PAULA Radcliffe is to be patron of the Jane Tomlinson Appeal and take part in this year's Leeds 10K – despite being seven months pregnant at the time.
The charity vent was run for the first time in June 2007, just three months before Jane died following a long battle against cancer. It has now become an annual fixture and this year 11,000 people are expected to take part.
The runner, whose second child is due in September, said she is looking forward to coming to Leeds to run the race for the first time in July.
She will only be jogging due to her advanced pregnancy but said she was overjoyed to be asked to take part by Jane's widower Mike.
She said: "Jane was such an inspiration to me. She was a really good friend and a really great person. I really wanted to be able to take part and this year I can.
"The money Jane raised in her life and the money Mike and his team have raised since is remarkable."
Speaking from Monaco, the 36-year-old, who is the world record holder for the marathon, 20K and 10K road runs, said she was "in awe"
of what Jane achieved during the series of physical
challenges she embarked on as she fought against her illness.
She met her first in 2002 when she was honoured with the Helen Rollason Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. The Yorkshire Post is media partner for the Leeds 10k event.More information can be found on www.runforall.com.
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