BOSTON -- Six of last year's top finishers in the Boston Marathon will compete in the Ohme-Hochi 30K in Japan on Feb. 4, the Boston Athletic Association announced Thursday.

Peter Gilmore will be running the 30-kilometer race for the second time. He will be joined by five members of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project: Luke Humphrey, Chad Johnson, Kyle O'Brien, Brian Sell and Clint Verran.

The B.A.A.-Ohme exchange program dates back to 1976, when Bill Rodgers won Ohme, and Tom Fleming placed second. Among the many top Boston Marathon finishers to compete in Ohme are Miki Gorman, 1974 and 1977 Boston champion, and Greg Meyer, 1983 Boston and Ohme champion.

Gilmore was the B.A.A.'s 2006 representative in Ohme, following his 10th-place finish in the 2005 Boston Marathon. After placing fourth in the Japanese race with a time of 1:32:56, Gilmore returned to Boston, where he moved up to seventh, with a personal best time of 2:12:45.

The Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, a Michigan-based team founded and coached by brothers Keith and Kevin Hanson, brought eight athletes to the 2006 Boston Marathon, and six finished in the top 20 places.