Significantly, Japan's Olympic marathon champion Mizuki Noguchi is not planning to chase the gold medal on home territory.
Lel, the world half-marathon champion, triumphed after breaking the will of Rop in an exciting finish in Manhattan's Central Park.
World marathon champion Abel Kirui, Duncan Kibet, who set the third-fastest time in history in last year's Rotterdam Marathon, and Emmanuel Mutai are expected to accompany Wanjiru.
She will be up against two-times New York champion Jelena Prokopcuka, Berlin marathon champion Gete Wami, 2007 world champion Catherine Ndereba and 2007 Boston marathon champion Lidiya Grigoryeva.
Jeptoo, the 2006 Boston Marathon champion who returned to professional running in 2010 after a two-year maternity leave, took the lead through the remaining miles and finished in 2:26:25.
"Your decision on First Avenue can make or break your race, " said Meb Keflezighi, the 2009 New York City Marathon champion who finished fourth this year at the London Olympic marathon.
German runner Mikitenko missed Beijing through injury but followed up her return with victory in September's Berlin Marathon and last month was crowned the 2007-08 World Marathon Majors champion.
In fact, the supremely-talented teen has a clear view of how her career will progress: 5, 000m champion in 2016, marathon winner in 2020.
Alberto Salazar, the winner of the Boston Marathon in 1982 and coach of Olympic track champion Mo Farah, said the attacks will certainly make things harder for future marathons.
Champion athlete Liz McColgan, who won the marathon in 1996, said some runners were in trouble.
Both the men's and women's races had depleted fields -- South African Olympic champion Jose Thugwane and other big-name marathon runners are in training for the more lucrative New York marathon in November.
Prominent marathon runners include 28-year-old Ito Makiko, champion at the 1997 Tokyo women's international, and Suzuki Hiromi, 29, who took a gold at the world track and field championships last year.
Fellow Kenyan Martin Lel outsprinted fellow former London champion Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia for second place to seal his place for the Olympic marathon which will take place over many of the same roads in the capital in August.
Okayo, the 2001 champion, has a good record in the United States, having also won the 2002 Boston Marathon.
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