World champion Ethiopian Tamirat Tola will compete in Australia for the first time, headlining the Sydney Marathon in September.
Kenyan Judith Jeptum Korir, who won the 2022 Paris Marathon, will lead the charge in the women's field with organisers expecting it to be the fastest in the event's history.
Tola will be up against defending champion Ugandan Moses Kibet, who holds the record for the fastest marathon time ever run in Australia.
Tola has a personal best of two hours, three minutes, 39 seconds but is expected to be challenged by Tanzania's Gabriel Geay, who has run quicker.
Australia’s fastest ever marathoner Brett Robinson, who broke Rob de Castella’s long-standing Australian record in Fukuoka last year with a time of 2:07:31, will lead the home-grown elite field.
Another Victorian Sinead Diver, who broke the Australian marathon record last year in Valencia with a time of 2:21:34, will head the local women's elite field, making her Sydney Marathon debut.
As well as Korir, who was second at last year's world titles, a number of female runners have clocked times under 2:23:00, including Nazret Weldu of Eritrea, Ethiopian Haven Hailu and Kenyan Angela Tanui, who has a blistering personal best time of 2:17:57.
The new route for the September 17 Sydney race will take in some of the city's most historic landmarks, including the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.
