Paula Radcliffe, with a fabulous front running display, regained her Flora London Marathon crown in style.
Radcliffe, winning her fifth international title and her third in London, clocked two hours 17 minutes and 42 seconds.
That easily bettered the women's-only record of 2hr 18min 56sec she set on that occasion and earned her a bonus of £66,000.
It was also the third fastest women's marathon run, Radcliffe having run the two quickest times.
Radcliffe's victory earned her the winner's purse of £29,000 and another payment of £13,000 for breaking the women's-only course record.
Even an unexpected stop in the 22nd mile, when she dramatically halted and squatted for 10 seconds before resuming the race, failed to prevent another superb marathon victory.
Radcliffe broke away from her main rivals before the seven-mile mark.
The pace she set throughout the contest saw her finish well clear of of Romania's Constantina Tomescu-Dita and Susan Chepkemei of Kenya.
Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan finished eighth in a personal best time of 2:29:01.
Martin Lel won the men's race in the world's fastest time of the year - two hours seven minutes 26seconds.
The 26-year-old Kenyan, whose last major success came when claiming the 2003 ING New York City title, easily smashed his personal best as he held off world-class opposition.
Morocco's reigning world champion Jaouad Gharib improved a position on his third place last year with South Africa's Hendrick Ramaala finishing third.
