The 28-year-old Scot has been training as a reserve since April and comes in after it was confirmed Radcliffe will miss out through injury.
"I knew I was reserve and wanted to be ready to race if the opportunity did come up," she told BBC Radio 5 live.
Murray was the second fastest British woman at April's London Marathon in two hours 28.12 minutes.
Jonathan Edwards Olympic gold medalist & BBC Sport pundit "I'm not really sure what shape Freya Murray will be in. It's quite last minute, whether she's had a heads-up I don't know. She may have known for a while she is going to be running. It will be a great experience for her but we shouldn't expect too much. She is a relatively young athlete so it's a great opportunity for her but there will be no great expectations on her."
With Radcliffe ruled out due to an osteoarthritis problem in her foot, Murray, who runs for both the Chester-le-Street and Edinburgh clubs and works as a structural engineer in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, will get her chance."It's such a sad time for her and it just must be horrible," said Murray, who becomes the first Scottish woman to represent Britain in an Olympic marathon since Liz McColgan at Atlanta in 1996.
"Paula sent me a message once she made the decision to pull out so it was really good of her and I really appreciated that.
"I'm gutted for Paula and it's horrendous what she's had to go through in the last few weeks. But I'm really looking forward to the opportunity of taking her place."
Team GB chef de mission Andy Hunt added: "We are proud to welcome Freya to Team GB. We know she has been training hard and preparing, and will arrive fully ready to compete and deliver her personal best."
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