34 replies to this topic

[AlunDavies]

I'm surprised there's been no real mention here of what is going on with her at the moment.

I'd be interesed to know what people's thoughts are.  Personally, I think she should give it up so that Hayley Haining knows where she stands ... although she's on standby, she can't be training with the same intensity as she would be if she knew she was going to be on the start line.  Maybe too late now anyway.

Just thought I'd drop it in here.

[Jogger]

there are some news articles here:
http://www.coolrunni...oolRunning_News

go to the page and search on radcliffe.

[JustinS007]

TaffTrail, on Jun 28 2008, 11:29 PM, said:

I'd be interesed to know what people's thoughts are.  Personally, I think she should give it up so that Hayley Haining knows where she stands ... although she's on standby, she can't be training with the same intensity as she would be if she knew she was going to be on the start line.  Maybe too late now anyway.

Paula's an amazing athlete.  Her life is running so it would be extremely hard to quit at the top level.  Too often though we see athletes hang on for 1 more season or 1 more game when they probably shouldn't and often they are remembered more for that - and their subsequent performance failure compared to earlier times - than their greatness.  I tend to agree that the time has come for Paula to dutifully move aside.  I just hope if she does so she gets the respect and acknowledgement that she deserves.

J.

[SMC42K]

I'm sorry but I'm not a Paula Radcliffe fan. Yes she has achieved a lot & has been a marvelous runner. But she is also a quitter. Look at what she did in Athens. When she realised she wasn't in a winning, or even a podium finish position she quit not only once but every event she had entered. True champions push on even when they are beaten. Look at Deek at L.A. The lead group dropped him off at the 35km mark when he slowed for a drink but did he give up? No, he went after them & managed to pass one or two to finish 5th. Look at many other athletes who continue to go on & finish in the spirit of the games. Eric the eel & Eddy the eagle for example. So Paula lost me with her preciousness in Athens.
I know this opinion may upset some but I stand by it.

Edited by SMC42K, 29 June 2008 - 04:22 PM.

[Jimboy]

SMC42K, on Jun 29 2008, 02:58 PM, said:

I'm sorry but I'm not a Paula Radcliffe fan. Yes she has achieved a lot & has been a marvelous runner. But she is also a quitter. Look at what she did in Athens. When she realised she wasn't in a winning, or even a podium finish position she quit not only once but every event she had entered. True champions push on even when they are beaten. Look at Deek at L.A. The lead group dropped him off at the 35km mark when he slowed for a drink but did he give up? No, he went after them & managed to pass one or two to finish 5th. Look at many other athletes who continue to go on & finish in the spirit of the games. Eddy the eel & Eddy the eagle for example. So Paula lost me with her preciousness in Athens.
I know this opinion may upset some but I stand by it.

WHAT A LOAD OF TRIPE-see,you upset me

[blair]

Jimboy, on Jun 29 2008, 03:35 PM, said:

WHAT A LOAD OF TRIPE-see,you upset me

Jim, I don't really know a lot about Paula so what's your counter-argument?

[Emrun]

balri, on Jun 29 2008, 03:41 PM, said:

Jim, I don't really know a lot about Paula so what's your counter-argument?

From what I have read in the days prior to the marathon she had received some very aggressive treatment for a leg injury that included alot of Anti-Inflams.  She maintains that these upset her stomach quite badly, coupled with the leg injury and subsequent treatment she was depleted and just ran out of steam.  No one will really know but Paula but she does not strike me us someone who would give up easily and I am sure she gave it all to the end.

I wouldn't call someone who has won every marathon they have finished a quitter too quickly.

She does however appear to get injured with worrying frequency and often before major champs, pushing her self too hard? Poor medical support/advice? Just too stubborn?

[SMC42K]

Emrun, on Jun 29 2008, 01:10 AM, said:

I wouldn't call someone who has won every marathon they have finished a quitter too quickly.

She does however appear to get injured with worrying frequency and often before major champs, pushing her self too hard? Poor medical support/advice? Just too stubborn?

There's my argument. "She has won those she finished". What about the rest? Does she only finish those she in which she is in a winning position?

[JustinS007]

SMC42K, on Jun 29 2008, 02:58 PM, said:

I'm sorry but I'm not a Paula Radcliffe fan.... I know this opinion may upset some but I stand by it.

Fair enough.  Paula faced great adversity though in Athens and really probably shouldn't have been on the starting line.  I give her credit for putting her country ahead of her own health and wellbeing.  Yes, there is also personal glory involved, but I'm not sure she would have run if it was 'just any marathon'.  Of course we'll never know.

Some quotes from Paula's blog below.  We can only assume that these entries are 'honest'.  Some I guess may remain sceptical:

A couple of weeks prior:
Mum and I spoke on the phone. I was upset. The injury and the uncertainty were making me stressed and, through the tears, I told Mum that I would fight it all the way.  “If it was a normal race, I would pull the plug on it. But I don’t know how I could survive if I can’t run in Athens.”

August 15th:
They could see the problem in the vastus medialis where the crepitus was, but that wasn’t the biggest problem. Underneath the muscle, between it and the femur, they found a haematoma. The scan showed that some of it was dried and congealed, but there was also some fluid there. They had no idea what had caused it. What they did know was that the haematoma was the underlying problem that led to the crepitus building up on the upper side of the muscle because of the pressure within the muscle sheath. Getting rid of the crepitus was a waste of time if the haematoma was still present; it would keep coming back.

This crepitus was something Paula had experienced before, even though it was now in a different place and it was different in nature. But the bottom line was she knew it was a tricky injury. It comes and goes, it plays with your mind.

We had to make quick decisions. We had a crisis situation. It was 11 days to the biggest race of your life, what do you do? Do you sit back and hope it will just come right or do you do something proactive and try everything you can? You can’t just give up. She was never going to give up.

Marathon morning:

Quote

This is how it has been for the previous five or six days. My food is being passed rapidly and, looking back, my stomach has been feeling terrible for a while. On my last couple of evening training runs I had to stop at least three times in the 40 minutes. Right now, that can’t be a problem; it has to be just nerves. It will be fine in the race, I tell myself.

There is another, more pressing concern. Since eating almost two hours before, the food has lodged in my stomach. My stomach feels bloated and awful, as if I’ve eaten too much. I feel dizzy and nervous, as if I know something is not right. Rather than the excitement and anticipation that comes with the approach of a big race, I feel only nerves and dread.
I know something is wrong.

20 minutes to start:

Quote

toilet and have a vague sense that what I am eating is simply being passed through my system. I look now at what has been passed; it is white, virtually the same porridge I ate 4 1/2 hours ago. It scares me.

10km into the race:

Quote

After 10km, my stomach began to give me trouble and I needed to go to the toilet, a physical demand that my mind was well used to handling: don’t get stressed, if you stay calm this will pass. You’ve had these problems in your past two marathons; they come and go. Except that this time it didn’t go away.

Prevented from doing what it wanted to do, my stomach began to cramp violently and the more I fought it, the worse it got. Liz Yelling had told me that in the Berlin Marathon she had had to go in her shorts while running. Although it was uncomfortable, she felt better after doing it. If Liz can do that, so can I. To hell with vanity. There was no way I was stopping.

I tried to empty my bowels as best I could while running and for a while it did feel better. But after a bit the cramp returned, got worse and I had to do it again. From the 12km mark, I was fighting this problem all the time. My stomach would cramp, I would feel awful until I could relieve myself a bit, then I would feel a little better for a while until it returned again and again.

After about 18km, we got to the tougher part of the course and, once on the hills, the Japanese runners began surging. Suddenly my legs felt really tired. At this stage, I must have known I needed energy because all I could think about was getting from drink station to drink station, not for the fluids but for the carbohydrate energy. In normal conditions, I drink about 100ml from each bottle; now I was drinking 200-250ml. After each bottle I would feel a little better for a short while.

At the very moment Mizuki Noguchi made her break, I was having really bad stomach cramps. When they eased, I started to work my way back. My mind stayed strong. Don’t panic here. You know you can run the closing 10km of a marathon faster than most people.

When she stopped:

Quote

By now, my mind accepted that there was a huge crisis and around the 36km point I knew I was in big trouble. I could hardly pick my legs up at all; they were like sore lead weights. I felt so empty, yet I was only 1km past my last bottle. You’re not going to be able to get anywhere near the next drinks station, let alone to the finish. You can’t do this, you have nothing left.

No, I can’t stop. No. Not now. It’s only four and a bit miles. This is the Olympic Games, I can’t stop. I have to keep going until I collapse.

But you can’t; physically you can’t. Your legs are just too sore and dead, too exhausted.

It got to the point where I couldn’t put one foot in front of the other. And I stopped. Although I had done it, I couldn’t believe I had. What have I done here?

For a long time I had felt that I was running up and down, instead of forwards. Now I felt that I physically could not run another step. By stopping, I created another kind of hell. My mind couldn’t believe what I had done. Maybe I could recover a little and get going again. I tried but could get nowhere.

It's a tragic story.  She is a great runner and deserved her success over the years.  But still, I think it is time for her to move gracefully to one side.

J.

[blair]

Thanks for the background guys. Now why should she step aside?

Edit for typo

Edited by balri, 29 June 2008 - 08:02 PM.

[Whippet gal]

Paula's biography is a good read - it goes into her medical problems in a bit of detail. She's a champion athlete, and after reading her bio I don't think there's any way she'd DNF unless she really couldn't finish the race.

[JustinS007]

balri, on Jun 29 2008, 05:52 PM, said:

Thanks for the background gus. Now why should she step aside?

Am I gus?  Assuming I am, I just think that Paula's best efforts were in 2003, 2004 and to a lesser extent 2005.  She was breaking world records in 2003 and 2004 and was on top of her game.  Now she has spent more time focusing on family (which I love - I have no problem with this) and other interests.  No doubt she is still a very good runner, but if she wants to be remembered for being a great athlete and not one that just hung on for an extra season and did nothing then I would step aside now.

The only reason I might continue if I was her would be because of that poor performance at Athens.  She wouldn't want that to stick in people's minds and so would enjoy putting her critics to shame by winning in Beijing.  I doubt she has winning form though and might well retire straight after Beijing anyway, so why go through all that for a 6th place and no glory?

I dunno, I'm prattling a bit.  It just seems like the right time to me.  Naturally not everyone will agree with this!  

J.

[Emrun]

SMC42K, on Jun 29 2008, 04:26 PM, said:

There's my argument. "She has won those she finished". What about the rest? Does she only finish those she in which she is in a winning position?

Possibly if it was 50/50, but she has only pulled out of one marathon.

Marathons entered - 8
Marathons finished - 7
Marathons won - 7
World Records set - 2

So not really the sort of stats that you condemn someone as a quitter on.

She was beaten by the excellent US runner Kara Goucher in her first post pregnancy race, the Great North Run (HM) in Sept last year, she knew she had lost it but she didn't drop out.

I have read her biography as well and the number of injuries she has had in her career really are phenomenal, she seems to have had more than her fair share and it did lead me to wonder why, as posed in my original post.  I am especially puzzled by her latest and would have thought an athlete at her level would be able to avoid a stress fracture, especially with the sort of medical support she would have at her disposal.

[Easy Tiger]

I think it's ridiculous to suggest someone should retire just because they can no longer be great. If that were the case, we all better retire now. For me, thankfully, PB's and winning races are a very small part of this sport.  She should keep running/racing for as long as she wants/can. In saying that, i highly doubt that she will have a good outcome if she races in Beijing.

Accusing her of being a quitter is massive!!! How many times has she comeback from serious injury??? She smashes the bejeesus out of herself in every race, of course someone who is racing to win everytime she steps on the start line is more likely to DNF than us. No way is she a quitter. A DNF doesn't necessarily indicate you've quit, just like a finishing time doesn't always indicate you didn't quit.

Edited by Easy Tiger, 29 June 2008 - 07:06 PM.

[cakeboy]

A quitter would never have made it to be a club champion, let alone county champion, let alone national champ, let alone world champion....

would I call her a quitter for her shocker in Athens??  I wouldn't call any female who can run a sub 2.20 marathon anything but "Your Majesty"...

[kathmandu]

cakeboy, on Jun 29 2008, 05:28 PM, said:

A quitter would never have made it to be a club champion, let alone county champion, let alone national champ, let alone world champion....

would I call her a quitter for her shocker in Athens??  I wouldn't call any female who can run a sub 2.20 marathon anything but "Your Majesty"...

Im with you Cakeboy. i think shes cool. Have recently bought her book and looking forward to the read.

[sunny1]

'After 10km, my stomach began to give me trouble and I needed to go to the toilet, a physical demand that my mind was well used to handling: don’t get stressed, if you stay calm this will pass. You’ve had these problems in your past two marathons; they come and go. Except that this time it didn’t go away.

Prevented from doing what it wanted to do, my stomach began to cramp violently and the more I fought it, the worse it got. Liz Yelling had told me that in the Berlin Marathon she had had to go in her shorts while running. Although it was uncomfortable, she felt better after doing it. If Liz can do that, so can I. To hell with vanity. There was no way I was stopping.

I tried to empty my bowels as best I could while running and for a while it did feel better. But after a bit the cramp returned, got worse and I had to do it again. From the 12km mark, I was fighting this problem all the time. My stomach would cramp, I would feel awful until I could relieve myself a bit, then I would feel a little better for a while until it returned again and again.

After about 18km, we got to the tougher part of the course and, once on the hills, the Japanese runners began surging. Suddenly my legs felt really tired. At this stage, I must have known I needed energy because all I could think about was getting from drink station to drink station, not for the fluids but for the carbohydrate energy. In normal conditions, I drink about 100ml from each bottle; now I was drinking 200-250ml. After each bottle I would feel a little better for a short while.

At the very moment Mizuki Noguchi made her break, I was having really bad stomach cramps. When they eased, I started to work my way back. My mind stayed strong. Don’t panic here. You know you can run the closing 10km of a marathon faster than most people.'

I feel an enormous amount of empathy for someone who has gone through this. How many of us would run through this?

[JustinS007]

Easy Tiger, on Jun 29 2008, 06:53 PM, said:

I think it's ridiculous to suggest someone should retire just because they can no longer be great. If that were the case, we all better retire now. For me, thankfully, PB's and winning races are a very small part of this sport.  She should keep running/racing for as long as she wants/can. In saying that, i highly doubt that she will have a good outcome if she races in Beijing.

For the normal Joe, or even the occasional national representative I would agree.  go on and on and get the most out of it.  But the most famous and most skilled people have an obligation to the legacy they leave behind (in my opinion).  Might sound daft, but to retire from national representation now (not necessarily international competition), for me, heightens the greatness that is Paula Radcliffe.  This is more important to the sport as a whole than it is to Paula's desire to go on (if she now has one) and just slowly become mediocre.

Probably not a good example, but look at the accolades and publicity that came from Shane Warne retiring when he did.  Most avid followers of cricket didn't want him to retire - they still want him out of retirement.  But by doing so when he did he has cemented his place as one of the greatest cricketers (on the field) of all time.  He continues to play County cricket and in the IPL and is doing very well.  He is earning fantastic money and continues to receive good publicity.  His retirement naturally caused a media frenzy as he was still 'great' and still doing great things in cricket.

Anyway, I would be disappointed if I didn't see Paula continue to compete, speak, encourage and mentor others.  But I feel she can do this better through stepping aside as a representative of her nation.  I love to know what Paula thinks in this context.  Ultimately she will do the right thing whatever that may be.

Just my humble opinion.

J.

[Tom31]

Being labelled a quitter is about the lowest insult you can put on a runner.  To label Paula Radcliffe a quitter is just nonsense.

[Colin]

There's a bunch of big race guys (who go for wins in the lucrative big city marathons) who pull out in every OG when they are not in podium chance, to save themselves for the $$. Ramaala is one of them, in case I'm asked to mention names. What would you call them?

However, Paula has only done this once in OG, so her record is pretty good and you can't fault her.

[Rudolf]

I do not think, that distance running is going to end after Beijing .

To me there are 2 separate issues here :

the first one :

Is she in a good form to do decent running in august 2008 ?

If yes - go to olympics, if no, do not go to olympics.


second one - is her health so bad, that she cant recover to do proper training again and keep running for years at whatever races she likes - meaning distance wise as well as type wise (road, track trails).


I think that original question was raised, because some other potential runner with A limit (doers UK has 4 qualified runners ?) is waiting for the decision, to replace Radcliffe in a team ?

This issue should be clear in the selection criteria of UK athletics and they would have the final day for the naming the team
and that would include checking on Radcliffe health and fitness status somehow, and if somebody is number 4 in a position of substitute, that the person needs to wait the full process.

Edited by Rudolf, 30 June 2008 - 04:46 PM.

[Stalky]

Paula is one of the gutsiest runners that ever run any distance,in her efforts over all distances she pushes her body past 110% and no wonder she gets problems, to call her a quitter is just plain stupid.

[Bellthorpe]

JustinS007, on Jun 29 2008, 08:11 PM, said:

Probably not a good example, but look at the accolades and publicity that came from Shane Warne retiring when he did.

Yeah, probably not the best example.

Seldom has a sportsman caused in me such disdain. And that comment has nothing to do with cricket, a game with which I am not familiar.

[JustinS007]

Bellthorpe, on Jun 30 2008, 04:51 PM, said:

Yeah, probably not the best example.

Seldom has a sportsman caused in me such disdain. And that comment has nothing to do with cricket, a game with which I am not familiar.

That in itself is another discussion entirely - how do you manage a person with terrible social skills, but a fantastic sports ability?  We continually see footballers particularly doing the wrong thing off the field but they are so talented on it.  Fortunately Paula Radcliffe appears to be an excellent ambassador for her sport off the field.

J.

[BOD]

JustinS007, on Jun 29 2008, 08:11 PM, said:

For the normal Joe, or even the occasional national representative I would agree.  go on and on and get the most out of it.  But the most famous and most skilled people have an obligation to the legacy they leave behind (in my opinion).  Might sound daft, but to retire from national representation now (not necessarily international competition), for me, heightens the greatness that is Paula Radcliffe.  This is more important to the sport as a whole than it is to Paula's desire to go on (if she now has one) and just slowly become mediocre.

Probably not a good example, but look at the accolades and publicity that came from Shane Warne retiring when he did.  Most avid followers of cricket didn't want him to retire - they still want him out of retirement.  But by doing so when he did he has cemented his place as one of the greatest cricketers (on the field) of all time.  He continues to play County cricket and in the IPL and is doing very well.  He is earning fantastic money and continues to receive good publicity.  His retirement naturally caused a media frenzy as he was still 'great' and still doing great things in cricket.

Anyway, I would be disappointed if I didn't see Paula continue to compete, speak, encourage and mentor others.  But I feel she can do this better through stepping aside as a representative of her nation.  I love to know what Paula thinks in this context.  Ultimately she will do the right thing whatever that may be.

Just my humble opinion.


J.

Justin,
I am in part agreement with your argument. I do not agree, however, that Paula Ratcliffe has "an obligation to the legacy [she] leaves behind." But I do agree that it would be sad if such a champion were brought down by "another failure" in Beijing.

Jim Peters was one of the greatest of all marathon runners, but he is probably best remembered by the non-running public for his "failures". Most particularly, the only footage ever shown of him these days is of his collapse just 200 meters from the finish of the Empire Games marthon in Vancouver in 1954. He entered the stadium 20 minutes before the eventual winner.

This was his second "sin", as he had dropped out of the 1952 Helsinki Olympic marathon, famously won by Zatopek. This race was just six weeks after Peters had chopped about 5 minutes from the world record.

To call Jim Peters a "quitter" or a "failure" because of these two races would be a travesty, but many people did just that. Similarly, to add the "quitter" label to Paula Ratcliffe because of Athens is unjust. It does show that a poor performance can overshadow the guts and glory that are the true hallmarks of Ratcliffe's career.

Rudolf's points about the selection process are valid. If Paula Ratcliffe is selected for the Games, the risks will have been weighed but these risks will still exist. I am sure that most of us will be hoping to see a "fairy tale" ending, with Ratcliffe winning gold. (OK, perhaps a silver behind an Aussie).

If she stumbles, a hostile press will be waiting to pounce. That is the great pity of it all.

[Jimboy]

balri, on Jun 29 2008, 03:41 PM, said:

Jim, I don't really know a lot about Paula so what's your counter-argument?

Well,Balri,a bit late replying to the above.Most of any counter- argument I might produce has been expressed by various others through the thread so I will not add to it.
In truth,who cares what ignorant of facts non-runners or runners think of Paula?Well,I guess I do since I challenged a negative viewpoint on her.I doubt that she and her family care.She is without doubt,at least in my opinion,the greatest distance runner of either sex that Britain has produced,her record speaks to that.
I will brook no argument,so there.

[chookrunner]

I can't find the thread, but some people on this forum were calling Bekele a quitter after his DNF in the world cross country a few years ago.

Same thing with Asafa. Everyone says he's got no ticker. I'd love him to street them in Beijing.

[Phoenix]

As an athlete, I admire anybody who has run 2:15:25 over the Marathon distance.  She is an icon for all athletes, not just women.

As for pulling out, I'm sure she had her reasons, just as Lee Troop did when he pulled out of the Paris marathon.  Not for me to judge.

[SMC42K]

Ok I surrender. Maybe the term "Quitter" was too strong. After all, who am I to judge. But then I'm not & never been remotely close to an elite athlete, have quit 1 Canberra marathon, 1 six foot track & 1 x 22km funrun. (All due to injury or illness)
What I am comparing her DNF's at Athens against is how to some athletes the goal is to FINISH and do their country proud, getting a medal being their second aim. Who can ever forget Gabrielle Anderson-Scheiss entering the stadium in LA in 1984, completely spent, body unresponding & distorted and taking almost 5 minutes to complete the last 400m. She waved away the medics coming to her aid as she didn't want to be disqualified, and literally fell across the finish line. I still choke up when I think about it. Or the mens 400m (I think it was the 400m & his name escapes me), in another games who snapped his hamstring on the back straight. He was so determined he limped around to the finish, with his father alongside him. Then there was the young African runner who came in to the stadium last, and bleeding after a nasty fall. When asked why did he continue & not pull out his reply was that his country sent him to finish the marathon, not just to start.
I'm not suggesting that all athletes should continue their event to the detriment of their health but Paula looked like she could have continued to the finish but without a medal, instead of DNFing as she did.

Edited by SMC42K, 01 July 2008 - 06:04 PM.

[Jimboy]

Good onya,you are a big man,SMC42K.

[thomo]

sunny1, on Jun 29 2008, 07:48 PM, said:

'After 10km, my stomach began to give me trouble and I needed to go to the toilet, a physical demand that my mind was well used to handling: don’t get stressed, if you stay calm this will pass. You’ve had these problems in your past two marathons; they come and go. Except that this time it didn’t go away.

Prevented from doing what it wanted to do, my stomach began to cramp violently and the more I fought it, the worse it got. Liz Yelling had told me that in the Berlin Marathon she had had to go in her shorts while running. Although it was uncomfortable, she felt better after doing it. If Liz can do that, so can I. To hell with vanity. There was no way I was stopping.

I tried to empty my bowels as best I could while running and for a while it did feel better. But after a bit the cramp returned, got worse and I had to do it again. From the 12km mark, I was fighting this problem all the time. My stomach would cramp, I would feel awful until I could relieve myself a bit, then I would feel a little better for a while until it returned again and again.

After about 18km, we got to the tougher part of the course and, once on the hills, the Japanese runners began surging. Suddenly my legs felt really tired. At this stage, I must have known I needed energy because all I could think about was getting from drink station to drink station, not for the fluids but for the carbohydrate energy. In normal conditions, I drink about 100ml from each bottle; now I was drinking 200-250ml. After each bottle I would feel a little better for a short while.

At the very moment Mizuki Noguchi made her break, I was having really bad stomach cramps. When they eased, I started to work my way back. My mind stayed strong. Don’t panic here. You know you can run the closing 10km of a marathon faster than most people.'

I feel an enormous amount of empathy for someone who has gone through this. How many of us would run through this?

A lot more than you think, both elite and non elite.

Paula Radcliffe is a legend, however there are chinks in her armour.  It has been exposed at times when the heat has been on and she hasn't been able to dictate on her terms. An observation from a neville but an educated neville.

Bod mentioned Jim Peters.  He was only ever guilty in my opinion of too much bravo and poor pacing. He was years ahead of his time, with the right support crew he would of been even better.

[Tilly]

Looks can be deceiving though...particularly with stomach cramping etc. Just because she didn't collapse by the roadside does not mean she wasn't in distress. I think she did well to battle from 10km to 36km. She endured a lot of pain to get herself and her country into medal contention. I think at 36km she knew her efforts were futile and as an absolute last resort pulled the pin. I think her performance was courageous. It was gut-wrenching to watch.  

When is the UK marathon team going to be announced? I really hope Paula gets a second opportunity. I can't imagine another UK runner coming close to Paula's record, even if she is not in her best form.

Majella

[CoolRunning Admin]

"I'm racing unless my leg breaks down .. The aim has always been to start the race." in Beijing.

[AlunDavies]

Just in the nick of time SMC    

I was going to respond to your Eric the Eel (all but drowned) and Eddie the Eagle (wouldn't have done much less if he'd just fallen off the end of the ramp!) references.  They shouldn't have been there for their own safety as much as anything else (Eric had never even swam two laps of a pool prior to the Olympics!) ... ok, so I responded anyway.  

Very good of you to revise your position in public mate.  For what it's worth, I don't agree with you but respect your viewpoint.

Totally agree with the person who made the comment about the big money marathoners and, on a different note, Tim Noakes rates Jim Peters as the best marathon runner ever.

Also, in relation to Jim Peters, the reason that he was not told by any race officials of the lead he had, which undoubtedly would have had him easing off before getting close to the stadium, was because most of the officials had left the course and were already in the stadium to watch the Mile of the Century with Roger Bannister and John Landy.  By the time Peters got to the stadium, he'd had no information on the field behind him for quite a few miles.

Paula Radcliffe, by the way, has been given until 9:00 am on the morning before race day to prove fitness, as this is the cut off time for submitting a substitute athlete to the IOC.

[Vurt]

Paula Radcliffe confident of making marathon at Beijing Olympic Games