Paula Radcliffe’s Marathon Record Time Changed
The IAAF Congress during the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, passed a motion to change the criteria by which women athletes will attain the world record. By the new criterion states that only the finish times achieved in all-women competitions would be recognized for world record purposes. The performances attained in mixed conditions will be recognized as “world best”.
With this new criterion, Paula Radcliffe’s 2003 London Marathon mark of 2:15:25 is no longer the world record but now a world best, and that her 2005 London Marathon time of 2:17:42 is the world record.
World Major Marathons (WMM) and the Association of International Marathons (AIMS) believes that the new criterion is “unfair” and “confusing”.
According to WMM and AIMS, “The vast majority of women’s road races throughout the world are held in mixed conditions. The current situation where the fastest time is not now recognised as a record is confusing and unfair and does not respect the history of our sport.”
Photo from espn.co.uk
About The Author
ManokanRunner
Jinoe Gavan is the founder of this award-winning blog Takbo.ph, The Filipino Running Community. Known as ManokanRunner, he is a computer addict on weekdays, a church leader on weekends and a runner in all days of the week. He wants to run and cover as many miles in many places as he could. Read more about his life in the urban jungle with all the distractions and the fun of raising his son in DaddyandtheCity(dot)com.
Hmm. World record (all-women) & world best (mixed)…
It really is confusing. But somehow it seems like a fair idea for women. Women in mixed competitions can have the advantage of having a faster male to pace with.
Still is confusing to introduce a new idea into something we have been used to.