Paula Radcliffe

[rosy71]

I'm a big athletics fan & love watching the London Marathon. Did anyone else think it was great this year that Paula Radcliffe was the first person to be given the lifetime achievement award? There was lots of talk on the BBC about women's running & raising participation rates. I also thought it was great how the men running alongside Paula seemed so chuffed to be next to her. It was lovely to have such a female focus for a sporting event for once.

I was too busy crying when she crossed the finish line.

Paula has always been one of my favourite athletes not because of her gender but because she is/was bloody brilliant and awe inspiring... 2hr15 marathon wow... I run a bit and know how good that is.
She deserves every accolade she receives.

She's an inspiration.

I did notice in the coverage that female runners interviewed after finishing were told by Gabby Logan how 'fresh' they looked

She is a marathon legend. I'm surprised it took her so long to change to marathon running. Maybe she was restricted by funding (not that she wasn't a world class middle distance runner).

'I did notice in the coverage that female runners interviewed after finishing were told by Gabby Logan how 'fresh' they looked.'

Perhaps because the average human being would look close to death after completing the event? I'm pretty sure I'd have the St John's Ambulance crews hovering round me. And buzzards, probably.

Paula Radcliffe is a world class athlete. She deserves all the praise she gets for being at the top for so long in a sport dominated by Kenyans and Ethiopians. She was also very vocal in her anti-doping stance, so kudos for that too.

2 hrs 15 mins is awe-inspiring.

I was delighted to finish my first 10km race in just under an hour, and that's less than a quarter of the distance Paula ran.

I don't think there is anything sexist in telling people they look fresh at the end of a marathon if, indeed, they do.

She is wonderful. An inspiring athlete with an iron will, as well a genuinely kind person who is modest and just lovely. I know her a little and have always been amazed at how sweet and humble she is.