Posted: October 11, 2005

Athletics: Radcliffe Confirmed For Zevenheuvelenloop

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

Paula Radcliffe plans to line up for the start of the Zevenheuvelenloop, or "Seven Hills Run," in Nijmegen, Netherlands, on Sunday, Nov. 20. This 15-K road race is the home of the men's world record for the distance (41:29 by Felix Limo of Kenya set in 2001) and the second-fastest time ever by a woman (47:02 by Lydia Cheromei of Kenya set in 2004).

"Paula has been on top of our list for the last three years and Jos Hermens' Global Sports Communication did a great job securing her participation," said Henk Stevens, the organizer for the event, in a press release. "We are aware of the fact that a star athlete like Paula receives numerous offers from all over the world which made it really tough for Jos to finalize the negotiations."

Radcliffe's high appearance fee price tag has, at least in part, forced the organizers to invite only an elite women's field. They do not plan to invite any elite men, they said.

Radcliffe, 31, could be making a bid to break Elana Meyers's world record set in Cape Town in 1991 (46:57). The reigning world marathon champion already holds the world's fastest times on the road for 10 km (30:21) and the marathon (2:15:25 mixed gender and 2:17:42 women-only).

Organizers said they expected some 25,000 runners.