Radcliffe, racing for the first time since she finished fourth in the New York City Marathon in 2009, was beaten by Britons Jo Pavey and Gemma Steel, who had admitted before the race that the main aim of her trip to the capital was to meet Radcliffe for the first time in her life. 

Radcliffe, who gave birth to her second child, Raphael, last September, understandably looked nervous on the start line and was never in the hunt for first place as Pavey, who has spent her career chasing her rival, dominated the course where she made her marathon debut last month as she emphatically pulled away from the field in the latter stages of the race to cross the line in 32min 23sec.

Steel finished finished 18 seconds behind Pavey with Radcliffe a long way back in 33:19, nearly three minutes  off her eight world record of 30:21 in a race that finished down The Mall where the Bedford runner hopes to be powering to Olympic glory next year.

That, sadly, looks a long shot.

"For me it was a bit of a disaster," admitted Radcliffe.

"We set off and I didn't feel great and couldn't stay with Jo.

"I could see her so I was thinking: 'Don't panic, just hold it, things will warm up a little bit.'

"But then at four kilometresI just started to go backwards.

"I think my fourth to fifth kilometre was terrible and then I stopped looking so I don't know what the time was after that, but it wasn't good.

"I've got a tear in one of the discs in my back which has meant I can't go on the track, but I thought I was going to be fine on the road.

"Its sciatic pain and I just lose power in my legs.

"I've beginning getting treatment on it and I thought I'd be okay.

"It wasn't particular sore in the race; it just felt like I didn't have any power out there."


In the men's race, Mo Farah defended his title in the by a comfortable margin.

The inform Farah cruised home in an extremely modest 29:15, a long way off the national and course record of 27:44 which he set in the event last year.

Eritrean-born Londoner Mehretab Solomon finished second behind Farah in 29:37 as he edged out Britain's Andrew Lemoncello by one second.

Farah was making his first appearance on home soil since February, when he broke the European 5,000 metres record in Birmingham's National Indoor Arena.

Since then, the country's number one men's distance runner has retained his European indoor 3,000m title in Paris and won the New York City Half Marathon in another British record.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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