Paula Radcliffe, the greatest British female marathon runner in history, has brought her legendary road racing journey to a fitting close by winning her age category at the Boston Marathon and earning her World Marathon Majors Six Star Medal. The 51-year-old mother of two delivered a stunning performance, finishing Monday’s race in 2:53:44, just weeks after completing the Tokyo Marathon — the last event she needed to secure the coveted Six Star Medal.
Radcliffe, who once held the women’s marathon world record for an astonishing 16 years, had never run Boston before. The race held a special place in her heart — it was where she won gold in the World Junior Cross Country Championships back in 1992. More than three decades later, she returned to the city and conquered one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious marathons, finishing first in the female 50-54 age category among more than 1,300 runners.
What made her achievement even more remarkable was the fact that she completed her second marathon in under two months, despite dealing with a long-term foot injury. In her Instagram post after the race, Radcliffe revealed that she injured her calf at the nine-mile mark but was still able to push through. “On the plus side, the foot is great, and I got to savour and enjoy those Boston Marathon crowds,” she wrote.
Wearing bib number 215 — a nod to her record-setting time of 2:15:25 at the 2003 London Marathon — Radcliffe clocked an opening 10kilometers in just 38 minutes and reached the halfway point in 1:23:15. Her final time of 2:53:44 placed her 117th out of over 12,000 female finishers and just outside the top 150 overall. Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi won the women’s elite race, setting a new Boston course record of 2:17:22.
Radcliffe’s performance in Boston capped off her journey through the six major marathons — Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City — that constitute the World Marathon Majors. Although the Sydney Marathon has since been added to the list, the Six Star Medal remains a prestigious achievement for any long-distance runner.
This run was more than a race for Radcliffe; it was a moment of full-circle triumph. “Ticking off No. 6, thanks for giving me a goal to work after, an excuse to be back in this atmosphere again, and perfect symmetry for me in finishing where the journey started,” she wrote, referencing her junior win in Boston 33 years ago.
Radcliffe, who retired from elite competition in 2015, made a surprise return to marathon running this year. In March, she ran a sub-three-hour marathon in Tokyo, finishing in 2:57:22, her first full marathon in ten years. Though her competitive days are now behind her, her legacy remains unmatched.
Her career has been a trailblazing achievement. Radcliffe is a three-time winner of both the London Marathon and the New York City Marathon and also took victory in Chicago in 2002. She made her marathon debut in London in 2002, won Chicago later that year, and shattered her world record in 2003. That time of 2:15:25 stood until 2019, when it was broken by Brigid Kosgei of Kenya.
Radcliffe also represented Team GB at four Olympic Games, beginning in 1996 in Atlanta. She narrowly missed the podium in 2000 and was forced to withdraw from the 2004 Athens marathon due to injury. In 2005, she claimed marathon gold at the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki.
She took time off to give birth to her daughter Isla in 2007, returned to win the New York Marathon that same year, and gave birth to her son Raphael in 2010. Despite injury setbacks, she qualified for the 2012 Olympics but had to withdraw.
Now, having secured her place among the marathon greats, Radcliffe is officially stepping away from road racing. “That’s me signing out on the roads now! Lesson learned that my body is done with that,” she said, ending her message with the hashtag #endoftheroad.
