Friday, May 26, 2006 - 01:48 AM

Thirty years later, and incredibly so, it still remains the fastest marathon ever run on Canadian soil.

But Manny Rodrigues thinks he's got the group that just might take down the standard of 2:09:55 set by East Germany's Waldemar Cierpinski at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

"It's the best field we've ever had," Rodrigues, the elite athlete co-ordinator for the Ottawa Race Weekend, says with enthusiasm about next Sunday's ING Ottawa Marathon.

Defending champion David Cheruiyot of Kenya might be the one to get it done. So, too, could 2004 Ottawa marathon winner Elly Rono, another Kenyan who finished fifth a year ago.

But Rodrigues points to a third Kenyan, Ben Kamondiu -- who owns a personal best of 2:08 and finished third at the Tokyo marathon -- as "definitely the man I'm looking for to break 2:10." He also lists off another half dozen African runners with the potential to knock Cierpinski, the two-time Olympic champion, out of the record books here in Canada.

If anyone does it, he'll ride home in style -- Race Weekend organizers are offering a brand spanking new Hyundai Tucson, courtesy of Pathway Hyundai, to any marathoner that makes it happen. Rodrigues expects to see it happen.

"The only thing that can prevent it at this point is the weather," he said. "I've got three good pacers ... There shouldn't be any reason why they can't (break the standard)."

A hot race is also predicted for the women's marathon, where defending champion Lidia Vasilevskaia of Russia should get a serious push from Russian-born Lioudmila Kortchaguina, a two-time Ottawa Marathon winner who became a Canadian citizen two days before last year's event.

The strong marathon fields are further evidence of the status the Ottawa race holds in the running community. Let's just say Rodrigues doesn't have to work nearly as hard these days to put together a star-studded field.

They're coming to him now.

"What's happening is that we're definitely getting recognized (as a premier event),' he said. "I've been surprised by some of the agents who have called me (to enter their runners). It's a whole lot easier recruiting for us. We've even had to turn down some quality athletes.

"I think the word is really spreading, which is fabulous."

The entire weekend seems primed to be a roaring success. As of Friday, 24,000 runners and walkers had signed up for the nine available events -- a number Race Weekend organizers are sensing might hit a record 30,000 by the time all is said and done.