Paula silences the critics...

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24 years 2 months

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Yesterday afternoon I sat and watched one of the greatest distance runners this country has ever produced, win the New York marathon just eleven weeks after she was written off by just about every running "expert" on the planet.

Paula Radcliffe's failure to finish both the Olympic marathon and 10k has been done to death, but ultimately if you're not running right on the day there's nothing you can do about it. Every single one of us has the occassional 'bad day at the office', just most of us don't have to suffer it in front of the world's media.

Yesterday's race wasn't fast, but the final five miles were compelling viewing as both Radcliffe and Chepkemei made repeated attempts to kick the pace and kill off their opponent; Chepkemei managed to eke out a four metre lead on a couple of occasions but Paula hung in there and didn't let the Kenyan get away. And then at 400 metres Paula put in her own kick, and strode off to win.

Considering all the crap she had to read and listen to in the media after Athens, and all the so called "experts" calling time on her running career... well I sat and watched yesterday's finish and found it absolutely inspirational. :)

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20 years 8 months

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I think shes back on track now Steve, Good luck to her, I think she fantastic ;) Anna :D

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19 years 4 months

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But she was well rested

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20 years 6 months

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I am glad to see her back on form i think the pressure of the olympics got to her so much that she was not able to function,It can not have been easy to comeback from that but she has and that shows the class of athlete she is,Well done i say.

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20 years 8 months

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Hmmm. May I be so bold as to disagree? Paula might be a good, even great, distance runner, but she's not done it where it matters - the Olympic Games.

Its all very well winning all these smaller titles, but they're all small beer compared to the Olympics. Its like Arsenal wiping the floor with everyone in the Premiership but then coming unstuck in the Champions League, or our cricketers beating all the Test Nations bar the Aussies and then flopping in the Ashes.

Paula will always be remembered (unless she wins in Beijing) as the athlete who was very good but didn't win when it mattered, rather like Colin Jackson.

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21 years

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I seem to remember many moons ago, Dave Moorcroft at (I think) the LA games in the 10000 metres picked up an injury which meant that he could hardly walk let alone run. His attitude was if I ever give up in a race I'll always think that I can just stop when the going gets tough rather than continue. To David this was not Acceptable so he continued round the track painfully hobbling to the finish. That took more guts than I could ever dream of possessing.

Again one of our 400 metre runners (again the memory clouds are thickening) pulled a muscle inan Olympics (Atlanta?) and continues to hobble round for exactly the same reasons.

I would have had considerably more respect for Paula if she had walked home rather than pull out with all the hystrionics, that said she had considerably more media attention than the two cases I have quoted. But she knew that would be the case.

Its not about the winning its about the taking part. She gave up! Contrast this with Kelly Holmes who (like Paula) spent years getting her butt kicked on the big occasions, knew she was the favourite and ran her heart out in very difficult conditions. Or Tanny Grey-Thompson who gets beaten , shrugs her shoulders and gets on with things, comes back and wins, no tears to cry for sympathy she jsut gets on with it.

That said the return in New York was first class and proved that she is the person to beat in the womens marathon. Congratulations.

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20 years 8 months

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I would have had considerably more respect for Paula if she had walked home rather than pull out with all the hystrionics, that said she had considerably more media attention than the two cases I have quoted. But she knew that would be the case.

Indeed! The 400m runner was Derek Redmond in Barcelona '92, and he was helped across the line by his father. Dropping out was cowardly, the Olympic Games is about taking part as much as winning. Did the athletes further down the field think "oh sod it, I'm not going to win, so I'll drop out and tell everyone I'm not very well"? No - they ran on and had the satisfaction of finishing an Olympic marathon.

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20 years 9 months

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Yesterday afternoon I sat and watched one of the greatest distance runners this country has ever produced

Just one - there'll be another along next year, and a different one the year after that, etc.
Just who was last years...?

Flood

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24 years 2 months

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Sorry Flood, I don't quite get your point mate.?

Dan - ultimately, none of us knows (and probably never will) the exact reasons why Paula dropped out of the Athens marathon. But I do know this; if you're running badly in a race and you know that you also have another race coming up in less than a week, you have a choice to make. Stick with a bad situation and risk screwing up your chances in the next one, or quit while you can and give yourself a fighting chance of doing well in your next race. Personally I'd take the latter option. History will record that she also dropped out of the 10k, and with hindsight it's clear to see she was in no shape to have even attempted it. But then with hindsight, we'd all have picked the right six numbers on Saturday night, wouldn't we? ;)

I have to say I also disagree about the 'small beer' comment; she's competed in five marathons, and with the exception of Athens she's won them all, beating the UK and European record three times and the world record twice, which I believe still stands. And that world record time (2hrs 15mins plus a few seconds) is only a few minutes over my PB for a HALF marathon...!

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20 years 8 months

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I have to say I also disagree about the 'small beer' comment; she's competed in five marathons, and with the exception of Athens she's won them all, beating the UK and European record three times and the world record twice, which I believe still stands. And that world record time (2hrs 15mins plus a few seconds) is only a few minutes over my PB for a HALF marathon...!

Fair comment - but winning the Olympic title is what all athletes are ultimately judged by. Without her double golds Kelly Holmes would always have been remembered as a good athlete who was unlucky with injury - now she's earned her place in folklore. Paula may well have the world record, but she ain't got Olympic gold. Yet...

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24 years 2 months

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Agreed. Still, she's only thirty, and as long as she maintains her focus and determination she's still got a chance in Beijing.

Heard an interesting comment on Five Live this morning in response to people who had been criticising her for 'performing in big dollar events' - while the prize money for winning the New York or the London might make for a very nice payday, it's pretty tiny compared to the various endorsements which come off the back of Olympic gold. So even if an athlete were to decide which events to make an effort in (which frankly I doubt is the case), an Olympic title is still THE title to have, both in terms of kudos and financially. In that respect, I can't for the life of me see any reason why anyone would enter such a race half heartedly. And aside from all the financials and titles, there's also pride and the desire to better yourself, and that never leaves you.

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20 years 8 months

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In that respect, I can't for the life of me see any reason why anyone would enter such a race half heartedly. And aside from all the financials and titles, there's also pride and the desire to better yourself, and that never leaves you.

Very true. City marathons pay well, but look how Kelly Holmes has become a front page celebrity on the back of Olympic success. I'd say conservatively her bank balance will have improved ten-fold since Athens.

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20 years 9 months

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Sorry Flood, I don't quite get your point mate.?

Media, mate.
Every sporting 'hero' is built up to be the biggest and best that there has ever been. Look at those footballing tossers - huge pay packets, wimping around a football pitch for 90 minutes a week then its all nightclubs, drugs, loose women, revelations in the Sunday papers, rehab, marrying a dumb celeb, ghost written autobiogs with a serialisation in a daily...
Every year some new young sports person is built up to be the best in the world (whether they have the ability or not) and every year they let us down (Henman, anybody?)...
Anyway - shes just a runner...;)

Flood

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20 years 5 months

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well done Paula. I personally hate the paparazzi as they could not give a crap about peoples private life. If you are famous you wont even be able to go for a crap in peace.