Tergat out to break his world best
 |  Tergat suffered stomach cramps in the last Olympic marathon in Greece |
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LONDON, England -- Kenyan world marathon record holder Paul Tergat believes he could better his mark of two hours four minutes 55 seconds in Sunday's London race if the elements are in his favor.
The five-time world cross country champion, who is the favorite for the 25th anniversary race, will be running his first marathon since finishing a poor 10th at the Athens Olympics.
"There are so many factors that you have to look at," Tergat said. "There's the weather and how the pacemakers cope.
Tergat added: "Then there is the course, which has changed, and is going to be even faster. To win here would be something very sweet."
The 42.195km course past some of London's famous landmarks has been altered this year with 18 bends removed. Organizers estimate the changes will make times about 45 seconds faster than in previous years.
Tergat, 35, destined to finish behind Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie over 10,000 meters on the track at two Olympic Games and two world championships, made his marathon debut in the 2001 London race.
However, he did not cross the line first until the 2003 Berlin race when he took 43 seconds off the previous world record.
He started as clear favorite last August for the Olympic gold but suffered stomach cramps in the final 12km and his finishing time was nearly 10 minutes outside his world record.
Since that experience, Tergat has demonstrated he is back to peak form by winning the Lisbon half-marathon last month in 59:10, the second fastest time ever.
"I have got the Olympics out of my mind," Tergat added. "I'm looking forward to the race because I haven't competed in a marathon since."
The early forecast for Sunday is for a dry day with light winds and a maximum temperature of 13 degrees Celsius, which would be in the runners' favor.
Another Kenyan, Silas Kirui, is the designated pacemaker, with the task of pulling the elite men through the halfway stage in around 63 minutes.
Organizers hope Kirui, who clocked 61:07 over a tough course in Prague, will continue to at least the 28 km mark.
One of Tergat's rivals will be Italian Olympic champion Stefano Baldini, who spent several weeks celebrating his gold medal before returning to serious training.
Baldini, two years younger than Tergat, told a news conference he hoped to compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
His primary goal on Sunday will be to better his personal best of 2:07:29, set in the 2002 London race when he finished sixth.
"My personal best is not a true personal best," Baldini said. "The gold medal in Athens was only a step along the way. I don't want to stop."
Last year's champion Evans Rutto of Kenya, who missed selection for Athens, is back to defend his title.
Rutto, 27, has finished first in each of his three marathons to date and won by half a minute in London last year despite tripping over a metal security barrier and sustaining cuts to his knees.
He said on Wednesday he had been training at altitude in Colorado with the intention of successfully defending his London and Chicago titles.
"I have not raced since Chicago," he said. "My training has been good and I hope to do well. I just hope the weather is better than last year."
Disappointing time
Britain's Paula Radcliffe will be bidding for a third win in the women's event but, like Tergat, had a disappointing time in Athens and is hoping that she will be able to turn things around in London.
"I do still have a burning hunger to succeed," she said. "This race is important to me, its one that I enjoy, and I want to get back to that.
"Athens is in the past, I have put it behind me. I am not going to let it taint me mentally and cloud my career.
"What happened in Athens has made me tougher as a person, and I guess as an athlete, and I now care less about people criticizing me."
Her strongest challenge should come from China's Sun Yingjie, Kenyans Tegla Loroupe, Margaret Okayo, Susan Chepkemei and Joyce Chepchumba, as well as Russian Lyudmila Petrova.
