NAIROBI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Top runners Justus Kangogo and Rebecca Chesire will lead Kenya's elite runners at this year's Roma-Ostia Half Marathon on Sunday.

Chicago Marathon champion Galen Rupp has warned he intends to challenge the sub-one hour mark. The American record stands to Ryan Hall at 59:43 but the course between Rome-Ostia is point-to-point and thus not record-eligible.

Beside Rupp the men's field features Kenyan runners Stephen Chebogut, who was second at the Paris Marathon last year with 2:06:57, Kangogo, the runner-up at this race last year in 59:31 and Emmanuel Kipsang, who clocked 1:00:14 in Lisbon two years ago.

"This year's race will have the focus off us but on Rupp. But it will be nice to win and run under the one hour mark and see how the others perform," said Kangogo.

Favorites in the women's race are Kenya's Rebecca Chesire (68:21), Ethiopians Amane Beriso (68:43), Koren Jelela (70:52) and Haftamenesh Tesfay (74:29) who clocked 2:20:13 in the Dubai Marathon in January. Enditem