"Berlin has been on my wish list a long time," said the world record holder and former world champion who gave birth to her second child, Raphael, last year.

"I was thinking of running it since I was pregnant as I didn't want to wait too long before my marathon return."

The 37-year-old, whose last marathon was New York in 2009, described last month's comeback in a 10,000 metre road race in London as "a disaster".

But she maintains she has now recovered from the back problem that affected her performance in London, where she finished a dispirited third.

Radcliffe said the nature of the Berlin course had also played a part in her decision to run there.

"I am aware Berlin is fast and a lovely course and this was a factor," she added.

Her biggest rival in the German capital will be local favourite Irina Mikitenko, a two-time London marathon winner who also won in Berlin in 2008.

Men's world record holder Haile Gebrselassie is the star attraction of the Berlin men's race, which is considered among the fastest in the world because of its flat course.

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