For Paula Radcliffe, even the thought of winning an Olympic medal in 2012 cannot match her desire to have another baby. The marathon world record holder, who is aiming for a fourth win in New York next month, gave her strongest indication yet that she will try for another child before the London Olympics."The last thing I would want would be to come out of 2012 and have the medal I wanted but find out I can't have the child I want," said the 35-year-old. "Hopefully it's something I can fit in before 2012." With the next major global medal opportunity for Radcliffe not until the world championships in 2011, next year could provide a convenient window in which to have a baby.
"It's something I think about a lot and I guess something that anybody who has a family and career like this has to go through [balancing the two].
"I'm tossing a lot of things around at the moment. I desperately do want another child – if I could click my fingers and have one now I would but I've missed racing a lot this year, so I have to get my racing going."
After giving birth to her first child, Isla, in 2007, Radcliffe returned to competitive marathon running 10 months later to win her second New York marathon title. She questions whether having a baby has been any kind of career setback. "I didn't see it as a trial to come back from pregnancy. It was one of the most joyous things I've ever done, having Isla."
Radcliffe, who missed out on the world championships this summer after surgery to remove a bunion from her right toe in March, will attempt the world half marathon championships in Birmingham a week on Sunday and says she is excited about competing on home soil again. On 1 November she will race over the full distance in New York and, while she feels another world record is out of the question, she hopes to improve on the current course record time of 2hr 22min 31sec.
"I feel I could and should be able to run faster [in New York]," says Radcliffe, whose world record time is 2:15.25. "The times I've run there have been kind of average, so I would like to improve. On a good day with good conditions I should be capable of pushing the course record down to a 2.20."
The US city has special significance for the runner, who won her first title there two months after her disastrous efforts at the Athens Olympics in 2004. This year she will hope to emulate the legendary Grete Waitz, the last woman to claim four titles at the New York event, in 1982.
ShareThis