The world record holder led from start to finish, wearing down the strongest field in the race's 40-year history to cruise home unopposed over the final four miles to clock two hours 23 minutes and 56 seconds.

Radcliffe was 1min 47secs ahead of 40-year-old Ludmila Petrova of Russia, who held off a strong finish from Kara Goucher of the United States, the American taking third on her marathon debut in 2hrs 25mins 53secs.

Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil won the men's race, reclaiming the title he first won in 2006.

With her victory, Radcliffe becomes only the second woman to win the race three or more times, trailing only nine-time winner Grete Waitz of Norway.

"To win three is really special to me," Radcliffe said. "To even be one third of the way towards the mark Grete Waitz achieved is amazing.

"New York is just a place I love to come but it was different this year. The last two times it was really close at the end but I was nice to make it a little bit easier on my husband and help him stay more relaxed."