Video:Profile of Paula Radcliffe

Transcript:Profile of Paula Radcliffe

Today we'll be learning about English long distance runner Paula Radcliffe. Paula Radcliffe was born on December 17th, 1973 in Cheshire, England and with the encouragement of her father, an amateur marathon runner, began running at the age of 7.

Paula Radcliffe's Biography

In her first national race, at age 12, Radcliffe placed 299th out of 600 in the girls race of the English Schools Cross Country Championships. The following year, at 13, she came in 4th in the same race. Early successes were the 1992 World Junior cross country title and the silver medal in the 10,000m event at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics.

Radcliffe's Accomplishments

Placing first in the 2001 and 2002 World Cross Country Championships, Radcliffe also won the 2000, 2001 and 2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. In 2002, Radcliffe switched to marathons and quickly won her first, the London Marathon, with a time of 2 hours 18 minutes and 47 seconds. That same year, at the Chicago Marathon, she broke the world record with a time of 2 hours 17 minutes and 18 seconds. For her efforts she was awarded an MBE by the Queen and named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

More of Radcliffe's Accomplishments

At the London Marathon in 2003, Radcliffe set a new world record time of 2 hours, 15 minutes and 25 seconds. That same year she also set the world record for the women's 10 kilometer at the World's Best 10K in Puerto Rico. In 2004, Radcliffe won the New York Marathon and although she was a favorite to win a gold at the Olympic games in Athens was unable to complete the race due to circumstances following a leg injury two weeks before. 2005 saw Radcliffe win the London Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 17 minutes and 42 seconds and the World Championships in Helsinki with a time of 2 hours, 20 minutes and 57 seconds. Radcliffe took a break from competing in 2006 announcing a pregnancy but then waited out most of 2007 due to injuries.

Radcliffe's Climb to the 2012 Olympics

Upon her return, Radcliffe competed in the Great North Run, a half marathon, placing second then two months later ran the New York City Marathon, taking first place with a time of 2 hours, 23 minutes and 9 seconds. In 2008, Radcliffe suffered setbacks due to injuries at the Summer Olympics in Beijing but then went on to win the New York City Marathon for the third time clocking in at 2 hours, 23 minutes and 56 seconds.

Staging a comeback, Radcliffe ran the NYC half marathon in 2009, coming in first place but later only placed fourth in the full marathon due to knee problems. Due to fitness issues and the birth of her second child, Radcliffe took 19 months off from competing and finally reemerged for the Boston Marathon where she came in third with a time of 2 hours, 23 minutes and 46 seconds, qualifying her for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Thanks for watching.