Paula Radcliffe Born 17 December 1973 in Northwich Biography Paula first hit the athletics headlines in 1992 when she won the world junior cross country title in snowy Boston, USA. She has since set five UK records at 5000m and 10,000m, as well as three at 3000m. But Paula's best performances have been on the roads in a series of marathons and half-marathons. She made an impressive debut in the 2002 London Marathon by running the second fastest marathon in history in 2:18:56. One year later she took to the streets of London again and shaved an impressive three minutes off her 2002 time. Paula arrived in Athens for the Olympic Games 2004 with the whole country's expectation upon her shoulders. But the pressure proved too much and, very uncharacteristically, Paula dropped out of the marathon just three miles from the end, sitting on the pavement in floods of tears. But the top athelete has put her disappointment behind her and is back training once again.   Back to the Mid Cheshire celebs homepage