NEW YORK, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Martin Lel of Kenya and Britain's Paula Radcliffe won the men's and the women's titles respectively at the 38th ING New York City Marathon on Sunday.

Lel made his kick in the final mile to edge Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco in two hours nine minutes and four seconds. Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa finished third in 2:11:25. Olympic champion Stefano Baldini of Italy was fourth.

World-record holder Radcliffe outlasted Gete Wami of Ethiopia to win the women's division in 2:23:09 on Sunday.

It was her first marathon in two years, and after giving birth in January.

Radcliffe, 33, ran almost the entire race with Wami on her heels before pulling away over the last mile.

"I felt quite relaxed," Radcliffe said. "I knew she was behind me, but she was alongside so it wasn't so annoying."

Two-time defending champion Jelena Prokopcuka was a distant third in 2:26:13.

Kurt Fearnley of Australia has repeated as the men's wheeler champion. Former champion Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland has won on the women's side.

Over 39,000 runners from 100 countries and regions around the world participated in the 26.2 mile (42.195 km) run through New York City's five boroughs before crossing the finish line in Central Park.

Over 600,000 U.S. dollars in prize money is up for grabs and nearly 2 million people cheered the road racers on.

According to race officials, there are about 315 million worldwide television viewers who tune-in to watch.

The New York Road Runners, which sponsors the event, said the ING New York City Marathon brings an estimated 220 million dollars in economic impact to the city, up from 205 million dollars in 2006.

"The ING New York City Marathon is as diverse as the city itself, " said New York Road Runners President and CEO Mary Wittenberg. " With more than 100,000 applicants this year, the event continues to attract runners from around the world while bringing together the City of New York."

Marathon weekend got off to a tragic start Saturday when U.S. elite marathon runner Ryan Shay died while taking part in Saturday's Olympic trials.

The 28-year-old collapsed a little more than five miles into the race near the Central Park boat house. There was a moment of silence for Shay before the start of the men's race on Sunday.

Eastern Standard Time returned at two in the morning, making Nov.4 the longest day of the year.