Paula Radcliffe wins Nike 10km (© GettyImages)
LondonPaula Radcliffe’s amazing year continued today when she set a European 10km road best of 30:38 on a hilly course in London’s Richmond Park.
The 29-year-old finished 10th overall in a field of 20,000 runners to further boost her confidence ahead of next month’s showdown with the holder of the World marathon best Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, in Chicago. It promises to be an enthralling battle as neither can seemingly do anything wrong at the moment.
Radcliffe began the year by narrowly missing Liz McColgan’s then-World best of 30:39 by just four seconds when winning a 10km in Puerto Rio last February, and then defended her IAAF World Cross Country title in Dublin a month later. An amazing European best of 2:18:56 on her marathon debut in London, was followed by a 8:22.20 national record win over 3000m at the Monaco Golden League meeting, then her first two major track titles, over 5,000m at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester with a Commonwealth record of 14:31.42, and then a stunning 30:01.09 for 10,000m in Munich for the European gold medal.
Today all talk of records was dismissed by race organisers Nike, and Radcliffe herself due to the nature of the course, but the twice IAAF World Half Marathon champion still set off in her usual aggressive manner.
None of the female elite field went with her, and indeed very few of the men could, as she was joined by former GB international Adrian Passey for the first 3-4km before he had to concede defeat. Despite a testing climb during the second kilometre, Radcliffe’s first half was a swift 15:02 but then there followed a severe hill, which reduced her to a 3:20 split for the next kilometre.
The effect of the hill took its toll on Radcliffe in the later stages, as she was unable to find enough in the final kilometre to attack Asmae Leghzaoui’s World best of 30:29 set in New York in July, but she still sneaked a second inside McColgan’s European mark as she crossed the line in 30:38.
She said: “I knew it wasn’t really a course for records, and it was also windy, but I came here to win, beat my personal best and get as near as I could to the World best, so I’ve got to be happy with that. It was great just to be a part of the great atmosphere today.
“The actual race today doesn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know about how things are going for Chicago, and ‘touch wood’ the next three weeks will go well and I’ll get to the start line in the best shape I can without overcooking it. I believe I’m in as good shape, if not better as I was going into London. I’ve always had good support when I’ve raced in the States before, and although it will be very difficult to replicate the scale of the support I had in London or at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, it should still be a fantastic occasion.”
Ireland’s Sonia O’Sullivan, who recently set a World 10 mile best of 51:00 (that was broken in a race in Holland today), used the race as a training run as she continues her build-up for the Great North Run, as well as a likely first serious marathon. The plan was to run for an hour before the race and then another hour after it, but the quantity of runners led to the start being delayed for half an hour, so O’Sullivan did an extra 30 minutes before the race and then just 35 minutes as a warm down.
She still finished third in 33:47, behind former World Half Marathon champion Elana Meyer of South Africa, having run the first half with British junior 10,000m record-holder, Charlotte Dale.
The men’s race saw World Half Marathon champion Paul Kosgei defeating John Korir by four seconds, after the pair went clear after 7km. Luke Kipkosgei led through halfway in 14:21 and Britain’s Olympic marathon fourth placer Jon Brown joined him at the front up the steep climb to 6km but then Kosgei and Korir powered away.
Kosgei, racing on the UK roads for the first time, will now look to maintain two 100 per cent records at next month’s Great North Run. He will hope to remain unbeaten in UK races and also stay undefeated at the Half Marathon, having won the World title on his only appearance at the distance.
Bob Franks for the IAAF
Men
1 Paul Kosgei (KEN) 28:23
2 John Korir (KEN) 28:27
3 Luke Kipkosgei 28:38
4 Jon Brown (GBR) 28:40
5 Julius Kimtai (KEN) 28:47
6 Hendrick Ramaala (RSA) 28:50
Women
1 Paula Radcliffe (GBR) 30:38 (European best)
2 Elana Meyer (RSA) 32:40
3 Sonia O’Sullivan (IRL) 33:47
4 Charlotte Dale (GBR) 34:45
5 Louise Watson (GBR) 36:33
6 Siobhan Budd (GBR) 38:29
*****
Elsewhere in the UK today, Kenyan Felix Limo won a £24,000 SAAB car after blasting to a 27:37 course record in the Swansea Bay 10km in Wales. With Albert Chepkirui second in 27:50, the race produced the two fastest 10km road times ever seen in the UK, as Daniel Komen was left trailing in third.
