MARATHON world record holder Paula Radcliffe has said she is relishing her return to competitive action as she prepares to launch her comeback in Worcester.
The 40-year-old is set to be among hundreds of runners to hit the city’s streets for the Worcester City 10k on September 21.
There were doubts Radcliffe would return to the starting line after undergoing surgery on her foot in August 2012.
But Radcliffe told the Observer she refused to give up her dream of returning to the elite level and she said she was now looking forward to competing in the Faithful City.
“I just had to learn to be patient,” she said.
“The worst period was when I could not run at all and was experiencing a lot of pain just to walk, so everything seemed to be very desperate.
“But when I finally got back to some sort of running you really appreciate it much more having not been able to do it. I am also very grateful that I have had a long career and at this stage it is all about having fun.”
The race is part of her preparations to finish her career at next year’s London Marathon, but she said she was not expecting to post a strong time at the event, which starts at Pitchcroft Racecourse.
“Obviously when it comes to the race I’ll be competitive,” she said. “But then I’ll also need to be conscious that it is going to come at the end of a very busy summer as I’ll be commentating at both the European Championship and the Commonwealth Games, so training will take a bit of a backseat.
“That’s why I am just keen to have fun in Worcester and see whether my foot can tolerate a hard run on the road which it has not done yet over 10k.”
Radcliffe said she agreed to take part in the Worcester City 10k after speaking to former British athletics star Steve Cram, whose company will be running the event.
Her daughter Isla will also be competing in Worcester as she will take on a one-mile run for athletes under the age of 11 and Radcliffe said she hoped to see hundreds of people turn out on the day.
“The most important thing for the event is to get a big turnout and good support,” she added.
“I have had a lot of responses on Twitter already, but I would urge more people to visit the website and sign up as it’ll hopefully introduce people to the joys of running.”
To enter the event or for more information visit www.worcestercityrun.com.