LONDON – Deena Drossin overcame stomach problems more than halfway through the London Marathon, sprinting to the line to finish third for the best American time at this distance.

Her time of 2 hours, 21 minutes, 16 seconds Sunday beat Joan Benoit Samuelson’s U.S. mark by five seconds.

Drossin, a silver medalist in the last two World Cross Country Championships, cut more than five minutes off her previous best (2:26:53) at 26.2 miles.

Drossin saluted Maine’s Benoit, who predicted the Californian would be the one to get her 1985 mark.

“She [Benoit] is still an idol and an icon in the sport,” Drossin said. “She held that record for so many years and still continues to give back to the sport. She continues to be an inspiration to me.”

Paula Radcliffe of England was the women’s winner, breaking her world best by almost two minutes. She won this race a second straight time, finishing in 2:15:25. Catherine Ndereba of Kenya was second in 2:19:54.

The men’s winner was Olympic and world champion Gezahegne Abera of Ethiopia beat Stefano Baldini of Italy in a sprint. Abera and Baldini were both clocked in 2:07:56, two minutes off the world best.

Drossin was hit with stomach trouble at 15 miles but “stuck it out” after falling about a minute off her target pace. The 30-year-old runner from Mammoth Lakes, Calif., made a kick as she turned for home in what she said was a present to herself for her Sept. 14 wedding.

“As soon as I looked up and saw the clock I thought: ‘I can’t cover this distance in 30 seconds. Then I thought I might as well try,”‘ she said. “To try to sprint at the end of a marathon is really the ugliest thing I think any of the spectators had to witness.”

“It was tough and I didn’t do it by much. But I needed a perfect day and perfect conditions and a perfect mind-set. I feel I had that today.”

Drossin won the silver for the second straight year at the World Cross Country Championships last month in Switzerland.