Former women’s marathon world record holder achieves Six-Star medal

It was a Six-Star medal decades in the making—but one that former women’s marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe finally achieved. At the 2025 Boston Marathon, the 51-year-old completed the race in 2:53:44, becoming just the sixth person to run all six Abbott World Marathon Majors, plus a marathon at the World Championships and the Olympics.

Radcliffe, who held the women’s marathon world record for 16 years, from 2003 to 2019, with a time of 2:15:25, finished Monday’s race on top of the podium in the women’s 50–54 age category.

The seven-time Abbott World Marathon Majors champion joins an exclusive club of six athletes to accomplish the feat. The only other runners to achieve it are Edna Kiplagat (KEN), Deena Kastor (USA), Aly Dixon (GBR), Nuta Olaru (ROU) and Emmanuel Mutai (KEN).

In a social media post, Radcliffe reflected on the achievement: “Wow, thank you, Boston. […] The pain was so worth it for that @wmmajors six star, especially getting one from one of my biggest idols in Joanie [Joan Benoit Samuelson]! “That’s me signing out on the roads now,” she continued. “Lesson learned—that my body is done with that.”

Radcliffe is the most decorated British female marathoner in history, having won the London and New York Marathons three times each, plus the Chicago Marathon once, in 2002.

Before Boston, Radcliffe ran the 2025 Tokyo Marathon in 2:57:26 in early March, checking off one of her two remaining stars. Previous to this year, Radcliffe had not run a marathon since the 2015 London Marathon, where she ran 2:36:55 to win her W40–44 age category and the masters division.

Radcliffe will now go from course to sideline support, as she revealed she’ll be heading to London this weekend to cheer on her daughter Isla, 18, who is making her marathon debut at the 2025 TCS London Marathon. Isla will be running for charity, raising funds for Children with Cancer UK, which supported the family after she was diagnosed with cancer at age 13.