Paula Radcliffe Wins New York City Marathon As Kara Goucher Finished Third

Paula Radcliffe successfully defended her New York City marathon crown in emphatic fashion on Sunday by posting a decisive, front-running victory.Radcliffe completed the 26.2-mile (42.2-km) course through the city's five boroughs in two hours 23 minutes 56 seconds, according to unofficial results.A distant second was 40-year-old Russian Ludmila Petrova, the 2000 champion, nearly two minutes back in 2:25:43.Third was American Kara Goucher, who posted a time of 2:25:53.

The victory was Radcliffe's third in New York following wins in 2004 and 2007, giving her the most women's titles in this race other than Grete Waitz of Norway, a nine-times winner.Radcliffe's triumph was sweet, coming after 23rd place in the Beijing Olympic marathon, where her training was hampered by injury.