Ethiopian distance runner Teklu-Tefera Deneke is seeking to defend his Bermuda International Marathon title on Sunday, and last month he showed he has the fitness to possibly produce one of the fastest times seen on the Island for many years.

Deneke was runner-up in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon in December when he ran a time of two hours, 16 minutes and 40 seconds.

No athlete has run a faster time in Bermuda's International Marathon since record holder Andy Holden in 1981.

Whether or not the Ethiopian has the ability to run as fast on the undulating, two-lap course on Sunday remains to be seen, but his winning time 12 months ago of 2.22.37 shows he is a tough competitor.

Deneke will be up against Kenyan Richard Tirop Kessio, who has a lifetime best of 2.15.11, Ethiopia's Retta Feyissa, who won the 2004 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C., and the Ukraine's Sergii Okseniuk, who took third place in Poland's Metropolis Marathon last year.

The women's marathon title race appears to be a head-to-head between Elena Orlova, of Russia, and Ethiopia's Muliye Gurma. Orlova was third in last year's Buffalo Marathon in New York state, while Gurma won the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC.

Also in the mix will be one of the world's fastest women master marathoners Stephanie Hodge (Canada), who was third in last year's race.

The men's 10K on Saturday features six elite overseas athletes, five of whom will compete in the KPMG Front Street Mile tomorrow.

The runner who is not doing the mile is Demesse Tefera, of Ethiopia, who has a best of 28.31 for the 10K.

In the women's 10K at least four of the KPMG Invitational Front Street Mile athletes will double up and face American Stephanie Herbst-Lucke, a former three-time NCAA champion, and Ukraine's 3,000m steeplechase specialist Yuliya Ignatova.

Here is a run through of the elite athletes due to compete in Saturday's International 10K, which starts at 10 a.m. from the National Sports Centre, and Sunday's half marathon and marathon races, which start at 8 a.m. on Front Street:

International 10K (men)

Demesse Tefera (Ethiopia): With a personal best of 28.31 set in New York in 2007, Tefera has the speed to outclass most runners.

And distance will be no object as he has proven durable enough to clock a 1.02 half marathon and a 2.19 in the 2007 New York Marathon.

Giitah Machara (Canada): A national marathon champion in Canada, Machara has run 10K in 28.51.

He also has a marathon best of 2.16.55, set in 2008, and was 12th in the marathon at last year's IAAF World Championships in Berlin.

Sammy Kibet Rotich (Kenya): Finished second in last year's Casablanca Marathon in 2.13.36, and with a personal best that is a minute-and-a-half quicker, Rotich will be one to watch in the 10K and Sunday's half marathon. He ran a 10K last year in 29.40.

Elite men also taking part in the 10K are Shadrack Biwot (Kenya), Neil Speaight (England), Steven Slattery (USA), Kumsa Megera (Ethiopia), who were profiled in yesterday's rundown of elite milers.

International 10K (women):

Stephanie Herbst-Lucke (USA): Although now in the masters' division, this former three-time NCAA champion competed in the 2008 US Olympic marathon trials where she ran 2.45.

She has clocked a time of 2.42 in Chicago two years earlier and ran 32.55 for 10K in 2008.

Yuliya Ignatova (Ukraine): Currently ranked as the fifth fastest 3,000m steeplechase runner in Ukraine's record books, with a best of 9.59, Ignatova ran a 33.15 10K last year.

Other elite women taking part in the 10K are Sara Slattery (USA), Aziza Aliyu (Ethiopia), Korene Hinds (Jamaica), and Belaynesh Zemedkun (Ethiopia) who were profiled in yesterday's list of elite milers.

International Half Marathon:

Sammy Kibet Rotich (Kenya) and Yuliya Ignatova (Ukraine), both profiled above, will be the elite runners to watch out for.

International Marathon (men):

Teklu-Tefera Deneke (Ethiopia): The defending champion ran 2.22.37 last year to win by eight minutes.

Based in New York, Deneke is currently in good form as was evident last month when he was runner-up in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon in 2.16.40.

Richard Tirop Kessio (Kenya): He was fourth in the Azalea Trail 10K in 2008 in 31.19. Kessio has a formidable marathon best of 2.15.11.

Sergii Okseniuk (Ukraine): In the 2009 Metropolis Marathon in Bydgoszcz-Torun in Poland, Okseniuk was third in 2.21.16, less than a minute behind runner up Kenya's Emmanuel Lagat. His best for the marathon is 2.18.30.

Retta Feyissa (Ethiopia): The winner of the 2004 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC, where he ran 2.25.35, Feyissa is a regular competitor in and around New York where he lives. His marathon personal best is 2.23.53.

International Marathon (women):

Stephanie Hodge (Canada): One of the fastest women masters' division marathoners in the world, Hodge has twice finished runner-up in Bermuda. Last year she gave another good performance when she was 10th overall and third woman in 3.10. She has a New York Marathon best of 2.54.

Muliye Gurmu (Ethiopia): She won last October's Marine Corps Marathon women's race in Washington DC in a time of 2.49.48, and then ran 24 seconds faster in the Philadelphia Marathon in November to take third place.

Elena Orlova (Russia): Third in the 2009 Buffalo Marathon in New York State where she ran 2.42.44, Orlova has a best of 2.34.16 and competes at a full range of distances, including running a sub-18 minute 5K last year.

In 2005 she was the women's winner of the California International Marathon.