KEY POINTS:
One endured the heat of a cloying day in Osaka to secure her place on the team; the other fought for hers in the white-hot atmosphere of a legal battle.
Tomorrow morning, both women will have their chance to prove that their inclusion in the Olympic marathon field was the right decision.
Distance runners Nina Rillstone and Liza Hunter-Galvan compete in the 42.2km race through the streets of Beijing tomorrow, with cloudy, showery weather forecast _ welcome relief in the city which has seen high humidity and temperatures in the 30s this week.
Rillstone ran a solid 13th place at the world championships in Osaka last year, her marathon debut at a major championship. It followed a personal best run of 2hr 29 m 46s in 2006 in Nagano.
Athletics team manager Raylene Bates said Rillstone, 33, was coping with the heat well.
"Remember that she was in the top 15 at the world championships in 40 degree heat," said Bates.
"And Liza just left temperatures in the mid-30s, although it is a drier heat."
Hunter-Galvan is based in Texas. She was the most controversial selection of the New Zealand team, named only after taking her case to the Sports Tribunal alleging that she had been unfairly treated.
When the team was initially named, she was left out because selectors believed she had under-performed at previous major championships, including the 2004 Olympics. But the tribunal ordered the decision to be reconsidered.
The mother of four reacted to the decision in June with a personal best half marathon of 1h 13m 29s.
Tomorrow's race has been hit by injuries to several high profile entrants. Japan's Mizuki Noguchi, who was hoping to become the first back-to-back Olympic women's marathon winner, had to withdraw this week because of a thigh injury.
British world record holder Paula Radcliffe, who dramatically staggered from the course in Athens, is attempting to recover from a stress fracture.
