Going the distance

Paula Radcliffe will get a head start of 7 minutes, 52 seconds on the Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie at a special half-marathon event in Vienna on Sunday. Radcliffe’s advantage equals the difference between their personal bests over the 13.1-mile distance. It’s her first race of the year, four months before the London Olympic marathon. “I hope to be able to produce a good solid run and I would be happy with a time of sub 70 minutes,” Radcliffe said Friday. “I hope it does not come to a sprint in the final 100 meters – in this case I know on who my money would be.” Radcliffe, 38, has not raced since qualifying for the Olympics, placing third in the Berlin Marathon in September. Her recent training has been slowed by bronchitis. – Associated Press