Radcliffe and Goucher Plan For World Showdown In Berlin

With a little luck the Western World’s top female marathoners will toe the line at the World Championships this summer.

Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher are both hoping to be in top form for the Marathon World Championships in Berlin this August.  Although she is still recovering from foot surgery, Radcliffe plans make her comeback at the World Championships.  If she is unable to get in a full training cycle before the race in Berlin it looks as though she will eye a Fall marathon, which one can only guess will be ING NYC Marathon, where she has won twice.  Goucher, on the other hand, plans to hold off on having her first child in order to avenge her defeat by Radcliffe in last year’s ING NYC Marathon and her 3rd place finish at this April’s Boston Marathon.  In an interview with The Oregonian Goucher comments on her decision to run Berlin:

“I felt like it’s what I needed for my career,” Goucher said. “And we’re putting off our personal goals just four months.”

After Berlin, the two-year window to begin a family will begin and still leave time to prepare for 2012.

“Hopefully, I can have it all,” Goucher said.

For More:  Kara Goucher plots a track season and World Championships marathon

For More:  Paula Radcliffe targets August World Championships comeback