NEW YORK, August 13 – Britain's Paula Radcliffe will race for the first time this year when she tests her fitness Sunday in the New York City Half-marathon, organizers said Wednesday.
Radcliffe said she would use the event to gauge her fitness for a possible run in the IAAF World Championships marathon in Berlin on August 23.
"Recently, my training has started to go very well,’ Radcliffe said. "I’m definitely ready to run a half-marathon, and the NYC Half-Marathon will give me important feedback about where I am.
"After the race in New York, I will consult with my coaching and medical teams and we will make the final determination as to whether I am ready to run the marathon in Berlin. It is certainly my hope to compete there."
Radcliffe, holder of the world record in the marathon, had surgery in March to remove a bunion from her right foot.
She last competed almost 10 months ago, when she won her third New York City Marathon.
However, the 35-year-old has been named to Britain’s team for the World Championships, which start in Berlin on Saturday.
Radcliffe has already won a marathon world title — in 2005 — and she is aiming to prolong her career until 2012 in the hope of finally claiming an Olympic gold at the age of 38.
The Englishwoman has suffered heartbreak at the last two Olympics.
In Athens in 2004 she was unable to finish the race and she could only manage 23rd place in Beijing last year after failing to regain her peak performance level in the aftermath of a stress fracture in her left thigh.
