Like the bad old days of 1908, yet London still wins

Radcliffe withdrew several weeks ago because a toe injury was preventing her from training. She has recovered, but tomorrow's race must do without her, a loss as grievous in media terms as this year's Gold Cup would have been without Kauto Star.

Scroll down to read more:

High hopes: Masai warriors, who will be running in their traditional clothing

The focus instead has been on six Masai warriors, complete with spears and M&S underwear, and Buster Martin, who at 101 years of age will trouble the race's scorers only to stay late into the afternoon. None is a Denman.

In British terms, Radcliffe is irreplaceable.

When the late Chris Brasher created the London Marathon, one of his objectives was to improve the state of British marathon running, and it is the single area in which his efforts have conspicuously failed.

No British man has won this race in 15 years and only Radcliffe has succeeded among the women in more than a decade.

The state of British marathoning is worse than it was when the race started, as bad as it has been since the inaugural marathon race over the present distance between Windsor Castle and Shepherds Bush 100 years ago at the first London Olympic Games.

Unless something dramatic happens over the next four years, Britain will be as poorly represented in the event in London in 2012 as it was in 1908.

Britain continues to beat as the heart of the marathon, not because of those who run the distance but because of the man who runs the race.

Director David Bedford, who never contested it seriously himself, has created an event every bit as significant in the world of marathoning as Cheltenham is to steeplechasing.

It is the Wimbledon of its world and not having a Briton who can win the able-bodied races has not dented its reputation.

Make no mistake, when the blinkers of national interest are removed, tomorrow's race is as good as it gets in marathon terms.

Indeed, if this year's Olympic marathon is as packed with talent, it will be fortunate.

The men's race is without its world record holder Haile Gebrselassie but then so will be the Olympics. But six of last year's top seven are back, nine in the race have run under 2hours 7minutes and 11 under 2hr 9min. Those are times the current Brits can only aspire to.

Martin Lel is seeking his third win and Abderrahim Goumi, twice second to him, his first.

Felix Limo, winner in 2006, is the only man in the field who has beaten Lel but there is also world champion Luke Kibet, previous world champion Jaouad Gharib, Olympic champion Stefano Baldini and the promising American Ryan Hall.

The Kenyan Lel is almost certain now to win this year's $500,000 (£250,000) prize offered by the World Marathon Majors, the collective of five great city races. He has wins in London and New York last year to his credit, and another tomorrow would probably seal it for him.

Gete Wami, the Ethiopian who lost to Radcliffe last year in New York but won the WMM prize, leads that again after wins in Boston and New York but her Ethiopian compatriot, Berhane Adere, last year's winner in Chicago, is the quickest in the field and won in Dubai in 2:22.38 only three months ago.

For those who fancy a flutter, there is an outsider, the Romanian Adriana Pirtea. She should have won Chicago last autumn but was celebrating too soon when Adere came sprinting past 200 metres from the finish.

For the British, there is Mara Yamauchi to cheer, the Tokyo resident who is second fastest ever Briton behind Radcliffe. In the end, we can take comfort again. Whoever wins, of whatever nationality, London remains No 1.