Radcliffe started running again 12 days after giving birth

Radcliffe, 33, returned to action last Sunday at the Great North Run following injury and the birth of her daughter.

The world record holder has not competed in a marathon since she won at the World Championships in August 2005.

But she has good form in New York, winning the race in 2004, just weeks after dropping out of the marathon and 10,000m in the Athens Olympics.

Radcliffe said: "This year is an exceptional field and I am looking forward to being part of the event again.

606: DEBATE What do you think of Paula's return?

"The race holds a special place in the world of marathon running and also in my heart.

"I love the buzz of the city, the unique atmosphere of the race, and the amazing crowd support."

After a 21-month break from racing, Radcliffe may be hard-pushed to emulate her triumph in New York where she won a thrilling sprint finish over Kenya's Susan Chepkemei.

She will be up against two-times New York champion Jelena Prokopcuka, Berlin marathon champion Gete Wami, 2007 world champion Catherine Ndereba and 2007 Boston marathon champion Lidiya Grigoryeva.

I want to come back into races that I can get my teeth into and that get me fired up in training Paula Radcliffe

But Radcliffe insists the strong field will be good for her as she builds up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"New York fitted in perfectly for my plans. It gives me enough time to get ready with good mileage and good work," she said.

"So it's not too long and not too short and on top of that it's a great field.

"I want to come back into races that I can get my teeth into and that get me fired up in training and give me a good competitive starting place.

"I want to be competitive with the rest of the world and I think New York is a great place to do that.

"I've been thinking about this since I was four or five months pregnant.

"I kind of knew then it would be an option. I had been thinking then if London would be an option but that would surely have been too soon.

"Because I missed racing during my pregnancy, I was thinking of a lot of ways in which I could come back and race afterwards and New York was up there."

Race director Mary Wittenberg added: "She could have chosen an easier path, but in typical Paula fashion, she has chosen to return in one of the deepest and most competitive women's fields ever assembled.