Paula Radcliffe opened up on her decision to leave the UK (Image: Manchester Evening News)
London Marathon legend Paula Radcliffe was compelled to leave her UK home after feeling she had “let the country down”. The iconic London Marathon became inseparable from Radcliffe’s name for many years. She was once the fastest woman in marathon history, holding the world record for 16 years with a remarkable time of 2:15:25, though she last competed in the London event back in 2015.
The capital’s streets will be taken over once more on Sunday, with Radcliffe’s extraordinary achievements undoubtedly still resonating with those lining up to compete. Yet despite her dominance on the long-distance circuit, Radcliffe never claimed an Olympic gold medal, a painful reality that ultimately drove her to relocate to Monte Carlo.
Radcliffe represented Great Britain at four consecutive Olympic Games between 1996 and 2008. It was in Athens in 2004 that she endured the most crushing setback of her distinguished career.
The celebrated runner had been the overwhelming favourite to claim gold in the marathon yet was forced to withdraw just four miles short of the finish line due to a leg injury sustained a fortnight earlier.
A high dosage of anti-inflammatory drugs she had been taking had also upset her stomach and caused her to drop out at the 22-mile mark.
She had an opportunity to redeem herself in the 10,000 metres event just five days later, but was once again forced to withdraw from that race with eight laps still to go.
Radcliffe admitted she felt “numb” and like she had “let the country down” in the wake of her Olympic heartache. Once the Games had concluded, she relocated to Monte Carlo, where she has since lived with her husband Gary and their two children, Isla and Raphael.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Radcliffe revealed she had made the move “for a variety of reasons” but conceded it was partly due to her “distressing” Olympic experience.
“I was attracted to the better weather,” she said. “I do altitude training in the Pyrenees, which is easy to reach from here, and I also wanted to bring my kids up to be bilingual, which I think is a big advantage in the modern world.
Injuries wrecked Radcliffe’s gold medal dreams at the Olympics in 2004 (Image: GETTY)
“Also, I found it too distressing to stay in England after what happened in Athens. I felt like I’d let the country down. I decided I didn’t want to live somewhere where I was recognised all the time.
“In Monaco we rent, but we kept our four-bedroom house in Loughborough and let it. I also own a student house I bought in 1996 and I let that. I’m lucky because I don’t have a mortgage on either property.
“So, although they will undoubtedly have fallen in value, at least they are earning something for me.”
Radcliffe is a three-time champion at both the London and New York Marathons. A world title holder in the marathon, half-marathon and cross country, she also claimed European and Commonwealth honours in the 10,000 metres and 5,000 metres respectively.
Named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2002, she went on to receive numerous World Athlete of the Year accolades as well as an MBE. Radcliffe now lends her expertise to the BBC as a pundit and commentator across a range of athletics events.
The retired distance runner has combined her punditry duties with commentary on the long-distance events at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.
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