Martin Lel values the success he’s attained not only for what he’s gained, but also for what he’s able to provide.

Lel enters Sunday’s Honolulu Marathon as one of the world’s premier runners with 10 top-three finishes in major events, including five victories over the past decade.

Those accomplishments and the accompanying rewards have afforded him the opportunity to take care of his family in Kenya while also pursuing projects to help those around him.

"I think everything has changed," Lel said Friday. "After running for all these years, I can say my family is now well off and I can get them everything they need. My sponsor has been assisting me with the community and charity (work). … It’s been a blessing for me, my family and the community as a whole."

Lel, 35, will bring a distinguished career resume to the starting line on Sunday as the favorite in the men’s field in the 41st annual race.

When Lel enters an event, he usually ends the day with a place on the podium. A third-place finish in the Boston Marathon in 2003 served as a precursor to a breakthrough victory in the ING New York City Marathon later that year.

"After I won in New York I gained confidence and courage for many races," Lel said.

Since then he’s won the London Marathon three times (2005, ’07 and ’08) and New York City once more (in 2007). He also posted three runner-up finishes in London, another third in Boston and a fifth-place finish in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

He set a personal best of 2 hours, 5 minutes, 15 seconds in the 2008 win in London.

"Martin Lel is an extraordinary athlete, one of the best of all time," said David Monti, editor of Race Results Weekly and the Professional Athletes Consultant for the New York City Marathon.

To put it in baseball terms, "on paper he’s your home run hitter. He’s a franchise player."

Monti also noted Lel has been hampered by injuries that kept him out of several races over the years, "but he’s experienced and patient."

Attracting runners of Lel’s stature to Honolulu tends to be difficult because of the appearance fees they can command. But when a hip injury forced Lel out of the New York City Marathon on Nov. 3, he decided make his first trip to Hawaii.

"I heard it’s a tough course and the weather is a little bit hot," he said. "Every one of us will have the same weather and same course so I said I’d come and try. … I’ll only say I’m here to try my best on Sunday."

Kenyans have dominated the Honolulu Marathon, winning 23 of the past 30 races. Wilson Kipsang stretched the current streak of Kenyan champions to six in a row and 16 of the past 17 with last year’s victory when he pulled away from the pack to finish in 2 hours, 12 minutes, 31 seconds. Kipsang decided against returning to defend the title after setting the world record at the Berlin Marathon in October.

Five of the eight runners entered in this year’s pro field are from Kenya, including two-time champion Nicholas Chelimo.

"Chelimo is guy you can’t discount because of his experience here. And I think that’s very important in Honolulu," Monti said. "People look at the times here and they don’t understand how hard this race is."

Experience also figures to factor into the women’s race with the return of the past two champions, Valentina Galimova and Woynishet Girma.

Girma won in 2011, while Galimova came in third. Last year, Galimova’s late kick gave her a win in a tight duel with Girma into the final mile, winning by 59 seconds.

Tigist Tufa of Ethiopia is running her second marathon in just over a month after setting a personal best of 2:29:24 while finishing eighth in New York.

Entries for the marathon were approaching 30,000 when walk-in registration opened at the Honolulu Marathon Expo on Wednesday. Late registration ends today. Entries last broke 30,000 in back-to-back years in 1996 and ’97.