Congrats to Paula!

Just a quicky (like Paula's run...)

Well done Paula, an inspiration to all runners whatever your level! Excellent Race - pity about the wobbly TV coverage.

Simon
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Comments

  • Wasn't she magnificent! I agree about the TV coverage,why did the guy keep sticking his fingers in front of the camera or am I missing something?
  • Hey Patty...I missed EVERYTHING....what did our girl do ???? Break the record or what???
  • What a fantastic performance and how motivational at whatever level you are at.
    As top motivational books/TV/stories my top 3 are

    1) Lance Armstrong -It's not about the bike (book)
    2) Steve Redgrave in the BBC TV series Going for Gold
    3) Paula Radcliffe today and at London
  • Yes congrats to Paula she's an insperation to all. Must agree about the TV coverage,didn't like the way they ignored the fun runners.
  • Billyboy:

    2:17:17 - says it all.

    DC
  • HillyHilly ✭✭✭
    FANTASTIC!!!!!
  • Quite incredible. How can she run twice as fast as me for four times the distance??!! Inspirational.
  • Nothing like being at the top of your sport. I wonder if she would have preferred to have done it on home turf.
  • The most fun sat in arm armchair I can remember! - absolutely incredible - mixed race took something away fromit though I reckon as it was hard to work our placings or distances in the first half of the race.

    Bit harsh on the TV coverage I reckon guys. Agree it wasn't top notch, but I'm assuming the BBC just took the piped American coverage, so it was out of their direct control. I didn't think it would be on at all so was delighted the BBC took up the rights.

    Not quite sure what can top this year for Paula now though - 10000 record is impossible to beat in the next 5-10 years I reckon, so Gold at the Worlds might be the best she can aim for next year. Maybe another Autumn Marathon

    Mike.
  • Slow Mike,
    I thought Paula was only about 30 seconds off the 10K WR when she won the European Gold.
    If so, then I forsee someone beating that within 2 years. It may or may not be Paula but if it is done I don't think it will be in a major championship,
    The only way I can see a new record being created is with good pacers in a staged event. Similar to Bannister beating the 4 min mile.
  • J B,

    Possibly. I guess the next generation of runners always push what you thought was impossible on further and further. Its just at the moment Paula seems to be so much better than everybody else, that if even she is still a fair way away from it, despite the form she is in, I wonder when the next person will come along that can get anywhere near it.

    The pacing idea sounds reasonable and maybe the sad inevitable way things will end up going to try and push nearer and nearer and shave more and more time off other records. I feel pacing in track races has got totally out of hand now with the obsession to always try and push for a quick time even when the quality of the field isn't really there. I know its not cheating, but it is refreshing to see people like Paula who can take it on themselves and really graft for it(although she did use the male atheletes today)

    We shall see I guess.

    Regards,

    Mike.
  • I think Paula is only interested in winning GOLD at the Olympics, to make up for her disappointments of Sydney and Atlanta. Probably over 10,000m where she is unchallenged in the world at the moment. (Unless the turtle-soup eating, dodgy-world record holding Chinese girl makes a comeback !)
    Automatic, nailed-on Sports Personality of the Year come december.......or I'm cancelling my TV licence.
  • I have never voted in the BBC SPOTY but I will be doing so this year. No competition anywhere close, although the BBC will no doubt be pushing Beckham because he has fathered a child called Romeo or some other inane reason.
    Mind you the BBC only promote those who sports they show so Paula will definitely be in there.
  • Likewise I have never voted, but feel strongly enough this year to actually bother.

    Agree that she will want the gold, and on current form should slaughter everybody. It will be interesting. Do you see the World championships as that important nowadays though? Now they are every 2 years they seem a bit devalued to me and are often missed by the top athletes. The Olympics seems to be the one to win again now.

    My point was that gold in the Worlds is not that great compared to what she did this year

    Gold in the marathon at the Olympics 2004 maybe?

    Mike
  • Urgh! Thr mere THOUGHT that Beckham may be voted BBC Spoty over Paula is a dire prospect, makes me squirm even now!
    What an amazing run though, I cant think of any superlative adjectives that havent already deservidly described it.
    I mean WOW!...even the hat couldnt keep up!

    The only thing I would say, Paula's stupendous run aside, I know the TV guys have their job to do, heaven knows I used to interview for radio, but having a microphone thrust in your face before youve even had a chance to slow down and catch a breath must be a real pain to say the least. I congratulate Paula on her (imediately!) post race interview! I'd have used every last ounce of energy to tell the interviewer where to go (I wish I could say I would do it politely) until I'd recovered.

    Great athlete, great person.
  • It was a great performance and a world record that will prove hard to beat. She is so inspirational to runners of all standards and we should all be very proud of her. I will have to hold back on my next training run as I tend to go a bit too fast everytime Paula sets a new record. I predict with great confidence that she will beat the world record for the 10K at the World Championships next year.
  • proud to be british-what a girl,beckham no way.maybe now through paula,dwain and the talent list we have we might see the coverage on tv that athletics deserves. i can not understand why a company like channel 5 or 4 will show a football match that might appeal to a closet audience and not go near an athletics meeting that would appeal to the nation.
  • Come on Guys. Beckham has to be the SPOTY he scored a goal against Greece and that made him a world beater. e realy must get in the real world, there are some who can't see beyomnd Beckhams stupid hair cuts- don't forget logic doesn't come into it.
  • TractorTractor ✭✭✭
    Don't worry, if you ask me she's virtually won it already with the FLM win, let alone yesterday's world record.

    Beckham has acheived nowt this year, so can't see him winning it. That Greece goal was used to push his case for last year's award. It was about the 6th free kick he'd had that game so it was about time he'd got one on target!

    Cheers,
    Not a Man U Tractor (despite the colour).
  • Sports Personality of the Year - some one organised with a calender post a message here to remind everyone to vote for Paula when the time comes! I've a job remembering to tie my laces before heading out of the door - and I've got those elastic ones! ;-)
  • All I can say is ... WOW!!
  • Can't believe I missed the live coverage due to being at work.

    Watched the finish on the news and damn nearly cried. There just aren't enough superlatives to describe what she's achieved this year, and I'm willing to bet there's more to come.
  • A quickie. Anyone know why Paula (wanw) wears those socks. Why dont they cut her circulation off?
  • Apparently she reckons they support her calves/achilles and actually improve circulation as they keep the calves warm.

    Given her performance, I'm not going to question whether or not she's right.

    Before the megabucks Nike deal she just used ordinary black knee socks, I see she's now in some flesh coloured hi-tech support thingies - I'm suprised Nike hasn't launched some kind of specific running-support-sock-as-used-by.

  • Come on, we all know Fraudley Harrison's going to be SPOTY. The BBC are paying him a fortune - it's in their interests to promote him as hard as they can. And when he wins his next fight, he'll be a cert. And his next fight is against a really tough competitor - Beppo The Clown from Billy Smart's Circus.

    Erm, OK, maybe not....

    I think Sam Torrance could be in the running, and would at least be someone who would deserve it if he did win (though Paula should by rights be the winner).

  • WombleWomble ✭✭✭
    Paula - superb and a lovely person. She was absolutely wonderful on the Friday after FLM when Lloyd finally came in, she was signing autographs and chatting to everyone.

    Sam who?

    4x4xFinch - does the problem with your stretchy laces explain your x-country performance??
  • Womble,

    O ye of little faith, if only it was my stretchy laces that could be blamed for my x-country "performance" at Epsom. I put it down to chronic under-training, a host of as yet not fully healed injuries and being a slow runner! When I say I like off road running, I mean just that, not some *kin stupid mad Cavalry charge across Epsom Downs

    See ya at da Club..
  • I watched Paula both live and the reruns, and I did cry! Yippee, my sport, my hero all being made much of!
  • Fantastic achievement, just wish someone would shut Brendan Foster up, complete silence would be preferable to his senseless prattle.
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