Paula Radcliffe’s Incredible Journey To Greatness

She dreams of winning an Olympic medal in London.

In an exclusive, in-depth article posted on The Telegraph’s Web site, reporter Simon Hart profiled world record holder in the marathon Paula Radcliffe. The 37-year-old British star is hoping to make a comeback this May at the Bupa Great Manchester Run, a 10K. From there, she dreams of competing in and medalling at the 2012 Olympic Marathon in her home country. In fact, she keeps these dreams front and center when she is training at altitude in New Mexico.

Radcliffe has struggled in her past two Olympic performances. She didn’t finish the 2004 marathon, while in Beijing in 2008 she could only manage 23rd place due to injury.

“I do think about that, especially on long, hard runs when you are really trying to dig deep,” she admits. “I try to imagine that I’m in the closing stages of the marathon in London and that I really need to knuckle down and put the work in.”

Things are indeed different in this Olympic cycle for Radcliffe. She is now the mother of two children and her days are hectic, balancing training and parenting.

For More: The Telegraph