Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe will probably run her next marathon in fall 2007 at the earliest. England’s top runner has recently announced that she is pregnant. Radcliffe and her partner, Gary Lough, expect their first child in January 2007. Radcliffe set her marathon world record of 2:15:25 hours in 2003 at the Flora London Marathon.
During a press conference in London, 32-year-old Radcliffe confirmed that she will not try to defend her 10,000-meter title at the European Championships in Gothenburg next month. But she stressed that she will continue running despite pregnancy. “I still train at least twice a day. And I feel fine doing so. I have no idea yet when I might stop running due to the pregnancy. Maybe I am able to continue until a week before giving birth,” Radcliffe said during the press conference of the Nike Run London. It is this race on October 8 that she’ll definitely run. It’s a 10-kilometer race with an emphasis on fun running. More than 35,000 runners are expected to take part.
Defending Champions to Return to New York
ING New York City Marathon defending champions Paul Tergat of Kenya, the world record holder who captured the New York title last year in the closest finish in race history, and surprise winner Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia will return to the 2006 race on Sunday, November 5. In his ING New York City Marathon debut last year, Tergat beat defending champion Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa by just one second, in a time of 2:09:30 hours.
“Last year’s win by Paul was one for the ages, and he has forever etched his name in the rich history and tradition of the ING New York City Marathon,” said race director Mary Wittenberg. “He comes back with high expectations on his shoulders to join a select group of back-to-back champions.” Tergat, 37, is bidding to become the first repeat champion since John Kagwe of Kenya in 1997 and 1998, and one of only five men—including Alberto Salazar and Bill Rodgers—to win two or more consecutive New York City Marathons. Tergat, who set the marathon world record of 2:04:55 in Berlin in 2003, returns to New York after finishing fourth in the Lisbon Half-Marathon this past March in 59:42 minutes. One of the favorites heading into April’s Flora London Marathon, Tergat withdrew the week before the race with a calf injury.
“I was probably in the best shape of my life when I had to pull out of the Flora London Marathon just a few days before the race, and I was not sure I would be ready to return to New York. After a difficult time following London, I now feel 100 percent ready, and I am excited to come back to New York to defend this title,” said Tergat, who will be making his first start of the year in a World Marathon Majors event.
The premier event of New York Road Runners, the ING New York City Marathon is one of the world’s great road races, drawing more than 85,000 applicants. The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the more than $500,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and 260 million worldwide television viewers. As any one of the 672,000 past participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is one of the great thrills of a lifetime.
