Hot from Flora London Marathon headquarters is news that reigning Olympic women’s champion Mizuki Noguchi has withdrawn from this year’s race. Noguchi famously beat Paula Radcliffe, the favourite, in Athen’s 2004 when Paula dropped out.

Noguchi suffered an inflamed Achilles tendon earlier in the year, and lost a month’s training. Me too! The difference is that Noguchi is pulling out because she does not expect to do her best, having lost such time. Should that be a rational response for anyone? The lower down the food chain, the less likely you are to quit in such circumstances.

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