Olympics: Marathon saps the toughest

By EUGENE BINGHAM in Athens


The gruelling trudge from Marathon to Athens killed a man, or so the legend goes.

Yesterday, it trampled the spirit of women who dared to attempt it in the heat of Athens.

There is no event as stacked with human drama as the marathon. There are some races which athletes can take ownership of - Michael Johnson with the 400m, Hicham El Guerrouj with the 1500m. But the marathon shows no respect for reputation or favouritism.

Olympic marathons can be staid affairs, but the 35C and the uphill grind yesterday conspired against the field of 82 women who set off from the village of Marathon and followed the fatal route reputedly taken by the slave Pheidippides.

Sixteen pulled out of the race. One of those was Paula Radcliffe, who held the hopes of Britain and who deserved to be hot favourite after she had blitzed the world's best times over the 42.2km distance.

Her record of 2h 15m 25s was 11 minutes faster than the winning time yesterday. But the marathon does not have any respect for fast times or the hopes of a nation.

In Sydney in 2000, Radcliffe conjured one of the enduring images of the Games by giving her absolute, unflinching all on the track in the 10,000m, only to finish fourth.

Four years later, she featured in another heart-wrenching scene. Setting off at a withering pace, she strung out the pack, only to have her body sapped of all energy.

At 36km, she leaned on a barrier, crying like a tortured soul. Locals offered her encouragement to keep going - she still held third place at that point. But Radcliffe shook her head and mouthed, "I can't. I can't".

She slumped on the grass side of the road, her head in her hands.

It's hard to explain what it's like to run in the Athens heat. At first, the warmth makes your muscles feel invigorated and full of spring. But then the hot air filling up the lungs makes even inhaling seem like an effort.

For once, sweat is your friend, acting like a cooling system over the skin. But it is a cooling system that needs the constant replenishment of water because dehydration in the heat of Athens can kill.

A 50-minute run yesterday gave me a sense of empathy with Radcliffe as she stumbled and faltered, the greatest women's road runner of her era given a sickening reminder that no one owns the marathon.