World record holder Paula Radcliffe believes she is in "great shape" for her assault on the New York Marathon.
The 33-year-old Briton is running her first marathon in more than two years on Sunday but has refused to lower her expectations.
"I don't have any time targets but I'm here to win it," she said.
"I'm really pleased with where I am. Obviously I'd like to be in even better shape for next year's Beijing Olympics but I think I can challenge well here."
Radcliffe returned to action last month at the Great North Run following injury and the birth of her daughter Isla.
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She has not competed in a marathon since winning the world title in Helskinki in 2005.
But she has good form in New York, winning the race in 2004, just weeks after dropping out of the marathon and 10,000m in the Athens Olympics.
"If I'm honest I had New York in the back of my mind in the Great North Run," she told BBC Sport. "I really miss racing and just wanted to get back into running.
"But I needed to know that I was in the shape to be competitive if I chose to run in New York and Tyneside answered those questions.
"I was disappointed not to win there and didn't race as well as I could but I knew that within another five weeks I could be in good shape and the race itself also brought me on a bit."
Radcliffe acknowledges that New York features arguably its toughest ever field, including twice-defending champion Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia, Kenya's world champion Catherine Ndereba and twice-Berlin winner Gete Wami of Ethiopia.
"This is a great field and I think it is one of my factors for wanting to come here," Radcliffe said.
"I want to get back in and race with the top girls and a lot of them are here.
But she added: "If I'm going into a race I'm only thinking about winning and it's hard to worry about how others will look at it.
"All I can do is be in the best possible shape and adapt the way I run to how the others go out."
"The time away has certainly refreshed my hunger to come back to racing "
Radcliffe insists she will review her performance in the Big Apple before mapping out her timetable for Beijing.
"I'll make the decision after this race to decide if I want to do any more marathons before next year," she said.
"I'll need to see how my body responds and how I feel. The World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh next March are a possibility but my priority is Beijing and I have to make sure my sure the preparations are right.
"I actually feel stronger after giving birth and I noticed straight away I had a lot more stamina in my legs and my long runs came back very quickly.
"Generally, the happier I am the better I race and I'm definitely happy in my life with Isla.
"The time away has certainly refreshed my hunger to come back to racing and given my body a little bit of downtime, which in the long run is not a bad thing either."
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