I wish I had more time - Radcliffe

Paula Radcliffe wishes she had more time to recover from the thigh injury she suffered in May but has decided to "give it a go" in Sunday's Beijing Olympics marathon.

The 34-year-old world record-holder admits she would not have pushed herself as hard for any other race and that there have been times when she feared she would not make the start line.

"Of course, I could do with a bit more time, but (I'll) just go in and give it a go," Radcliffe told BBC Sport. "That's a hundred times better than watching on TV."

She added: "If it was a big city marathon or even a World Championships (I'd say) do not push it, make sure I was well prepared. But I do not want to sit there watching it wondering what could have happened."

Radcliffe, who dropped out of the 2004 marathon in Athens with dehydration, was diagnosed with a stress fracture to her left femur in May.

That appeared to have ended her Beijing hopes but Radcliffe was determined not to give up on her Olympics dream and insists she is better equipped to succeed at the weekend than she was in Athens.

"I'd rather go in like this than the shape I was in back in 2004 when I was not well," she stressed.

"There were times in the last 12 weeks when I thought 'How can this be happening, has someone put a jinx on me?' But then I'd go to bed and think 'No this is the Olympics, I'm not going to give up'."