Paula Radcliffe announces her major return to marathon running
If listening to the Runner’s World UK Podcast has left you craving even more, you can now enjoy more running-orientated audio for the next 16 weeks. Launched today (Monday 6 January), Paula’s Marathon Run Club is a brand-new running podcast hosted by two British running favourites: former women’s marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe and two-time Olympic marathoner Chris Thompson.
With episodes dropping every Monday, the podcast – created by Viral Tribe Entertainment in partnership with the charity Children with Cancer UK (CWC UK) – will offer light-hearted, expert-led training advice, inspiration and entertainment to listeners who are training for this year’s London Marathon on Sunday 27 April.
Both Radcliffe and Thompson know a thing or two about training for and taking on long-distance running events. Radcliffe, a former marathon, half-marathon and cross-country world champion, was the fastest female marathon runner of all time for 16 years from 2003 to 2019, having clocked 2:15:25 on home soil at the 2023 London Marathon. Ever-popular Thompson, meanwhile, is a multiple British champion who boasts a marathon PB of 2:10:52 and 17 wins at Great Run events.
Each week, Radcliffe and Thompson will be joined by guests including celebrity runners, physiotherapists and runners taking on the London Marathon in aid of CWC UK. These charity runners include Radcliffe’s own daughter Isla, who will make her 26.2-mile debut in London this April.
‘I would love [the podcast] to be a platform to celebrate the unique and special marathon family and to provide a fun, welcoming space to bring runners together to learn, share and grow on their marathon journey,’ says Radcliffe, who is a long-term ambassador for CWC UK, which thousands of people choose to support when they run the London Marathon. Thanks to runners’ ongoing fundraising efforts, the charity can continue its work to find kinder and gentler treatments for children and young people undergoing a cancer diagnosis – and to fund all-important research into finding a cancer cure.
‘Running a marathon is very much an individual pursuit, but what makes it brilliant is the camaraderie and spirit you build with those you run with,’ adds Radcliffe. ‘My goal is that we help you to make the very most of your marathon experience and answer any questions you have and be there every step of the way.’
Thompson, who recently retired as a professional runner at the age of 43, is equally keen to share his marathon running wisdom via the podcast. ‘I’m so excited to begin my next chapter alongside a great friend in Paula, on a joint quest to support the wonderful community of runners and those on their journey through to the London Marathon,’ he notes. ‘I can’t wait to help and shout about the amazing stories and achievements of everyone who tunes in. There’ll be plenty of fun along the way.’
While co-hosting her podcast with Thompson, Radcliffe will also be preparing for her own marathon running renaissance this year – a decade after retiring from elite running.
This spring, Radcliffe will run not just one but two Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM), with her entries in this year’s Tokyo Marathon (Sunday 2 March) and Boston Marathon (Monday 21 April) now confirmed. A three-time winner of the London Marathon (2002, 2023 and 2005) and New York City Marathon (2004, 2007 and 2008), who has also won the Chicago Marathon (2002) and placed third at the Berlin Marathon (2011), Radcliffe will become an AWMM Six Star Finisher when she completes the Tokyo and Boston courses in 2025. As such, the podcast will also give listeners behind-the-scenes access to discussions on Radcliffe’s own training journey.
Perhaps the Sydney Marathon (Sunday 31 August), which was announced as the seventh marathon in the AWMM series last November, will follow for Radcliffe this summer?
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