanian Nuta Olaru, who ran 13th at the Olympic marathon in 2:34:45. If she recovers, she'll be in there battling with the rest. Two interesting Chicago newcomers are Marleen Renders of Belgium with a PR of 2:23:05 when she won at Paris in 2002, and Zhor El Kamch of Morocco, who won the Rotterdam Marathon this year in 2:26:10. The women of Chicago are ready for their date with destiny - October 10, 2004.