London marathon chiefs are determined to get their woman

London marathon organisers today vowed they would get their woman should Paula Radcliffe decide to run her next marathon in the Spring.

The New York champion told Standard Sport that running the London classic was a possibility but she wouldn't make any decisions about her 2005 schedule until she had run the Nike 10km event in the capital at the end of this month and taken a well-deserved break.

"I'm going to take a holiday before I even think about whether I'm going to do a Spring marathon but, of course, London is a major option," said

Radcliffe, whose previous two marathons in the capital were dazzling record-breaking affairs.

Her New York triumph only consolidated Radcliffe's position as the most sought-after - and expensive - attraction in the lucrative business of big city marathon running.

Yet London race director Dave Bedford said: "If she decides to run a marathon I believe it will be London. She hasn't made that decision yet but we would want her here not just next year but every single year. Why wouldn't you want the greatest female distance runner there's ever been in your race? She can come and run in London until she's 100!"