2010 Asian Games gold medallist Sudha Singh, defending champion Lalita Babar, World 10K Bangalore 2012 winner Monika Athare, ADHM 2011 runner-up Kiran Tiwari and Mumbai Marathon 2012 winner Priyanka Singh Patel will spearhead the Indian challenge.
2012 London Olympic qualifier Sudha, who had been to Kenya for training, said she stands a good chance to give some of the Kenyans a tough fight in the marathon.
"We and the Kenyans trained together and worked hard, following the same routine. Here in Delhi, we have the home advantage and we can give tough competition to the Kenyans," she stated.
She added that they could hold on to the pace of the Kenyans in the initial stages and the challenge for them would be to hold on in the later stages.
Among the Indian women, course record holder Kavita Raut is expected to be among the front runners and will have for competition her city mate Athare, the talented teenager who is making waves in the distance running circuit.
According to Sunita Godara, the coordinator for Indian elites, this year's Indian field is among the strongest, with 73 men, having clocked below 1hr 10 mins, and 33 women, clocking below 1hr 30mins.
