CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine -- Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, winner of the first four Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Races and one of the world's top distance runners, will return August 2 to try to reclaim her crown, race organizers announced.

Kenya's James Koskei, the reigning men's champ, also is set to return to defend the title he won in 2002 in a dramatic sprint to the finish tape. The men's field will again be deep and talented, featuring some of the world's best road racers.

"I think there are five or six guys who can win the race, just like last year when it became a real dogfight," said Larry Barthlow, the elite athlete coordinator for the Peoples Beach to Beacon, now in its sixth year. "And on the women's side, Catherine is a real crowd favorite. She's determined to get her title back, but she's got her work cut out for her."

Ndereba finished third in an upset last year, marking the first and only time she has not won the women's portion of the Peoples Beach to Beacon. She since went on to post a 2:19:55 in placing second at the 2003 London Marathon and most recently won her 3rd Bix 7M title. The 2002 champ, Adriana Fernandez of Mexico, wanted to defend her crown, but pulled out because of a scheduling conflict with the Pan Am Games.

Top challengers include Luminita Talpos of Romania, who finished 3rd at the Peachtree 10K and appears in peak condition, according to road race insiders. She also knows the Cape Elizabeth course, having finished 5th here while coming off an injury in 2001. Kenyan Sally Barsosio, a world champ at 10,000m and winner of a number of prestigious road races, also will contend, as will Zivile Balciunaite, a Lithuanian record holder, and 2000 New York City Marathon winner Ludmila Petrova, and 1992 Olympic silver medalist Elana Meyer.

Top American's challenging the leaders include Elva Dryer, with a personal best 32:28, Colorado's Nicole Jefferson with a PR of 32:12, former Villanova standout Jennifer Rhines, with a track PR of 31:41, and two-time Olympian and former US 5K record holder Amy Rudolph of Providence, RI. Other elites in the race include 2000 Olympic Marathon trials 4th placer Susannah Beck, a Yarmouth native recently moved back to Maine from Oregon. Beck was 7th among women here last year. Also in the field is Jill Gaitenby, the top American female at the Boston Marathon in 2001-2002.

On the men's side, Koskei, the runner up in 2001 before winning last year, knows the course well and is in good shape, Barthlow said. To repeat, he likely will need to shave time off his 28:11 winning time last year. But history is not on his side. No elite man has ever repeated as champion of the Peoples Beach to Beacon.

The early line says Koskei's main competition will come from Kenyans Paul Koech, who has clocked a 26:36 on the track, and John Korir, the #1 ranked road racer in 2001 and 2002 who has won no less than 14 major races in recent years, the most recent coming at last weeken's Quad City Bix 7M. Other runners capable of claiming the title include Berhannu Dejene of Ethiopia, who won the 2003 Bolder Boulder 10K in May, and Habte Jifar of Ethiopia, a blazer on the track.

Add Ireland's Mark Carroll to the mix. Carroll owns national records at 3000, 5000, and 10,000 meters, running 2:10:04 to finish sixth at the 2002 New York City Marathon in his marathon debut.

Americans include Kyle Baker, runner-up at the 2002 New Haven 20K with a 10K PR of 28:34, and Somali born Abdi Abdirahman, 10th at the 2000 Olympic 10,000 with a track PR of 27:42.

The Peoples Beach to Beacon also attracts the top road racers locally and throughout New England among the 5,000 participants. More than $50,000 in prize money is awarded to the top finishers and place winners in the various categories for men and women. The event also features a children's 1K race. The scenic course will be the same as last year, beginning at Crescent Beach along Route 77 and ending 6.2 miles later in Fort Williams Park at the Portland Head lighthouse, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.

In addition to Peoples Heritage Bank, which sponsors and coordinates the race, other major corporate partners this year include Nike, UnumProvident Corp., Poland Spring, Hannaford and WCSH TV-6.

The youth organization chosen by the bank to be the race beneficiary is Seeds of Peace, a group that promotes tolerance and understanding among youth around the world through its various camps, including one in Otisfield, Maine. Peoples will provide a cash donation of $30,000 from race proceeds, and Seeds of Peace will further benefit from fundraising opportunities and publicity valued at more than $40,000.

For additional information, including volunteer opportunities, visit the race web site at B2Bor call the toll-free hotline at (888) 480-6940.