Paula Radcliffe has won the New York marathon, defending the crown she won last year to become only the second woman to win the race for a third time.
Radcliffe won in a time of 2:23:55 with Russian Ludmila Petrova second in 2:25:43 and marathon debutante Kara Goucher third in 2:25:52, becoming the first American on the podium in the race in 14 years.
Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil won the men's event with Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco in second and Daniel Rono of Kenya in third.
In cool and windy conditions for the 39th New York Marathon, Radcliffe led from start to finish to match her 2004 and 2007 triumph and join nine-time winner Grete Waitz as the only woman to capture the race more than twice.
Radcliffe, whose victory last year came ten months after giving birth to her first child, suffered a stress fracture in her left leg this year that led to a disappointing 23rd-place finish at the Beijing Olympics.
Radcliffe, 34, jumped to the lead from the opening gun with US debutante Kara Goucher, trained by three-time New York winner Alberto Salzar, right behind her for the first two-thirds of the race.
Leading a pack of six at the half-way mark, Radcliffe knew that seven of the past nine women's winners at New York led at that mark.
Goucher, who ran in memory of a father killed by a drunk driver when she was only a child in New York, dropped off Radcliffe's pace in the 19th mile.
That left 2000 winner Ludmila Petrova of Russia, reigning Boston Marathon champion Dire Tune of Ethiopia and two-time Berlin champion Gete Wami of Ethiopia in a line behind Radcliffe.
In a 21st-mile bridge climb, Wami and Tune fell off the pace as well, leaving Radcliffe shadowed only by the 40-year-old Russian.
Radcliffe ran the 22nd mile in 5:12 and pulled away from the Russian to put herself clear as downtown Manhattan loomed before her after two hours, tugging the margin to a minute with a mile to run.
One year after outdueling Wami to the line, Radcliffe was alone to enjoy the cheers as she crossed the finish line, after which she hoisted her baby daughter and the British flag in celebration.
