So she didn't have her family flown in by private jet and wasn't kissed halfway through the race by the dude from Top Gun, Paula Radcliffe won the women's race of the New York City Marathon. Take that, Thetans!
And while all the paparazzi lenses may have been turned towards more famous runners like Lance 'Man Ho' Armstrong and Katie Holmes, Radcliffe pulled off a spectacular feat, winning the grueling 26.2 mile race a mere 291 days after giving birth to daughter Isla Lough. It's been 3,285 days since I last gave birth and I get winded just walking to the refrigerator.
There was a pall of sadness at the start of 38th running of the marathon, as all the runners observed a moment of silence to honor fellow marathoner Ryan Shay who died the day before during the U.S. Olympic trials in Central Park. For Radcliffe, Shay's untimely death put things in perspective. "It's just a race at the end of the day. We're just racers...It's about how much you have left inside."
