Paula Radcliffe is completely brilliant

[Threadwworm]

To produce a baby when your body is the the state of weird perfection involved in marathon running; to come back from that and run successfully at the highest level; to start and finish the marathon in China despite having a fractured hip.

Fantastic determination.

[seeker]

Fantastic determination, yes. But given the circumstances, why on earth was she selected?

[Callisto]

Why is it an achievement to produce a baby?

[fishie]

does she ever win anything? embarrassing.

[MaureenMLove]

She is world no. 1! Not a bad position to be in!

[lilymolly]

Dont understand why it is so hard to produce a baby?

Shows we have no one else to select if we select people with fractured hip

[SoupDragon]

I don't understand why it's so completely brilliant to finish 23rd She should not have been running.

[mrsruffallo]

I think it's a bit silly to run with a fractured hip

[SqueakyPop]

I am underwhelmed

[lilymolly]

not just silly,its damn dangerous and stupid

[Carmenere]

I watched it last night and thought she was being self indulgent. She probably did herself permanent damage, what is admirable about that?

[beansprout]

I feel sorry for Mara Yamauchi who did brilliantly and has received v little coverage, because, hey, Paula Radcliffe turned up.

The media's love affair with Radcliffe is starting to border on the ridiculous.

[Clayhead]

Bored of hearing about her - some of the BBC journalists seem to have a crush on her or something!

I agree, let's talk about Mara instead,

[LazyLinePainterJane]

I agree beansprout.

What sort of idiot sportsperson competes with a fractured hip? In any event?

[spicemonster]

She thought she was fit, her trainers thought she was fit.

God she's a bloody brilliant sportswoman (and still holds the world record incidentally) and she gets a complete slagging off because her injury hadn't healed as well as they thought it had.

Are some of you doctors?

[lilymolly]

what amazes me is that if a horse is slightly injured in any way it will be withdrawn immediately to prevent further injury.

But paula can compete with a stress fracture in her thigh

Just dont get it

[lilymolly]

She may have been a brilliant sportswoman in her time but not anymore.

We prob dont have anyone else to enter sadly

[MaureenMLove]

Er, Lily, I think the main reason a horse is withdrawn is because it can't say, 'I want to run and its up to me!'

But seriously, no one forced her to run, she won't have had the local NHS doctors treating her and telling her she's fit to do it, she would have had world class docs, taking care of her.

I don't think any of us can, or ever will, understand the emotion, determination and drive that an athlete has. We're not taking about running the parents race at sports day here! Paula ran that race because she thought she was fit enough, her doctors told her she was fit enough and she did it to try and reach for her ultimate dream. Would none of you reach just that little bit further and harder to try to reach your dream?

In the end, she wasn't strong enough, but she came 23 out of the whole world, not last! Its not a bad acheivement. And incidentally, she is still world no 1 and fastest woman for the London Marathon. That'll be a handy bonus in 4 years time, won't it!

[saltire]

I did read/her on tv that her doctor told her not to run, that her injury hadn't healed and she wasn;t fit enough, but she decided to do it anyway.
However, she didn't win, lets instead celebrate those who did - the rowers, sailors, cyclists etc, and let's not forget Mara who finished 6th yet I didn't even know there was another British athelete in that race because there was no mention whatsoever of her,

[MaureenMLove]

She came 6th in the London Marathon last year and in 06 too.

It is a shame she doesn't get the same media attention, but then again, maybe its good! She's quietly doing her thing, getting the results and slowly moving up though the ranks, without the constant attention that Paula gets. It must be hellish to know if you screw up, it'll be across all the papers. I think by 2012, ^she'll' be the one to watch.

[fryalot]

wot lapin said

[Threadwworm]

Just me then! I don't think she takes publicity away from other Brit runners. She just draws attention to the marathon that wouldn't otherwise be there. She is a very top marathon runner, who has had a run of bad luck. She isn't past it. She might even get gold in 2012.

And I do think it is brilliant to manage pregancy whilst training for the marathon. Athletes' readiness is such a knife-edge thing. And the marathon involves pushing the body to such an unnatural state. It is incredible to combine the training with childbirth, and makes the mens' greater speed seem a relatively trivial achievement.

I think her main problem btw was not the stress fracture, but the lack of training mileage that it entailed.

[MaureenMLove]

I understand what you mean Threadworm. The point that you are making is that its hard enough for us couch potatoes to get over being pg, but to add to it, training for a marathon, must be hell.

[nancy75]

cant stand her, surprised she didnt give up half way round, as soon as she saw she wouldnt win.

[Piffle]

have all respect for pr but ffs straight to her no mention of maras stunning effort.
Indictment on tv folks imo