World Athletics News

MartinNutty

Pretty good stuff from Radcliffe!!!:

BBC Marathon Story

Ed Healey

So what do they do now? Get bicyclists to pace the guys to new records?

LegacyUser

Here are the splits for the new WR. Pretty damn impressive:

Splits
Mile Split Elapsed
1 5:10 5:10
2 5:08 10:18
3 4:57 15:15
4 5:07 20:22
5 5:10 25:32
6 5:22 30:54
10km 32:01
7 5:12 36:06
8 5:11 41:17
9 5:18 46:35
10 5:13 51:48
11 5:10 56:58
12 5:16 1:02:14
20km 1:04:28
13 5:16 1:07:30
Halfway 1:08:02
14 5:08 1:12:38
15 5:10 1:17:48
16 5:13 1:23:01
17 5:07 1:28:08
18 5:11 1:33:19
30km 1:36:36
19 5:07 1:38:26
20 5:07 1:43:33
21 5:11 1:48:44
22 5:06 1:53:50
23 5:13 1:59:03
24 5:03 2:04:06
40km 2:09:29
25 5:08 2:09:14
26.2 2:15:25

Ed Healey

Eurosport showed the marathon live this morning. Paula was pcaed by several men. Does anyone think this is a bit unfair? In other words should the men be allowed a pacemaker that is faster than a man, say a bicyclist or something like that. Or maybe a relay of fresh men?

It just didn't look fair to me.

david brent

Radcliffe is breaking huge barriers and taking womens distance running and womens athletics in general onto a new level. her entire life is dedicated to being the best athlete she can be. she deserves any help she gets in setting these times. its not like its the pacemakers that are running the times for her. look at the athletes that went with the pacemakers and still died. Paula was there the whole way. dont take anything away from what is the greatest athletic performance in a long time.

LegacyUser

I didn't say that Paula isn't the best female marathon runner at the moment. What I do question is the use of male runners to pace her through the marathon. I think this cheapens her WR to some extent and is an unethical practise.

Dan Kavanagh

David

I agree completely. What is the difference in having pacemakers to having the same 2 gentlemen 'competing' in a mixed race. The fact is that in a mixed race Paula (or anybody else) could always tag on to a 2.15 runner and that would be fine. There were 8 men in this race making it technically a 'mixed' race. This is how the IAAF is viewing it and the WR will be ratified by them.

david brent

Ed,
i can see where you're coming from but i can't agree with you. The fact is paula radcliffe is greatly reducing the gap between mens and womens distance running. for that she should be congratulated and helped as much as possible, including being allowed male pace makers. as for unethical, look at hicham el ghueruge (thats some poor spelling attempt). he's the greatest 1500 runner ever yet he always enlists a compatriot to take out the pace in major finals. that to me is more unethical than what radcliffe did. also no-one batted an eyelid when ndereba then radcliffe broke the record in mixed races. any other woman could have gone with radcliffes two pacemakers in london, it was the same for every athlete. she isnt just the greatest marathon runner in the world at the moment, she is the best athlete in the world at the moment bar none

Ed Healey

If Paula Radcliffe is indeed the best athlete in the world at the moment, why does she need help?

In major championships there may be an element of "team" running on the track, but the athletes are all of the same sex and had to make the same qualifying time.

You are right nobody batted an eyelash. The IAAF has this figured out and knows that nobody cares. As long as there are WRs ratified, and the publicity that accrues, they don't care.

What we are looking at here is two standards, one for the man who is trying for a record and another for the woman.

david brent

we'll see on the track this year. she'll be all on her own she'll prove herself. at the moment she's the quickest clean athlete we've ever seen. i can see her beating the times of the doped up chinese this summer, then she'll be special. for me paula radcliffe is just starting to add some genuity to womens world records in running. at the moment most of them are held by drug users, she will at least take a couple back for clean athletes.
(by the way, it is very strange to be having a debate on an irish athletics chat board without anyone insulting anyone elses mother, sister, first cousin twice removed etc.)

ecksor

Don't worry, any trouble makers will be stamped on