She set an incredible pace throughout to finish in a time of two hours 15 minutes 25 seconds.

MARATHON WINNERS Men - Gezahegne Abera Women - Paula Radcliffe Men's wheelchair - Joel Jeannot Women's wheelchair - Francesca Porcellato

And although not fast, the men's race was equally thrilling with Ethiopia's Gezahegne Abera taking the honours after the leading group of five came on to The Mall together.

The key action as it happened (all times BST):

1153:Men's winner - Gezahegne Abera
Abera wins the sprint finish down The Mall finishing in two hours seven minutes and 56 seconds. Abdelkader El Mouaziz was the first to crack before Paul Tergat fell of the pace.

1151: The leading men are running the final stages five abreast, but Abdelkader El Mouaziz is in trouble as they turn into The Mall.

1149: Coming past Big Ben the leading group is back down to five with Stefano Baldini again pushing the pace.

1147: The men have bunched up again with just over a mile to go and Abdelkader El Mouaziz is back in front trying to break the group up.

1143: Stefano Baldini of Italy has kicked on now in a cat-and-mouse elite men's race, but his pursuers are still in touch in a group that has grown to seven.

1139: Abdelkader El Mouaziz moves to the front of the leading group of five men as they make their way down the Embankment.

1130: The men's race has come to the crunch. Gaps are beginning to appear but all the leading names are still in the frame as they approach the Tower of London and the famed cobbles.

1120: Kenya's Catherine Ndereba finishes second in the women's race with Deena Drossin of America in third.

1119:Women's wheelchair winner - Francesca Porcellato
Porcellato claims victory on The Mall with Tanni Grey-Thompson second half-a-minute back.

1115Women's winner - Paula Radcliffe
Radcliffe comes down The Mall, which is thronging with cheering crowds and crosses the line in a world record mark of two hours 15 minutes 25 seconds.

1111: Paula Radcliffe runs through Parliament Square and the world record is all but a certainty.

1102: Paula Radcliffe has less than four miles to go and the crowds, which are getting bigger, are giving her great support and in turn she is running faster splits.

1055: The men remain grouped together but it is only a matter of time before someone makes a break.

1050: David Weir takes second in the wheelchair race, finishing ahead of Denis Lemeunier in a sprint finish, two minutes behind Joel Jeannot.

1047:Men's wheelchair winner - Joel Jeannot
Jeannot crosses the finish line on The Mall to become the first major winner of the day. The Frenchman shatters the course record.

1046: The elite men cross Tower Bridge with all the big names still in contention.

1040: The massed ranks of the main race start to snake around the Cutty Sark.

1034: Wheelchair leader Joel Jeannot takes on the cobbles at the Tower of London. The Frenchman looks set for victory and is two minutes ahead of Denis Lemeunier and David Weir.

1030: Kenya's Catherine Ndereba has made up ground on the rest of the women's field and moves into second place.

1025: Zola Budd rounds the Cutty Sark. The South African, now 36, is wearing shoes. A long way up the course Paula Radcliffe is approaching the 18-mile mark and her head is beginning to bob. She is two minutes 20 seconds ahead of her pursuers and has left one of her pacemakers trailing.

1021: The men's race remains titghtly packed with all the big names in the leading pack in the early stages.

1013: The last group of runners cross the start line at Greenwich Park.

1010: A leading group of four women cross Tower Bridge in the women's wheelchair race, including Britain's Tanni Grey-Thompson. The leader is Italy's Francesca Porcelatta.

1007: Former world record holder Catherine Ndereba has upped her pace, but the Kenyan is two minutes behind Paula Radcliffe.

1004: Paula Radcliffe crosses Tower Bridge more than one minute ahead of the field.

1000: Most of the big names in the men's race seem content to bide their time in the opening stages - a complete contrast to Paula Radcliffe's sensational start. Radcliffe has gone through 11 miles two seconds shy of 57 minutes.

0957: Joel Jeannot has taken sole lead of the men's wheelchair race, making his break at Tower Bridge.

0951: Paula Radcliffe passes 10 miles in 51 minutes 48 seconds, more than two-and-a-half minutes inside the pace she set 12 months ago. She is almost 40 seconds clear of the field.

0950: The leaders of the elite men complete the first mile in a time of four minutes 52 seconds.

0945: The elite men and mass races are underway. More than 33,000 people are participating in one of Britain's favourite sporting events.

0942: Excitement mounts in Greenwich Park where the log-jam of runners in the mass race are congregating.

0940: Romania's Constantina Dita and Susan Chepkememi of Kenya lead the chase in the women's race and are well inside their personal bests - although a long way off Paula Radcliffe.

0936: There is a fierce pace in the wheelchair marathon as well. It rounds the Cutty Sark with Joel Jeannot leading a group of four. The Frenchman is joined by two compatriots and Britain's David Weir.

0934: Huge crowds cheer Paula Radcliffe as she rounds the Cutty Sark.

0923: Paula Radcliffe is running in the region of five minutes a mile and the pace has left her opponents trailing, the women's race already splitting into three distinct groups.

0915: The wheelchair marathon sets off from Greenwich. Further up the field Paula Radcliffe passes three miles and is well on schedule to smash the marathon world record.

0910: Paula Radcliffe has set off at a phenomenal pace. She goes under the two mile banner in 10 minutes 18 seconds, some 14 seconds ahead of the main pack.

0900: In cool and clear conditions, Shirley Brasher, the widow of London Marathon founder Chris Brasher, sets the elite women on their way.