Radcliffe to defend title at New York Marathon

NEW YORK – World record-holder Paula Radcliffe will defend her title at the New York City Marathon next month. She pronounced herself healthy on Wednesday, following a 23rd-place finish at the Beijing Olympics after injuries hampered her preparation. The 34-year-old British runner will go for her third NYC Marathon victory on November 2. The race has been the site of stirring comebacks twice before. In 2004, Radcliffe won after health problems forced her to drop out of the Olympic marathon in Athens. Last year, her title came less than 10 months after the birth of her daughter. Radcliffe has won seven of the eight marathons she has finished. "I don't feel New York is necessarily where I have to go to get over something bad," she said on a conference call. "Yes, I do have good feelings about the place that I can go there and can race well and something special can happen there." Radcliffe set the world mark of 2 hours, 15 minutes, 25 seconds in 2003 in London. She owns the world's top three times. – AP