Past champions Mutai, Korir highlight 2016 Boston Marathon elite field

Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya returns to Boston for the first time since his course-record 2:03:02 in 2011.

Past champions Wesley Korir and Geoffrey Mutai will run the 120th edition of the Boston Marathon on April 18. Race organizers announced full elite fields for the race on Wednesday.

Defending champions Lelisa Desisa and Caroline Rotich were the first two elite athletes announced or the 2016 edition of the race. Desisa won last year's race in 2:09:17 for his second Boston Marathon crown in three years. Rotich won her first World Marathon Major with her 2:24:55 performance.

The men's field includes 10 men that have run under two hours and six minutes and eight women that have run under two hours and 23 minutes.

Elite Men

Mutai holds the course record with his 2:03:02 run in windy conditions but could not be ratified for a world record due to the net downhill nature of the Boston Marathon course. The time was the fastest ever over 26.2 miles until Dennis Kimetto's world record of 2:58:57 at the 2014 Berlin Marathon. He is seeking his first marathon victory since winning the 2013 New York City Marathon. Last year's best result for Mutai was a :09:29 finish for fifth place at the Berlin Marathon.

Since Korir's victory in Boston, the Kenyan has been the subject of a film and was elected to Kenyan Parliament. Korir is famous for winning the hot and blistering 2012 Boston Marathon in 2:12:40. He has been winless at world marathon majors since but posted times consistently under 2:10. His best run of 2015 was a 2:10:39 for sixth place at the Chicago Marathon.

The veterans will be challenged by younger stars such as Sammy Kitwara of Kenya, who was the runner-up at the 2014 and 2015 Chicago Marathon. Ethiopia's Tsegaye Mekonnen debuted to a 2:04:32 at the 2014 Dubai Marathon and looks to rebound from a disappointing 2015, where he failed to finish the Amsterdam Marathon last October.

Yemane Adhane Tsegay (Ethiopia) and Wilson Chebet (Kenya), last year's second and third place finishers behind Desisa, will return to Boston.

Ian Burrell, who holds a personal bests of 2:13:26, is lone experienced American elite as others will run the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles on Feb. 13 and will not have ample time to recover for Boston. Former Oklahoma State cross-country and track All-American Girma Macheso will make his marathon debut.

Elite Women

Buzunesh Deba enters seeking her first Boston Marathon crown outright after finishing second to Rita Jeptoo in 2:19:59 at the 2014 Boston Marathon, Jeptoo would test positive for EPO in the fall and banned two years from the sport. Removing Jeptoo from the results would crown Deba the 2014 Boston Marathon champion. At last year's race, the Ethiopian put together another podium finish by running 2:25:09 for third place. She struggled with a knee injury and failed to finish the 2015 New York City Marathon in November.

Olympic gold medalist Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia will race Boston for the first time in her career. She holds the fastest personal best of the field with her 2:18:58 at the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon.

American Neely Spence Gracey will make her marathon debut in Boston and bypass on the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon on Feb. 13 in Los Angeles. Spence Gracey holds a personal best of 1:09:58 in November's Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half-Marathon to qualify for the trials. Sarah Crouch of Reebok's ZAP Fitness training group in Blowing Rock, N.C. also withdrew from the trials to race Boston.

No American woman has won the Boston Marathon since Laura Rainsberger in 1985.

• 2016 Boston Marathon jacket pays tribute to 1991 model

Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia, who finished second to Rotich was among the elite runners announced for April's London Marathon.

The field of 38 athletes from 12 countries have combined for 89 global marathon wins that include five Boston Marathon titles, four New York City Marathon wins, two Chicago Marathon victories and one Olympic gold medal. Watch the video announcement of the elite field below:

Below is a full list of Boston Marathon elite runners.

MEN	Country	Personal Best
Geoffrey Mutai	Kenya	2:03:02 (Boston, 2011)
Sammy Kitwara	Kenya	2:04:28 (Chicago, 2014)
Tsegaye Mekonnen	Ethiopia	2:04:32 (Dubai, 2014)
Lelisa Desisa	Ethiopia	2:04:45 (Dubai, 2013)
Yemane Adhane Tsegay	Ethiopia	2:04:48 (Rotterdam, 2012)
Getu Feleke	Ethiopia	2:04:50 (Rotterdam, 2012)
Wilson Chebet	Kenya	2:05:27 (Rotterdam, 2011)
Hayle Lemi Berhanu	Ethiopia	2:05:28 (Dubai, 2015)
Stephen Chebogut	Kenya	2:05:52 (Eindhoven, 2015)
Deribe Robi	Ethiopia	2:05:58 (Eindhoven, 2015)
Wesley Korir	Kenya	2:06:13 (Chicago, 2012)
Michael Kipyego	Kenya	2:06:48 (Eindhoven, 2011)
Paul Lonyangata	Kenya	2:07:14 (Shanghai, 2015)
Jackson Kiprop	Uganda	2:09:32 (Mumbai, 2013)
Cuthbert Nyasango	Zimbabwe	2:09:52 (Prague, 2014)
Abdi Nageeye	Netherlands	2:10:24 (Amsterdam, 2015)
Abdelmajid El Hissouf	Morocco	2:10:35 (Seoul, 2015)
Solonei Da Silva	Brazil	2:11:32 (Padova, 2011)
Jordan Chipangama	Zambia	2:11:35 (Duluth, 2015)
Ian Burrell	USA	2:13:26 (Houston, 2014)
Girma Mecheso	USA	Debut; HM 1:02:16 (Houston, 2015

WOMEN	Country	Personal Best
Tiki Gelana	Ethiopia	2:18:58 (Rotterdam, 2012)
Buzunesh Deba	Ethiopia	2:19:59 (Boston, 2014)
Tirfi Tsegaye	Ethiopia	2:20:18 (Berlin, 2014)
Mamitu Daska	Ethiopia	2:21:59 (Frankfurt, 2011)
Atsede Bayisa	Ethiopia	2:22:03 (Chicago, 2012)
Flomena Cheyech Daniel	Kenya	2:22:44 (Paris, 2014)
Tadelech Bekele	Ethiopia	2:22:51 (Dubai, 2015)
Jelena Prokopcuka	Latvia	2:22:56 (Osaka, 2005)
Valentine Kipketer	Kenya	2:23:02 (Amsterdam, 2013)
Caroline Rotich	Kenya	2:23:22 (Chicago, 2012)
Joyce Chepkirui	Kenya	2:24:11 (Amsterdam, 2015)
Fatuma Sado	Ethiopia	2:24:16 (Toronto, 2015)
Purity Cherotich Rionoripo	Kenya	2:25:09 (Lisbon, 2015)
Fate Tola	Ethiopia/Germany	2:25:14 (Berlin, 2012)
Lamei Sun	China	2:27:55 (Beijing, 2012)
Sarah Crouch	USA	2:32:44 (Chicago, 2014)
Neely Spence Gracey	USA	Debut; HM 69:59 (Philadelphia, 2015)

- Christopher Chavez