Poland’s Niemczak Heads Field for O.C. Marathon : Running: More than 5,000 expected to start Sunday morning at Anaheim Stadium. Event also includes wheelchair and skating races.

More than 5,000 people are expected to compete Sunday in the first Goodyear Orange County Marathon. The running race starts at 8 a.m. at Anaheim Stadium and finishes at the Irvine Marketplace, across from UC Irvine.

The men’s and women’s overall winners will receive BMW 318i’s. An additional $40,000 will be divided among those finishing second through 10th in the men’s and women’s races.

Antoni Niemczak of Poland is the top men’s entrant. Niemczak, 35, ran a career-best 2 hours 9 minutes 41 seconds in finishing second at the Chicago Marathon last year. He finished second at the City of Los Angeles Marathon last year.

Niemczak is expected to be challenged by Mexico’s Marcelino Crisanto, who has a best of 2:12:06; former University of Oregon All-American Peter Fonseca of Canada (2:12:07), and Mexico’s brightest new talent, Raphael Munoz, winner of last summer’s America’s Finest City half marathon who will be making his marathon debut.

Marathon great Alberto Salazar is also expected to run, although because of persistent injuries and illnesses, he has not been in top form for several years.

The women’s field is headed by Janice Klecker, 31, of Minneapolis. Klecker won the Twin Cities Marathon last month in 2:30:31. She likely will be challenged by Cindy James of Chicago and Portugal’s Felicidad Sena, who has a 32:02 10-kilometer best but no previous marathon experience.

Top local entrants include former Valencia High School standout Joey Gomez and Jennifer Thomas, a former Foothill High standout now coaching cross-country at Laguna Hills.

A $100,000 bonus will be awarded to the men’s or women’s winner if he or she breaks the world record--2:06.50 for men (held by Belayneh Densimo of Ethiopia) and 2:21:06 for women (Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway).

While there is only a slight chance a world record will be set, OCM entrants can aim for other bonus prizes.

A “primes” system will award cash or merchandise prizes to the first runners through five checkpoints--5K, 10K, 10 mile, 13.1 mile and 20 mile--as long as the runner finishes in the top 25. In addition, anyone finishing faster than 2:11 will win an extra $4,000, and any U.S. runner who doesn’t finish in the top 10 but still runs faster than 2:20 (men) and 2:45 (women) will receive $300.

Runners won’t be the only athletes competing Sunday. Wheelchair athletes will vie for $8,000 in what has been deemed the National Championship marathon by Wheelchair Athletics of the USA. A Rollerblade Marathon also will be held.

Both those races will begin about 7 a.m.

The course starts on State College Boulevard adjacent to Anaheim Stadium and travels through Santa Ana, Orange, Tustin and Irvine, before finishing under the footbridge at Campus and Bridge drives at the entrance of UCI.