17-Apr-2005 – London Marathon – 2:17:42 – Nike Air Zoom Marathoner
Date of birth: 17-Dec-1973
Nationality: English
Women-Only World Record duration: 12 years, 6 days
The athlete:
As the 2003 London Marathon organisers hired men to pace the elite women’s field, at the request of Paula Radcliffe, it did not count as the women’s only marathon world record. This was despite the elite women’s field starting 45 minutes before the elite men’s field, as the London Marathon had done since 1991.
Coming into the 2005 London Marathon, that world record still belonged to Paula Radcliffe but it was for the time she set winning on debut at the 2002 London Marathon. Since then, she had suffered enormous disappointment at failing to finish the marathon at the 2004 Olympics, and was looking to redeem herself.
After only six miles Radcliffe was by herself, neither the pacers (who were all women) or her fellow competitors could keep pace. She looked in imperious form, passing halfway in 68:27, until she began suffering stomach cramps in the later stages of the race. Unable to concentrate due to the discomfort, Radcliffe had to unfortunately relieve herself by the side of the course as the world watched on.
Still far ahead of her nearest competition, Radcliffe rebounded and was able to win more than five minutes ahead of second. Her time was the new women’s only marathon world record. You can read more about the rest of her career in my articles on her 2002 and 2003 outright women’s marathon world records.
The shoes:
Having worn the Nike Air Streak Ekiden V to no less than three marathon world records, Radcliffe was in many ways due something tailored specially for her running needs. Working closely with Radcliffe, shoe designer John Truax developed a new model which was better suited to what he described as Radcliffe’s violent gait that out considerable pressure on the forefoot.
What came from this collaboration was the Air Zoom Marathoner, the outsole reinforced strategically to suit Radcliffe’s running style. It was technologically similar to the Air Streak Ekiden V, with Phylon foam and a single Zoom Air unit in the rearfoot of the shoe. Although the model had an unfortunate debut at the 2004 Olympics, Radcliffe would go on to win many more major international marathons with the Air Zoom Marathoner, including in one instance with a distinctive Union Jack colourway for the 2008 Olympics.
References:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4445391.stm
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2005/apr/18/athletics.duncanmackay
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-04-18/radcliffe-triumphs-again-in-london/1553608
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/sep/21/paula-radcliffe-marathon-record-world
https://www.complex.com/sneakers/a/brendan-dunne/nike-zoom-streak-spectrum-plus-ekiden-flame-shoe-paula-radcliffe
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paula_Radcliffe_2007_New_York_marathon.jpg
