Alyson Dixon faces a quality women’s domestic field when she defends her Virgin London Marathon British title in April.
The race will be used as qualification for the World Championships in London, in August, and the bunch of British hopefuls will be headed by Jo Pavey.
The five-time Great Britain Olympian made history last summer when she became the first British track and field athlete to compete at five Olympic Games.
Now the 43-year-old will return to the London Marathon for the first time since 2011 with a double objective in mind – to run a new personal best and to qualify for the World Championships
Sunderland Stroller Dixon was cast as the favourite to lift the British title again before Pavey’s inclusion in the race.