Paula Radcliffe seeks Manchester action
British athlete Paula Radcliffe will return to competitive action at the Great Manchester Run on 15 May after a 15-month absence.
The 10km run will mark the beginning of her preparations for the 2012 Olympics.
The world marathon record holder has not competed since the 2009 New York Marathon, where she finished fourth.
“Starting my comeback with a 10km race is ideal as I build up later in the year to achieving the marathon standard,” the 37-year-old said.
Radcliffe took 15 months out to give birth to her second child in September and has been undergoing high-altitude training in Albuquerque, New Mexico, since mid-January.
In a statement, she said: “I deliberately returned slowly to training after Raphael was born and everything, apart from being bitten by a dog whilst training in Monaco at the beginning of the year, has gone pretty well.”
She is expected to take part in a marathon later in the year, with a focus on attaining the qualifying standard for the London Olympics.
“I’m confident of what I have to achieve in the build-up to London 2012,” she added.
Radcliffe has held the world marathon record of two hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds since 2003. She is also the world road running 10km record holder with a time of 30 minutes and 21 seconds.