PAULA RADCLIFFE (pictured) is refusing to give up her fight to be fit for the marathon at the Beijing Olympics next month, her agent said today.
The world record holder, who suffered a stress fracture of the femur which forced her to stop running and led to doctors advising her not to go to the Olympics, is battling against the odds at a training camp in Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees.
Sian Masterton, her agent, has said that Radcliffe has resumed running and is also cross-training in an effort to make up for lost time.
Masterton said: "Paula is training at a high intensity, progressing and the goal is very much to be in Beijing.
"She will include more cross training than usual to compliment the running in the programme."
The Bedford runner is set to leave it as late as possible to see if she can recover the lost time to try to make amends for the Athens Olympics four years ago when, the overwhelming favourite for gold, she was forced to drop out due to illness.
Masterton said: "She is not going to compete unless she is confident she is in shape to do well and she will not know this until much nearer the time."
Glasgow's Hayley Haining is currently on stand-by as the official reserve to replace Radcliffe should she drop out.
