NEW YORK (AP) – The little girls who live in the tiny Kenyan village where Lornah Kiplagat grew up might never have been to New York or know much about the city.

But when Kiplagat tells them she is running in a marathon, only one place comes to mind.

“New York is everything to everybody,” Kiplagat said. “Running a marathon here is special, and everyone wants to do it.”

Kiplagat will be part of one of the strongest women’s fields in the New York City Marathon on Sunday. Four of the top 10 marathoners are competing: Kiplagat, Margaret Okayo, Catherine Ndereba and defending champ Joyce Chepchumba.

“New York is the best place to be and the best marathon you can race,” said Kiplagat, who became a Dutch citizen this year.

The men’s race is wide open. Defending champion Rodgers Rop is back, along with runner-up Christopher Cheboiboch and third-place finisher Laban Kipkemboi. Rop had a disappointing finish in this year’s Boston Marathon and hopes to rebound in New York.

“I’ll be looking to win again,” Rop said. “This year my preparation has been going well, so I think everything will go smoothly.”

There are several other quality female marathoners in the field. American Marla Runyan finished fourth last year, and Ludmila Petrova and Adriana Fernandez are former NYC marathon champions.

Okayo set the course record of 2 hours, 24 minutes, 21 seconds in 2001, and Ndereba enters as the reigning world marathon champion. If Ndereba wins, she will join Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway as the only women to win the New York, Boston and Chicago marathons.

If Kiplagat wins, she will receive a $100,000 bonus because she won the New York Mini 10K this year.

“We have an incredible field, even more competitive than last year,” Runyan said. “With the addition of Catherine, and Lornah being as fit as she is now, I am expecting a very fast race. I really think the course record’s going to go this year.”

Ndereba thinks the high level of competition will help her run faster.

“When you have all those good competitors, you have a chance to push your body to do its best,” Ndereba said.

The only thing that might keep the course record from falling is the heat. Temperatures from 65 to 70 are predicted, which would make this the warmest NYC Marathon since 1994, when the high was 70.

Runyan had a poor finish in the Boston Marathon because it was too warm. She prefers cold weather.

Race director Allan Steinfeld knows the appeal of New York helped produce such a top field.

“This is what running is all about,” Steinfeld said. “A lot of them come back for that reason. If you win it, you’re a household name in your own country.”

Though no Americans are favored to win, the top male and female finisher will win the inaugural Alberto Salazar Award.

More than 34,000 participants from nearly 100 countries will race in the event this year. Colombia has sent a delegation of disabled policemen and soldiers, most of them wounded in combat, to compete in the marathon.

Other entrants include Peter Hawkins of Long Island, Donald Olinger of New York, and Fauja Singh of England.

Hawkins, 39, was paralyzed from the waist down in an automobile accident when he was 17 and will compete in the wheelchair division. Olinger, a minister, is blind, while the 92-year-old Singh will be the oldest runner in this year’s race.

For all, running in New York is a lifetime accomplishment.

“As a top athlete, one thing you want to win is an Olympic medal,” Kiplagat said. “The second thing is to win in New York. That’s my dream.”

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