I started out at a school called Little Leigh primary school in Cheshire, but I was only there until I was six. Then I moved to Kingsley community primary school. When I was 11, we moved down to Bedford. I went to Lincroft middle school until I was 14, then to Sharnbrook upper school.

I enjoyed school. The first two were small village schools and they were great, really friendly. I went to the middle school a bit late. Everyone else had already been there for two years so I probably fitted in less well. I wouldn’t say I was unhappy; it was just different. I was catching up all the time; I was two years behind in French.

I started running while I was at Kingsley primary. Another girl there, a member of the local harriers, and a teacher called Mike Leith both encouraged me. Mr Leith was very supportive from the beginning. I think he saw me running on school sports days. We used to run in inter-school matches, too - that was probably where he saw me and decided I could be good. I would have started running anyway, I think, but he gave me a push in that direction.

My grandma lives in Liverpool, and when I go back to see her I go out running in the forest there. Mr Leith still runs, and I’ve seen him a couple of times when I’ve been out too. Last time I was there I went out for a meal and one of the guys in the restaurant worked with him. So there’s still that little connection that keeps cropping up.

He and a woman called Mrs Feather were very good teachers at Kingsley primary. I was always happy in their classes. It was a very friendly school, with a good headteacher, Andrew Rowe.

When I was at Sharnbrook I got on well with the whole staff, and with the headteacher, a man called David Jackson. There isn’t really one who stands out. They all knew I was a runner - I won the world junior cross-country championships when I was still there, at 18 - and the teachers were great about supporting me. But I was pretty driven myself as well. I studied maths, French and German at A-level, and the maths teacher, Mr Carradice, would really push me. I think that’s helped to build my determination. I enjoyed it, but then I enjoyed all the A-levels I took.

I went on to do languages at Loughborough University and I think that is a sign of the good teachers I had in those subjects - Mrs Edwards taught me French, and Mr Gentry and Mrs Dawson took me for German. I enjoy languages, and I have especially enjoyed travelling to foreign countries and speaking the languages. I love being in different countries, and feel very much at home in France.

I also had an English teacher called Mrs Hill, who was very enthusiastic. I didn’t take English any further because I thought the languages and the maths would be better for me, career-wise, but she was a bright, vivacious, lively person, and used to teach us to go after what we wanted. I guess something rubbed off from her.

The London Marathon - my first - has been my sole focus this year, since October really. But from May I’ll be into the next block of training. This summer, the European championships is most important for me because in the past I haven’t run so well there. I was injured in 1994 and I was ill in 1998, so it’s important to get a European track title. It’s more important than this year’s Commonwealth Games, to be honest, although I shouldn’t really say that with the games being held in Manchester. I will run 5,000 metres at the Commonwealths and 10,000 metres in the Europeans.

London Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe was talking to Matthew Brown

THE STORY SO FAR

1973 Born in Davenham, Cheshire

1991 Fourth in 3,000m at European junior championships

1992 Wins junior cross-country championships, Boston, US

1992-95 Studies modern languages at Loughborough University

1996 Fifth in 5,000m at Olympic Games, Atlanta, US

2000 Wins world half-marathon

2001 World cross-country champion; retains world half-marathon title, and has public row with husband Gary Lough after finishing fourth in 10,000m at world track championships

April 14 2002 Wins London Marathon in second fastest time by a woman