I think the men's race is wide open. Meb is probably is too old to break 2:10 again. He is also coming off of a short training cycle. Not the thing you want to do when you are 42. Ryan Hall has not had a good race in 4 years. Ritz's build up was interrupted by a hip injury. Even at his best, Ritz has been bedeviled by the marathon with bad cramping issues late in the race.
Puskedra has the most momentum going in with his Chicago 2:10. He is running Houston half this weekend. He is the kind of guy to go full out no matter what. His race this weekend will let us know what kind of shape he is in.
Diego Estrada has the most potential with his huge 1/2 debut. But the marathon is a very long race.
Eggleston has not had a great race since summer of 2014. Vail, Curtis, Cabada and Arciniaga have not had a great race since 2014.
Rupp laps the field, but I have a feeling he stays on the track. Salazar is too protective.
If the race is more tactical, guys like Pennel and Landry will be in the mix because they are good old fashioned road racers.
On the women side, Flanagan and Desi are a lock. After that, who knows. Kara has not had a good marathon in forever. There are about a dozen women who could all run 2:28 and be in the hunt for the no. 3 spot. Cragg and Kastor would be the favorites, but they are not that far ahead of the rest.