12:00am - End of updates
Thanks to all who 'tuned in'! Congratulations to all who took part in the Flora London Marathon today. Until next time....!

11:55am
NB - Paula's time has been corrected to 2:17:42, the official women's-only world best.

11:54am
A depleted Tergat jogs over the line in 8th place with a time of 2:11:38, almost seven minutes off his world record. He was followed by two of the other pre-race favourites, Sammy Korir (2:12:35) and Evans Rutto (2:12:48).

11:52am
Gharib was 2nd, and Ramaala crosses the line in 2:08:31. El Muaziz was 4th, 30 seconds behind Ramaala. Baldini finishes 5th in 2:09:25, while Brown was 6th in 2:09:30, a personal best.

11:50am - Lel wins
With all the talk of Tergat, Baldini and Rutto, Lel was very much the underdog, but he ran a superb race to win in 2:07:24, a new personal best.

11:48am
The 26-year-old Kenyan Martin Lel is clearly leading as he approached the closing hundred yards-or-so.

11:46am
Baldini and Brown pass Tergat. Brown looks set to run a personal best.

11:45am
Lel passes 40km in 2:00:35, fourteen seconds ahead of Gharib, who has opened up a 22-second gap on Ramaala. El Mouaziz is now in 4th, ahead of Tergat, who is being closely tracked by Baldini and Jon Brown.

11:41am
Martin Lel's last mile split was 4:38, which explains the big gap he opened on Gharib and Ramaala.

11:40am
Reminder that you can discuss the London marathon on the forum. Back to the women's race for a second - Sun Yingjie crossed the line in 2:42:05. Something must have been up with her.

11:38am
Current standings are Lel out in front, followed by Gharib and Ramaala. Paul Tergat seems to be stuggling slightly in 4th place.

11:36am - Men's race
With Paula now finished, the focus switches to the men's race. Martin Lel is leading and ran the 23rd mile in 4:56. Looking very smooth and pulling away further from the rest. Ramaala currently in third.

11:34am
"Thank you so much for all the support out there" (from Paula of course!).

Unofficial results:
1. Paula Radcliffe - 2:17:41 WB
2. Constantina Dita - 2:22:49 NR
3. Susan Chepkemei - 2:24:00
4. Margaret Okayo - 2:25:21
5. Lyudmila Petrova - 2:26:29
6. Benita Johnson - 2:26:31 PB
7. Joyce Chepchumba - 2:26:59
8. Sonia O'Sullivan - 2:28:59 PB

11:30am
In the post-race interview, Paula explains how both her body and mind were very strong today. She also thanks the crowd who, at times, made her dizzy from the noise they were generating!

11:26am
Lyudmila Petrova finishes in 2:26:29, just three seconds ahead of Benita Johnson.

11:24am
Paula's second half was covered in 69:14. Dita crossed the line in a stellar 2:22:49, and Chepkemei crosses in 2:24:00. Okayo 4th in 2:25:21

11:18am - End
Paula wins in a new womens-only world record of 2:17:41!!!

11:17am - Mile twenty-six
Mile split 5:21. With just a few hundred yards to go, the crowd are roaring...

11:14am
Constantina Dita is 4min 30 seconds behind Paula and, barring disaster, is still on course to smash her Romanian record and climb up a good few places on the all-time lists.

11:12am - Mile twenty-five
Mile split - 5.19. Paula is on pace for 2:17:34. The grimaces are starting to show on her face, but that's the way we know her best! 40km split - 2:10:26.

11:06am - Mile twenty-four
Mile split - 5.11. Much faster than the previous few miles, as she approaches the closing miles. Nothing much has changed, apart from Chepkemei pulling further away from Okayo, who is struggling pretty badly. Benita Johnson is still going well, although is around 5-6mins off the leading pace.

11:01am - Mile twenty-three
Mile split - 5.17. Paula is 1min 40 seconds off her 2003 pace, so will likely run somewhere in the region of 2:17:20. Chepkemei has overtaken Okayo to take 3rd place, but is still a long way off Dita.

10:58am
Dita is now almost 3 minutes behind Paula and is on pace to run 2:20 (while Paula's predicted time is outside 2:17). Paula is now back in full flow, as the TV commentators describe the crowd as 'deafening'.

10:55am - Mile twenty-two
Mile split - 5:27. Paula seems to be exerting a bit more effort (perhaps to help make up the few seconds she lost in stopping due to cramp). 35km split - 1:54:07.

10:52am
Paula stopped for a few seconds at the side of the road to help overcome what seemed to be a bit of cramp. Back in to her running now, though.

10:50am - Mile twenty-one
Mile split - 5:24. Paula is perhaps slowing a bit (on 2:17:04 pace), but it doesn't matter much in terms of the race standings as Dita is still well over 2 minutes behind. (Correction to the 10:42 update - Okayo and Chepkemei were, and still are, in 3rd and 4th place).

10:46am
The men's race is still a tough one to call, as all the main contenders (a bunch of a dozen or so) are all at the front.

10:44am - Mile twenty
Mile split - 5:11. Paula's effort is beginning to show, but she is still very composed. Excuse the cliche, but it's her against the clock.

10:42am
Okayo and Chepkemei remain in 2nd and 3rd place respectively, with just 10 yards separating them both.

10:40am - Mile nineteen
Mile split - 5:23, her slowest mile of the race so far, but likely attritbuted to the slight incline of the course. 30km split - 1:37:27. Dita is 2min 25 seconds behind

10:36am
Constantina Tomescu-Dita is still looking pretty good and should obliterate her lifetime best of 2:23:35.

10:34am - Mile eighteen
Mile split - 5:16. Paula is now facing the tougher miles of the 26.2-mile course and her increase of effort is now beginning to visibly show, albeit slightly. Paula is just 40 seconds behind her 2003 pace.

10:31am
Korir, Rutto, Ramaala and Lel are the leaders in the men's race, but the other main challengers (including Tergat, Baldini and Jon Brown) are still very close behind.

10:28am - Mile seventeen
Mile split - 5:15. Paula is on pace for around 2:16:38. 25km split was 1:21:03. Dita, Okayo and Chepkemei are all within striking distance of each other, and Chepkemei is getting closer to Okayo.

10:23am - Mile sixteen
Mile split - 5:14. Paula is now on 2:16:48 pace and is being helped along by the roaring crowd every inch of the way.

10:16am - Mile fifteen
Mile split - 5:12. (Mile fourteen split was 5:11). Constantina Dita has opened up a big gap on Okayo, who seems to be struggling. Paula still pushing the pace out at the front, looking just as fresh as she did at the start of the race.

10:16am
In the men's race, Hendrick Ramaala is the closest athlete to the pacemakers, but his lead doesn't account for much as all the main contenders are in a big group right behind.

10:15am
Paula's half way split was 68:27 - 20 seconds faster than Chepkemei's official world leading half marathon time of 2005. Constantina Dita overtakes Okayo to take second place and opens up a 10-yard gap on the Kenyan. They are both on course to run around 2:20.

10:11am
Paula is on pace to run 2:16:55 - a full two minutes inside her womens-only world record. 20km split - 1:04:55. Okayo is 84 seconds behind; Chepkemei and Dita 1min 44 seconds behind. Everyone else is 4 minutes behind Paula.

10:09am - Half way
Split for the 13th mile - 5:15. Paula flies over tower bridge as the crowd roars. Contantina Dita has caught Chepkemei to assume third place. (No official half-way split as yet).

10:03am - Mile twelve
Mile split - 5:18. Just a mile away from halfway, and Paula is keeping up the quick tempo. Meanwhile, Paula's friend Liz Yelling is on pace to run 2:28, a would-be personal best.

9.58am - Mile eleven
Mile split - 5.14. Paula is well inside 2:18:56 pace, but 32 seconds off her 2:15:25 pace (which was never really her intention for today anyway). 2 miles in to the men's race and all the main contenders are very closely grouped together, a yard or two behind the pacemakers.

9.53am - Mile ten
Mile split - 5:13. Paula ran the exact same split for the tenth mile in 2003. Margaret Okayo is 28 seconds behind, with Chepkemei another 20 seconds behind her. Benita Johnson, Chepchumba, Yingjie and O'Sullivan are all three minutes behind Paula.

9.50am
Paula picks up another drink bottle and takes a good few mouthfulls. Paula's bottles usually contain carbohydrate-boosting drinks.

9.48am - Mile nine
Mile split - 5:15. Paula is well on course to break her womens-only world record.

9.46am
Approaching the ninth mile split, Paula is completely by herself at the front and is looking very smooth.

9.45am
Men's race is underway

9.42am - Mile splits
Mile seven - 5:16, Mile eight - 5:14

9.40am
Okayo is now clearly in second place, but is in no-man's land as Chepkemei is 30 yards behind.

9.34am
10km split - 32:17. Chepkemei is now 20-25 yards behind Paula as they approach Cutty Sark.

9.32am - Mile six
Mile split - 5:18. Okayo slips back a few yards behind Paula, who is being closely followed by Chepkemei. Still looking very smooth, and still on pace for a time of around 2:17.

9.30am - Mile five
Mile split - 5:22. The pacemakers have fallen back, as the three early leaders - Paula, Okayo and Chepkemei - decide to take the race on at their own fast pace.

9.24am - Mile four
Mile split - 5:15. Okayo and Chepkemei are back with Paula at the front. They are just a few seconds behind Paula's 2003 pace, but the two Kenyans are operating well within their personal-best times.

9.17am
Paula grabs her first drinks bottle and once again open a lead over Okayo and Chepkemei. They are still on pace for a sub-2:17 performance. Sun Yingjie is their closest challenger, a full 48 seconds behind.

9.15am - Mile three
Third mile split - 4:58. 5km split - 15:47. Indeed the third mile was the fastest, and Paula has now been joined by Margaret Okayo and Susan Chepkemei. They are already a few hundred yards clear of anyone else.

9.11am - Mile two
Second mile split - 5:12. Still ahead of the pace that Paula ran at in 2003. Restituta Joseph has fallen back as she struggles to keep the pace, so has decided to help pace the athletes behind Paula and brings Okayo closer to the lead. Leah Malot remains Paula's pacemaker as they embark on the third mile - the fastest of the course.

9.05am - Mile one
First mile split - 5:03. They are still on the quietest part of the course, but the spectators are giving good cheer as the women pass. Margaret Okayo has joined Susan Chepkemei, as they track Paula some 10-15 yards behind.

9.03am
The pacemakers, Leah Malot and Restituta Joseph, assume the lead and Paula - who is wearing her favourite race number 111 - is right with them. Susan Chepkemei is a few yeards behind Paula.

9.00am
Haile Gebrselassie is the official starter of the race and calls out one last word of advice - "Relax" - to the women as the race gets underway.

8.58am
The women are at the start line. Paula is wearing the new aqua-blue Nike kit and her shades and she stands alongside pacemaker Leah Malot.

8.45am
The weather is pretty good in London - sunny sky with not a cloud in sight. Rain is on its way, but will take several hours before it its London, so the elite racers won't be affected.

Live updates
Hello and welcome to the live commentary of the Flora London Marathon. The women's race is due to start at 9.00am (BST), so be sure to check back here just before then to catch all the action!