Retired Marathoner Paula Radcliffe On Being A Mom
Find out how Paula Radcliffe strikes the balance between being an elite runner and a mom.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Paula Radcliffe
Age and Event: 41, Distance Runner
Children: Daughter Isla, 8, and son Raphael, 5
Pre-Kids: Radcliffe ran her personal best marathon of 2:15:25, which also happens to be the world record, in 2003.
Post-Kids: She won the New York City Marathon less than 10 months after the birth of her daughter, with a time of 2:23:09. A year after having her son, she came in third at the 2011 Berlin Marathon in 2:23:46.
Now: Retired from professional running at the 2015 London Marathon.
She Says: “I think that becoming a mother gave me a better perspective on many things and made me realize that some of the things that in the past felt like priorities really weren’t. You soon realize that life changes with you and routine is key. I will always be a runner. My kids have never known a life without running in it, and spending time outdoors with them will always mean that some kind of running is going on.”
Fun Fact: She took 12 days off after her daughter was born and three and a half weeks after the birth of her son.