Paula Radcliffe ending her marathon career in London

After a long, storied career, one of the greatest distance runners of all time and three-time winner of the London Marathon, Paula Radcliffe, will take on her final marathon Sunday at home on the course she dominated in the prime of her career.

The 41-year-old Briton on three occasions won the London Marathon and, in 2003, set a world record there that will likely stand for many more years. She won the 2002 London Marathon in a world best time in her debut at the distance. Later that year, still in her first year of marathon running, she broke the world record at the Chicago Marathon, finishing in 2:17:18.

The following spring, she bettered her own record by nearly two minutes, racing to a 2:15:25 finish, again at home in London. She won the London Marathon again in 2005 running 2:17:42. The three times still stand as the three fastest women’s results ever, her record nearly three full minutes quicker than the next fastest.

Though she was so dominant on the roads, Radcliffe’s career also saw many low points as well, including never medalling at the Olympics despite on multiple occasions being considered a favourite heading into the year.

After opting not to defend her London Marathon title in 2004 in hopes of winning the Olympics later that summer, she suffered an injury. Still starting the race, she pulled out nearing the 40K mark. In 2008, she again was a favourite to medal at the Olympics but suffered a cramp mid-race and stopped to stretch, finishing 23rd. In 2012, she pulled out of the Olympic marathon, again due to injury.

Leading into Sunday’s race, though she knows she isn’t anymore able to compete with the elites, Paula will again go into the race knowing she’s not as fit as she would like to be, suffering an Achilles injury training in Kenya earlier in the year.

Finishing the race down The Mall, Radcliffe will be almost certainly be one of the stars of the race, despite coming in behind the leaders, ending off a long career as one of the world’s top distance runners.