Paula Radcliffe was born in Davenham, Cheshire, in 1973. She is a former world champion in the marathon, half-marathon and cross country and has also been European champion in 10,000 and metres and in cross country. She has won the London Marathon and New York Marathon three times each and held the Women’s Marathon world record for 16 years, from 2003 to 2019.
Speaking to Big Issue for her Letter to My Younger Self, Paula Radcliffe reflects on her love of athletics, Olympic regret and tough family times.
At 16, I was already making junior international teams in the cross country. I remember going to a meet in Lisbon and having a brilliant time. It was my first sense that through my running, I could travel the world, visit amazing places and meet great people. As well as starting to see the results from working hard in sport, it was also GCSE year. So I was trying to juggle exams with training.
I would get home from school, get my homework done, watch Neighbours, then get to the track. I was pretty organised, but had to be to fit everything in so training wouldn’t be compromised. I structured my time so I would be finished by six o’clock so I could go training.
2004: Paula Radcliffe competing in the women’s 10,000m in the Athens Olympics. Image: PA Images / Alamy
I had the Athena poster of the man holding the baby on my wall like everyone else. But I also had Steve Cram, Peter Elliott, Liz McColgan, Yvonne Murray – they were the people I looked up to. It had been a golden age for British running. I’d go to the athletics meetings at Crystal Palace and queue for autographs from all these people that I work with now, like Crammy and Steve Backley.
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I wouldn’t say I had a love for school like I had a love of running. But I didn’t hate school, I thought of it as a means to an end. I had friends, though I probably had more in common with my friends at the athletics club. Bedford and County was our social scene as well as our running club. My mum was a team manager, my brother was also there and my coaches were like second parents. It was the centre of our world.
I started to think running could be more than a hobby after I won the World Junior Cross Country in Boston in 1992. That was a big turning point. It was a few months before my A-levels and that race gave me the confidence that if I worked really hard I had a chance to make a career from running afterwards. I’d already decided I wanted to study languages at Loughborough. But I now had that objective of trying to progress so I might not need to get a job afterwards. When I won that race I set myself a goal of winning the senior one – and it took me nine years. So, I’d tell my younger self to hang in there. Which I did. But it took a long time.
2015: Paula Radcliffe with husband Gary and their children Isla and Raphael, after completing the London Marathon. Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga / EPA / Shutterstock
I wasn’t exactly intimidating, but when I was in my teens I probably gave off vibes that I wasn’t interested in relationships. I wasn’t getting a huge amount of interest anyway; it’s only later I pieced together why. Nothing was getting in the way of my running. And I was always certain I’d know when I met the right person so I never went looking for love. And I did know. There was a chemistry and a connection straight away. A lot of my friends at uni were guys because they were who I was running with. I met my husband Gary there when I was 18. [Their daughter] Isla turned 18 in January and it hit me pretty hard. Because part of you feels like the same person you were at that age.
I’ve always been a big believer in communication. If something’s not right then talk about it and deal with it. Don’t pretend everything’s OK. That’s a big thing for Gary and me. He was also my travelling partner, manager and coach so we were together 24/7. You have to have rules in terms of switching between the professional and personal side. We were pretty good at that, and it helped when kids came along because they have to be the priority.
I remember watching my dad in the London Marathon and being captivated by the atmosphere. I saw Ingrid Christensen, who set a world record, run past and she looked so strong. That sowed the seed for the marathon later on. I always knew the longer the distance went, the better I was. The turning point was in Sydney, when I ran as well as I was capable of but ended up just outside the medals in the 10,000m. The following year I won the World Cross Country, but was fourth again in the World Championship 10,000m. I thought, that’s where you’re going to be in the 10,000m; it’s time for the marathon. I wished I’d done it sooner. But if you’d told my younger self that I’d hold the marathon world record and win the World Championships, it would have been hard to get my head around.
The biggest disappointment in my career is the Olympics. But if you’d told my teenage self you’re going to come out with a fourth place and a 15th at the Olympics, she would have thought that was really good. I worked so hard for the Olympics, which might have been my downfall. It was devastating. Immediately afterwards, I thought I’d never get over it. But it is just sport. And life puts things in perspective. Later, when my daughter Isla got sick, you absolutely rationalise it.
I would tell my younger self not to worry about showing emotion. I’d get frustrated because my emotions are quite obvious. I let them out. And I used to think that was a weakness. Then I realised it’s a strength – you’re processing it, not carrying it as baggage to pull you down. But as a teenager, I thought, oh god, I wish I wouldn’t just cry at the drop of a hat!
If I could have one last conversation with someone, it would be my dad. I really feel like he went too soon. It was during lockdown and they thought it was Covid but it was heart failure. And it was really unfair. My mum couldn’t get to see him, I couldn’t even get into the country. I would want to say goodbye, but there were also lots of things I still needed to know.
2024: Paula Radcliffe on The Chase Celebrity Special with (from left) Toby Anstis, Vanessa Feltz, host Bradley Walsh and Rav Wilding. Image: Shutterstock
I lost my dad in April 2020 then Isla was diagnosed with cancer at the end of August. That was the toughest time in my life. And it was even more tough because the person I would have gone to for support wasn’t there. I could turn to my mum, but she was also grieving. What I realised was that everything he had taught me was still in my mind. So I only had to think about what advice he would give to help me get through. So my biggest advice would be to make sure you ask all the questions and listen and absorb as much as possible.
I really admire Isla for doing the London Marathon this year. It’s not for competitive reasons, she wants to prove to herself, given the struggles she’s been through. It’s also to raise awareness for Children with Cancer UK. I just don’t want her to take too much out of her tank. She’s studying for baccalaureate, which is very tough in the French system. I’m going to be very emotional in the commentary box – I just want her to enjoy the day and finish with a big smile on her face. That’s all I want from this year’s London Marathon.
If I could relive one day, which would I choose? There are so many. I vividly remember on my wedding day thinking: remember all this – and then you have the albums to help you relive it. When I was running the marathon world record, I had the luxury of knowing I was going to break it for the last couple of miles, so was able to soak in those memories. With the kids, on the day they’re born, you experience that emotion for one human being you didn’t really think was possible. So that is special – but so is every day seeing them grow up. So would I relive the first time they walked or said something? It’s a good question – I just feel glad I’ve got so many great days to choose from. The only other thing I’d say to my younger self is don’t go on that last training run before Athens.
Paula Radcliffe runs the Boston Marathon on 21 April and commentates for the BBC on the London Marathon on Sunday 27 April. Listen to Paula’s Marathon Run Club podcast here.
