Radcliffe had not raced competitively since April

Radcliffe missed the World Athletics Championships after suffering injury and illness since winning April's Flora London Marathon.

But she was back on form, crossing the finishing line in Richmond Park in 30 minutes 51 seconds.

The golden girl of British athletics finished seventh overall in a mixed race but clearly showed she has fully recovered from the shin injury and bout of bronchitis which ruined her summer.

Radcliffe said: "It always hurts when you are racing flat out especially when it is your first one after such a long time."

It is expected that later this week she will announce her racing schedule for the autumn.

Options available to Radcliffe in the next few weeks are the Bupa Great North Run on 21 September and another half marathon race at the World Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, a title she has twice won.

Although the Nike race is primarily a fun run with 20,000 entrants, last year Radcliffe set a new UK record at the distance of 30:38 on the testing Surrey course.