Radcliffe crossed the line Sunday in 1 hour, 9 minutes, 45 seconds for her seventh straight victory in New York. She finished 2 seconds off the course record, but the marathon world-record holder said her "legs felt a bit heavy in the last few miles."
"I'm kind of a little bit race rusty," Radcliffe said. "I need to see how I am over the next couple of days."
She pulled away from Mamitu Daska of Ethiopia, who was second in 1:11:04, at the 7-mile mark after exiting Central Park. Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, who set the course record in 2006, was third in 1:11:56.
Defending champion Tadese Tola of Ethiopia easily won the men's race in 1:01:06, running solo after a sprint start to distance himself from the pack. Ridouane Harroufi of Morocco was second in 1:02:33, and Ryan Hall of the United States was another 2 seconds back.
Radcliffe, who won the New York City Marathon in November, had surgery on her foot in March. Along with a tendon transfer, two metatarsals were cut and shortened.
"The foot is fine," Radcliffe said. "It's just blowing the cobwebs away and getting used to racing on the roads and flats again."
She plans to decide by Wednesday whether she'll compete at worlds.
"It's more the reaction of the next couple of days, how my body comes out of it," Radcliffe said.
Tola strained his right calf at the 9-mile mark, but wasn't concerned because he had "a little over a minute lead."
The half-marathon started in Central Park, traveled through Times Square and finished in Battery Park. It was 74 degrees at the beginning of the race with 84 percent humidity.
"Through the park, I felt good and controlled," Radcliffe said. "I intended just to pick it up a bit, but with the humidity, I just relaxed in. I knew I was clear."
Radcliffe is the only athlete to complete the "cycle" on the streets of New York. She's won the mile twice, the 10k, half-marathon and three NYC Marathons since 1996.
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