The world record holder and Britain's leading gold medal hope on the track in Beijing will be included in the elite women's field that will be announced today by the London Marathon organisers.

	Motivated: Paula Radcliffe training on the road in South Africa

It is a coup for London and a major pay day for Radcliffe. But her decision will come as a surprise to those who believe that after her victory in New York in November, Radcliffe should minimise all risks and concentrate on her training for what will be the most important marathon of her career in Beijing.

That is where, it is hoped, she will finally lay the memory of the tears and trauma that followed her failure to finish the Olympic marathon in Athens in 2004.....