Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Britain's Paula Radcliffe became the second woman to win the New York City Marathon three times, while Brazil's Marilson Gomes dos Santos caught Moroccan Abderrahim Goumri in the final mile to take the men's race.

Radcliffe led for almost the entire race to claim her second straight victory, finishing in an official time of 2 hours, 23 minutes, 56 seconds, beating Russian Ludmila Petrova by 1 minute, 47 seconds. American Kara Goucher finished third, another 10 seconds behind.

Gomes dos Santos, the 2006 champion, finished in 2:08:43, while Goumri crossed the line in 2:09:05 for his second straight runner-up finish. Kenya's Daniel Rono was third in 2:11:22.

About 39,000 people participated in the 39th running of the race, covering a 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) course that touched all five of New York City's boroughs and ended in Manhattan's Central Park.

Radcliffe, 34, moved into second place in the all-time championship standings with her third win. Norway's Grete Waitz won the race nine times between 1978 and 1988.

``To win three is really special to me,'' Radcliffe said in a televised interview. ``To even be one-third of the way to replicating what Grete Waitz achieved is amazing.''

The win came less than three months after Radcliffe, the world-record holder, struggled at the Beijing Olympics, finishing 23rd not long after recovering from a stress fracture.

Fast Finish

Running in temperatures around 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) with some wind, she broke free of Petrova, 40, the 2000 champion, at about the 22nd mile, running her fastest mile splits as she brought the race to a close.

``It was tougher out there this year because of the wind,'' Radcliffe said. ``I was determined I was going to feel comfortable out there until halfway, and then pick it up.''

Goucher, a New York native who was running her initial marathon, became the first U.S. woman to finish among the top three since 1994.

Gomes dos Santos took the men's race lead at about 20 miles and was passed shortly thereafter by Goumri. The Brazilian lagged behind Goumri until the final mile and then charged into the lead to comfortably earn his second victory.

``I never lost hope,'' Gomes dos Santos said through a translator. ``When I got into Central Park, the people got me going. They really inspired me to go and win the race.''

Abdi Abdirahman was the top U.S. men's runner, finishing in sixth at 2:14:17. Americans Josh Rohatinsky (2:14:23), Jason Lehmkuhle (2:14:30) and Bolota Asmerom (2:16:37) also placed in the top 10.

Australian Kurt Fearnley, 27, won his third straight New York City Marathon wheelchair race, completing the course in 1:44.51.

Switzerland's Edith Hunkeler, 36, claimed her second straight win and fourth overall in the women's wheelchair division, crossing the line in 2:06.41.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mason Levinson in New York at mlevinson@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 2, 2008 13:14 EST