At 5-foot-nada and 94 "where-does-she-put-'em" pounds, reigning Honolulu Marathon women's champion Lyubov Denisova hardly cuts an imposing figure.

Nonetheless, the 35-year-old Muscovite-turned-Floridian has developed a reputation for being positively immovable when it comes to keeping to her race-day game plan.

Break from the pack, and Denisova will not follow. Spot her a lead, and she will not slow. Even in the final mile, as younger, more aggressive runners brace for a final lung-bursting sprint, Denisova cannot, will not, be moved to react.

Back in Hawai'i this week to help promote the Honolulu Marathon, Denisova is wrapping up a busy schedule of public appearances (including the presentation of a $15,000 check to the University of Hawai'i Foundation from the Honolulu Marathon Foundation) and training sessions with local high school track programs.

Speaking through her coach Andrey Baranov — Denisova speaks English well but prefers to let Baranov translate — Denisova said she understands her limits and sets specific time goals based on the individual marathon course.

If her competitors are able to better her projected time, so be it. Let them be the variable; Denisova is constant. She has completed nine of her last 10 marathons under the two-and-a-half golden threshold for women.

"One has to be a bit lucky to win," said Denisova, who runs up to 130 miles each week. "When I train, I am by myself 99 percent of the time. When I race, I race against myself. I will stick to the plan."

Denisova executed her plan to perfection last December when she ran a 5:36-per-mile pace en route to a new Hono-lulu Marathon record time (2:27:19) for women and $67,000 in prize money and incentives. She broke the old mark set by another Lyubov (Morgunova, in 2004) by 14 seconds.

Denisova's only other experience in Honolulu came in 2002, when she ran half the course as a pacesetter for winner Svetlana Zakharova.

"(The Honolulu Marathon) is one of the largest marathons in the world and it was a big victory for me," Denisova said. "I consider it one of the best performances of my life."

Denisova's first name is a derivative of the Russian word for "love." And what bountiful affection Denisova holds within her tiny frame is reserved for precious few things: her daughter Anastasia, whom she visits at her in-laws' home in Moscow four times a year; her racing career, which includes victories at the Los Angeles Marathon in 2002 and 2005 and second-place finishes in the Boston Marathon (2003) and New York Marathon (2004); and, now, for the people of Hawai'i, whose outpouring of friendship and attention after her Honolulu Marathon victory last year has Denisova dreaming of an eventual retirement in the Aloha State.

"When I came here last year, I felt like a race horse, like I had to prove myself," she said. "Afterward, people were so friendly and so attentive. I was surprised. This year, I don't feel any pressure. I just want to run faster and maybe break the record again for all of the people here."

And if she does, it will a victory stamped: "From Russia, with Lyubov."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.