Map of the London Marathon route

It was no surprise that, while Paula Radcliffe jogged unhindered through London with the Olympic torch and a panoramic grin, a former Blue Peter presenter became embroiled in a political protest and made News At Ten. Konnie Huq should have known that no one can hold a candle, let alone anything bigger, to the women's marathon world record-holder.

Injury means that Radcliffe is absent from tomorrow's Flora London Marathon as she recovers from a toe problem, but that just means that the subplot thickens. While Martin Lel, of Kenya, defends the men's title and Gete Wami, the Ethiopian denied by Radcliffe's mesmerising comeback in New York last November, hopes for a first triumph, British interest turns to Liz Yelling. Not a household name, perhaps, but if you want someone to highlight what the Olympics are about, it is a woman whose chosen path has involved taking two months off because of fatigue and being unable to pay for a cup of a coffee.

Yelling, who needs to be the first Briton home tomorrow to qualify for the Games in Beijing, is doing 26 miles and the hard 385 yards for love, not money. “She could get more money working as a cleaner,” Martin, her husband and an athlete, said.

Yelling, who is not on lottery funding even though she is likely to be at the Olympics and was Britain's best finisher in Athens in 2004, gets by with help from her fitness business, Active Futures, and sponsors such as Lucozade Sport and Tensator. “I just love running,” she said. “It's hard sometimes and there have been times when we've struggled and not been able to afford to go out for a coffee, but that's not why I do it.”

Yelling may share a coach, Alec Stanton, with Radcliffe and be firm friends, but they are opposites in many ways. Indeed, when blood tests confirmed that Yelling was ill in 2005 and needed months out, she realised that she could not train the Radcliffe way. “She's a role model, but I had to do what worked for me,” Yelling, who has relocated to Poole, in Dorset, from Loughborough, said. “I'm more motivated than ever because I'm not tired. I used to run on empty, without any breakfast, because I thought it did me some good. But you can only train like that for so long before you're mentally and physically exhausted. Now I've got a zest for running again.”

Yelling, 33, is a relative newcomer to the marathon. Her best time is 2hr 30min 44sec, but she believes that she can run 2hr 26min. She was fourth in Chicago last year and believes that she has the strength to beat Tracey Morris and Hayley Haining tomorrow and secure the third Olympic berth behind Radcliffe and Mara Yamauchi. “Paula is amazing and we're very fortunate to have her, but Mara bridges the gap and makes it seem more feasible,” Yelling said. “Realistically, I want to run sub 2:28 tomorrow and be the first Brit across the line.”

She is also one athlete relishing the heat and humidity of Beijing. In Chicago, she overcame record October temperatures for the Windy City and believes she has unfinished business. “Athens was a massive learning curve and I don't feel I've got it [the marathon] right yet,” the Commonwealth bronze medal-winner said. “I've had some very low points, especially in 2005, and was not sure what direction my life was going to take. Lottery funding makes you feel old because they don't want you if you're over 30, but I feel rejuvenated now and if I could get into the top ten or 15 at the Olympics, that would be an awesome achievement.

“I love hard conditions and if I prepare to my best and others don't, then I can have the edge over those with a better pedigree - that's what happened in Chicago.”

The British battle is an intriguing part of the marathon, in which Wami hopes to take advantage of Radcliffe's no-show and Lel may become embroiled in an all-Kenyan duel with Sammy Wanjiru, the world half-marathon record-holder.

The contenders

Women

Gete Wami (33) Ethiopia's World Marathon Majors champion was second to Paula Radcliife in New York last year.

Berhane Adere (34) Wami's compatriot was tenth last year, but won in Chicago in 2007.

Svetlana Zakharova (37) The Russian has been twice runner-up in London.

Constantina Dita (38) The Romanian has bags of experience, but can she roll back the years? Third last year, her best finish in London was second in 2005.

Men

Martin Lel (29) The Kenyan won last year and in 2005.

Sammy Wanjiru (21) Lel's Japan-based compatriot and the half-marathon world record-holder.

Ryan Hall (25) Won the US Olympic trials in stunning fashion.

Stefano Baldini (36) The Italian Olympic champion will not start with the first group of pacesetters.