Athletics: Radcliffe Puts New Orleans on Her Marathon Map

Paula Radcliffe will complete her final preparations for the London Marathon by running in a 10 kilometres race in New Orleans next week.

The Bedford runner has chosen the race in the United States on March 26 , on a course renowned for being flat and fast, as her last tune-up before visiting her physical therapist Gerhard Hartmann in Limerick and then returning to England in time for the race in London on April 17.

Radcliffe normally would have tested her fitness by racing a 10km race as early as February, but a late start to her London preparations has forced a change of plan.

The delay was due to her decision to run in last November's New York City Marathon, which she won after a thrilling contest with Kenya's Susan Chepkemei, whom she will meet in London.

She has been training in the United States since early January, mainly at altitude in New Mexico, and had been expected to represent Britain at the world cross-country championships in St Etienne this weekend.

But she decided to skip the event she won in 2001 and 2002 because she did not want to compromise her preparations for London, a race for which she is receiving a record £500,000 to appear.

She holds the world record for 10km, with a time of 30min 21sec set two years ago in Puerto Rico. But Radcliffe has a more realistic target ahead of her first race since last November's Run-London event.

She will most probably target the course record of 31:23, set by Isabella Ochichi. The Kenyan went on to claim the Olympic 5,000m silver medal, while Radcliffe returned from Athens empty-handed.

A row between the International Association of Athletics Federations and the Turkish authorities seems inevitable after the latter cut Sureyya Ayhan's two-year suspension in half last night.

The Turks banned the European 1500m champion last month after she was found guilty of deliberately avoiding a test before the Olympics last year. Yucel Kop, Ayhan's husband and coach, admitted he obstructed testing officials, including stopping a male tester from entering a room during a urine test.

But the ban was cut to one year by the Youth and Sports General Directorate's office, meaning Ayhan will be eligible to compete again in October.

The IAAF were not available for comment last night but they are certain to refer the case to the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, who have the power to reimpose the two-year suspension.