Paula Radcliffe will run the Flora London Marathon on April 13 on the course where she set her world record five years ago. She has opted to return to the capital for her favourite race, as a final outing over the distance before the Olympic Games.

"It's great to be running the Flora London Marathon again," Radcliffe said. "I love running in front of my home crowd and I know that winning a fourth time will give me just the boost I need before the Olympic Games in August. The London field is always competitive, but that's what I need to be at my best in Beijing."

Radcliffe, determined to make amends for her shock defeat at the Athens Olympics when she failed to finish, is currently warm-weather training in South Africa. The 34-year-old is expected to complete her preparations at Flagstaff in the United States.

David Bedford, the London Marathon race director, was confident he could entice Radcliffe to participate. "We are delighted to have Paula back in London and pleased that she has decided to race here again against such a strong field," he said. "No doubt all eyes will be on Paula as she goes for her fourth victory. But the women's race will be as tough as ever, and Gete [Wami] will have something to prove after losing to Paula in New York."

Wami, the World Marathon Majors champion, won the inaugural WMM title despite being beaten in a thrilling New York marathon by Radcliffe as the Briton won her comeback race last November.

Radcliffe won her first London Marathon in 2002 and her second the year after where she set the world record in 2hr 15min 25sec. She claimed her third win in 2005. A fourth victory would match the achievement of her mentor, Ingrid Kristiansen.

Radcliffe also competes against Wami's fellow Ethiopian, Berhane Adere, who will be hoping to atone for a disappointing display last year when she was one of the favourites. Also in the field are Constantina Tomescu-Dita, of Romania, second to Radcliffe in 2005 and third last year; Svetlana Zakharova, of Russia, a former Chicago Marathon champion, and Benita Johnson, of Australia, the Oceania record holder.