Paula Radcliffe

Oh yes, its all very well and good for bloody Paula Radcliffe.She thinks she can just run right back into our hearts and souls. Well Ive had it!

At the Olimpics. I was behind her. I was behind her all the fucking way! We were all behind her.

I...I remeber that day. I remeber it so well. We were in France, and we went down to the Sports Cafe, to watch...Im sorry this is really difficult....to watch the marathon.

We had our fucking union jacks and everything. It was perfect. All bloody perfect. Cheering, and she was just running, running.And everyone was cheering, and clapping her on for. The. Full. God. Damn. Marathon.

I rember it soo well. So well. The flagswere waving, we were singing, drinking...hugging. Then...I stopped. Everyone else was still in a rave. But i Stopped and looked. Something, it didnt look right.

I stood. Still, silentley, in a haze of the 2 hour celebration which had gone on behind me throughout the marathon. I stopped. Stopped and stared at the telly. The ash on my fag fell slowly to the ground. And...and

Paula stopped. Paul stopped. and fell to the ground. The hole bar just stood. Cried. Oh fuck we cried. Screemed at the telly. "get up paula get up!"
We all shouted at her.

A few of the people got into the car and started out straight for Athens.We saw them on the telly a few hours later. No one slept that night. We stayed in the barfor days, just cying and holding each other.Then the news came onshe might run the 10k. Butwe couldnt even get excited about that. She used us. she used us and abused us. All our fucking hopes were pinned on it! all our fucking hopes! and she let us down. the bitch. When she ran the tenk. we thought that would be better, as it went on and on, we got better and better. then she did it again. did it again.

The guys who went to athens never came back. they went to amsterdam and took advantage of the euthanasia laws. they couldnt see any point in going on. I dont blame then.

And now shes won the London Marathon, i cant do it. I cant let her back into my heart. Im not strong enough. Im not. It took too long to heal. It took too long.

That was a documentry for the BBC about the psychological effect ofPaula Radcliffe on our nations teenagers. The face of our interviewee has been blacked out to protect him.