London Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe’s heartbreaking reason for quitting the UK

London Marathon hero Paula Radcliffe has previously discussed her reasons for leaving the UK

London Marathon legend Paula Radcliffe was driven to leave her home in the UK after feeling she had “let the country down”. The iconic London Marathon became inseparable from Radcliffe’s name for many years.

The 52-year-old long-distance runner was once the fastest woman in marathon history. The Cheshire-born athlete held the women’s world marathon record for an extraordinary 16 years with a stunning time of 2:15:25, though she last competed in the London event back in 2015.

Sunday, April 26, will see the 2026 London Marathon take to the streets of the capital once more, with Radcliffe’s remarkable achievements undoubtedly still etched in the memories of those taking part. Yet despite her dominance on the long-distance circuit, Radcliffe never claimed an Olympic gold medal, a painful reality that ultimately led her to relocate to Monte Carlo.

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Radcliffe flew the flag for Great Britain at four consecutive Olympic Games between 1996 and 2008. In Athens in 2004, she endured the most heartbreaking moment of her career.

The celebrated runner had been the overwhelming favourite to clinch gold in the marathon in the Greek capital, but was forced to pull out of the race just four miles short of the finish line due to a leg injury sustained a fortnight earlier.

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A heavy course of anti-inflammatory medication she had been taking had also wreaked havoc on her stomach, causing her to withdraw at the 22-mile mark. The then-30 year old had an opportunity to redeem herself in the 10,000 metres event just five days later, but was similarly compelled to withdraw from that race with eight laps still to go.

Radcliffe confessed she felt “numb” in the aftermath of her Olympic disappointment. Once the Games concluded, she relocated to Monte Carlo, where she has resided with her husband Gary and two children, Isla and Raphael, ever since.

In conversation with the Telegraph, Radcliffe stated she had made the move “for a variety of reasons” but acknowledged it was partly due to her “distressing” Olympic ordeal.

“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.

“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. On top of claiming world titles in the marathon, half-marathon and cross country, she also secured European and Commonwealth honours in the 10,000 metres and 5,000 metres respectively.

She took home the 2002 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, along with several World Athlete of the Year accolades and an MBE. Radcliffe now lends her expertise as a pundit and commentator covering athletics for the BBC.

The retired long-distance star has also balanced her punditry duties with commentary roles at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

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