Paula to run..

Barkles

according to BBC news this morning....
Incentive or what.
Wonder If my time'll be closer to hers this year..

[Deleted User]

She's probably just waiting to see if she's got a place in the ballot first ;-)

Barkles

Sarcy!!!

XFR Bear

Interesting thought - does she have to pay the £23 to enter?

I can't actually see the incentive to run, unless it's the crowd. It's not really set up for a world record, the way that (say) Chicago is.

Hope she does though - it was fantastic last year seeing her flying past!

Barkles

She left me for dust!

[Deleted User]

Will the quality of the women's field be reduced? Maybe all the other female elite athletes are now aiming for Paris, Rotterdam or Boston?

cougie

Hi Iain - where did you see Paula ? I started way down the field so never saw her all day !
Did see plenty of wombles, but not one celeb.
Paula ran the whole race at a pace I can keep up for about a one minute interval. Unbelievable !

Nessie

I think the incentive to run would be the kudos of winning 2 years in a row. Not to mention appearance money and the large wad of cash for winning ;o). But I thought she was planning only shorter races/perhaps one marathon this year, in a run up to the Olympic marathon in Athens.

Gavo

From the Beeb story, she wants to run 1 more next year & then go for the 10k at the world champs in the summer. Sounds like London is an option although I hear that she's sounding out the Loch Ness as an option....

Nessie

Oh, if only, Gavo, if only.......

[Deleted User]

..there's no Radcliffes registered for Paris yet...check the runners list!

[Deleted User]

Considering PR was only 9 seconds off the old world's best time at FLM (prior to her fab run in Chicago), i see no reason why PR can't run faster at London. If there's one women who can, its got to be PR. Wheteher other top women run FLM 2003 or not doesn't bother PR's race. She will lead them out and barring inury or mishaps, she'll leave them for the minor places. I hope its FLM 2003, its in spring, before the track season gets under way and as this year, she'll follow a similar build up with X-Country, FLM 2003 and then track. Its a tried and tested system, its works and the proof was in all her SUPERB RACES. The big 5.

XFR Bear

Fair point Nessie - the money might be a factor!!

The reason I'm dubious about a fast time is more to do with the fact that she'll be on her own and not have any pacers around her like at Chicago. While a better time isn't impossible, it makes it that much harder. Don't get me wrong, I hope she'll do it too!

I was in the crowd last year, at about the half way point (also the 22ish mile point). The group I was with were all worried she had gone out too fast when she was a minute or so ahead at half way, but then when she'd gained a further two and a half minutes around the Isle of Dogs, my jaw hit the floor. I rmemeber saying "Christ - she's going to do about 2:19". We went into a nearby pub to watch the finish on a big screen, and when she finished the whole pub burst into spontaneous applause.

A friend from my club was in the women's elite race, and saw Paula in the toilets pre-race, and wished her luck.

[Deleted User]

I know this is slightly off topic, but the voting has started for BBC sports personality of the year.

It's got to be Paula Radcliffe this year. I've already voted online at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/2462683.stm

Unknown

Julie,
Thanks for your post - I've been along to the web address you gave & cast my vote for Paula.
TVM
JC.