One hails from the land of Abebe Bikila and Mamo Wolde, Olympic champions from Ethiopia who paved the way for African runners in the West. The other comes from the country that has produced Robert Cheruiyot, Ibrahim and Mbarak Hussein, and Catherine Ndereba, modern runners who helped make Kenya synonymous with marathon greatness.

And, like the not-always-friendly rivalry between the two African nations in the lucrative world of marathoning, the relationship between reigning Honolulu Marathon champion Ambesse Tolossa, 30, of Ethiopia and 34-year-old Kenyan Jimmy Muindi, who won the race five times before, is one of mutual respect and intense, at times bitter, competitiveness.

The two return to Honolulu after battling — almost literally — in last year's race, which ended with Tolossa claiming his first Honolulu title and Muindi accusing Tolossa of bumping him, clipping his heels and spitting on his shoes during the race.

"They're probably the story of this year's race," said race director Jonathan Cross, who oversees the recruitment of elite runners. "They really went at it last year and Jimmy is very focused on getting his title back."

Tolossa, who dismissed the physical contact between him and Muindi as the normal bumping that occurs during a high-level event, downplayed the enmity that supposedly exists between him and Muindi.

"Only when we run," Tolossa said through an interpreter. "We talked (after the race) and it was no problem. Running brings out the competitiveness."

Tolossa said his win in Honolulu last year was special because of the distance he had to travel to compete and because of the Honolulu Marathon's reputation in Ethiopia.

Tolossa arrived in Honolulu last year on a tear, having won both the Tokyo Marathon (in a personal best 2 hours, eight minutes and 58 seconds) and the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon.

But 2007 has been disappointing so far for Tolossa. He finished third in the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon in Japan, sixth in the Rotterdam Marathon, and 38th in the IAAF World Championships.

Tolossa attributed his poor performance in the World Championships to a dramatic climate shift that may have contributed to chest pains he experienced after the 35K mark.

Muindi won the Honolulu Marathon in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2005 and placed second or third seven other times since 1995. He recorded his personal record of 2:07:49 at the Rotterdam Marathon and placed third in the 2006 Chicago Marathon with a 2:07.51 finish.

However, like Tolossa, Muindi has struggled this year, failing to finish both the Chicago and Rotterdam Marathons, both of which were eventually cancelled due to high temperatures.

While Tolossa and Muindi are considered the best bets to win tomorrow's race, they could face stiff competition from a cadre of Kenyans.

Eric Nzioki, 29, ran a personal best 2:10:34 in the 2005 Zurich Marathon and placed second in this year's Zengzhou Marathon.

Lawrence Kiptoo Saina, 26, ran 2:09.52 to win the 2006 Porto Marathon. He placed fifth in this year's Mont St. Michel Marathon and eighth in the Seoul International Marathon.

Little is known about Boniface Mbuvi Muema, 25, except that he posted a 1:03:28 time in this year's City-Pier-City Half-Marathon in the Hague. Still, he's considered one of the top runners among the male elites.

So is Joseph Mutiso, 34, who placed second in this year's Dubai Marathon (2:10:34). Rounding out the projected male leaders is Aleksey Aleksandrov, 34, of Russia, who is making his marathon debut in Honolulu. Aleksandrov placed first in this year's 10,000-meter event at the Russian Championships.

This year's women's field is considered weaker than the last few years.

Last year's champion, Lyubov Denisova of Russia received a two-year ban from the International Association of Athletics Federations after testing positive for elevated testosterone earlier this year and three-time winner Lyubov Morgunova is sitting out with an injury.

That leaves 25-year-old Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia, last year's runner-up, as the favorite to win. Biktimirova won the 2005 Frankfurt Marathon with a personal best 2:25:12 time and placed third in this year's Toronto and Rotterdam Marathons.

Speaking through an interpreter, Biktimirova said she doesn't feel cheated by last year's results, regardless of what Denisova was later accused of.

"I just want to do better than last year," she said.

Biktimirova's competition includes two top runners from Japan: 2003 Honolulu Marathon champion Eri Hayakawa, 26, and Kaori Yoshida, also 26, who made an impressive marathon debut by winning (2:32:53) the 2006 Hokkaido International Marathon.

The field also includes intriguing Russian prospect Tatyana Petrova, 24. Petrova placed fifth (2:36:34) in the 2004 Honolulu Marathon and eighth (2:31:03) in the 2005 Chicago Marathon. Russian runners have accounted for eight of the last 11 Honolulu Marathon women's champions.

"We have good coaches and we train hard," Petrova said through an interpreter. "Russian women are more strong, not just in sports, but overall."