Khalid Khannouchi saw off Haile Gebrselassie's challenge to set a new world best time in the London Marathon today as British runner Paula Radcliffe made a brilliant marathon debut.
The men's race had been billed as track legend Gebrselassie's first serious attempt at the distance but Khannouchi held off the challenge of Paul Tergat of Kenya and Gebrselassie, to clock 2hr 05min 38sec.
Khannouchi, Moroccan-born but now a naturalised American, beat his own previous world best time of 2hr 05min 42sec set in 1999.
Radcliffe clocked 2hr 18min 56sec, the second fastest women's time in history, as the woman so often edged out of the medals on the track destroyed a world-class field.
In the men's race, Khannouchi broke away from Paul Tergat - runner-up for the second successive year in 2:05:48 - with less than a mile remaining.
Gebrselassie dropped off the pace just before 25 miles and eventually placed third in 2:06:35 while two-time London winner Abdelkader El Mouaziz was fourth.
Khannouchi said: "It was very tough. Everybody has to work so hard to win and thank God I had the strength to win.
"It wasn't as fast as I feared it would be.
"Everybody waited until the last stage, no one wanted to take the risk but I was mentally a bit tougher than the others."
Radcliffe, twice the world half marathon champion and who recently retained her world cross country crown, stamped her authority on the race from the start, clocking remarkable mile splits of between 5min 8sec and 5min 16sec to give her a one-minute lead at halfway.
The chasing group including Susan Chepkemei of Kenya and Ethiopia's Derartu Tulu were soon suffering.
Instead of slowing, 28-year-old Radcliffe speeded up in the final miles and passed the Houses of Parliament to cross the line more than three minutes ahead of Russians Svetlana Zakharova and Lyudmila Petrova.
Japanese runner Reiko Tosa was a splendid fourth.
Only Catherine Ndereba of Kenya has run faster with her world record of 2:18:47 in the 2001 Chicago Marathon.
A relaxed-looking Radcliffe said: "My legs are very tired but the rest of me is really pleased.
"I was close to the world best but I didn't realise how close until the end.
"I've given it everything. I couldn't have done it any faster.
"I felt very relaxed and very confident until about 16 miles. Although I went through a rough patch the crowd were brilliant. They picked me up by the Cutty Sark and again at London Bridge.
"Then near the end I knew I had a two-minute lead and I did not think I would lose that."
The Briton was pleased that knee trouble she suffered in her recent world-class cross-country victory did not damage her victory chances, adding: "The real worry I had was with my knee - my legs got tight in the calf after about 16 miles.
"But I really enjoyed it and the crowd were amazing."
AFP