DAVID BEDFORD, the race director of the Flora London Marathon, last night praised Paula Radcliffe for her honesty after she was forced to withdraw from the defence of her title this month. Many a champion marathon runner over the years has gone to the start line half fit just to collect their appearance fee and Radcliffe, Bedford said, could have done the same.

Organisers of big city marathons never disclose payment deals but Radcliffe, as the world’s most valuable female distance runner, is unlikely to have agreed to run in London for less than £200,000. Bedford said that the world record-holder for the distance would have needed to do “little more than turn up” to fulfil her contract.

After withdrawing from the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne last month with the same foot injury that now rules her out of London, Radcliffe was accused in some quarters of putting money before medals. It was alleged that she had sought to protect her London Marathon interests by missing Melbourne, although she has an outstanding record of representing her country.

“It is clearly not true because, even with this injury, Paula could probably have run 2hr 20min,” Bedford said. “But she is prepared to compete only when she is 100 per cent.” It is Bedford’s understanding that the injury is not serious, a point emphasised by Sian Masterton, the athlete’s agent.

Radcliffe has been receiving treatment in Munich from Dr Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt and Masterton said: “Paula has been continuing to train through the injury which prevented her from taking part in the Commonwealth Games but she has had to accept that a short period of total rest is what is needed.

“He [Muller-Wohlfahrt] is very optimistic that, with a small amount of complete rest, it [the injury] will settle down.” Radcliffe said: “I have worked really hard over the last few months, so it is gutting now not to be able to take part.”

Regardless of the money, and a Radcliffe victory would have grossed her in excess of £500,000, it is the pattern of her withdrawing from races that is concerning. Until three years ago Radcliffe rarely conceded to injury or illness but since 2002 she has been a more fragile athlete.

Ruled out of the 2003 track World Championships in Paris, with bronchitis and hip trouble, Radcliffe withdrew from the 2004 World Cross Country Championships in Brussels because of hamstring trouble. She blamed a quadricep injury before the 2004 Athens Olympics for destroying her chances in a race that she dropped out of with four miles to go.

Although Radcliffe recovered from her Athens anguish to win the New York City Marathon later that year, and the London and World Championship marathons in 2005, she has had a wretched past six months.

She withdrew from an attempt on the 15k world record in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, in November, once more with bronchitis, and has now had to give up on the Commonwealth Games and London Marathon. As well as the usual incentives offered by the London Marathon, there was an additional carrot this year.

A new competition, the World Marathon Majors, has put up $500,000 (about £288,000) each for the man and woman with the best marathon record at the so-called Big Five races up to the end of next year. Radcliffe’s injury means the loss of her first opportunity to score points.