 In the women's section, Liliya Shobukhova was expected to be the main protagonist and Askale Tafa, Belaynesh Zemedkun, and Kayoko Fukushi were the next fastest entrants.From the beginning, Shobukhova set a fast starting pace, departing from her usual slower-starting tactics.Ejegayehu Dibaba, a former Olympic track medalist but marathon débutante, kept pace with her, as did Fukushi.