PAULA RADCLIFFE has launched a vociferous riposte to the critics who believe she puts financial gain ahead of representing her country. She was upset after her motives were questioned when she pulled out of the World Half-marathon Championships in Birmingham three weeks ago with tonsillitis.

Here in New York today she will target a first prize of $200,000 as she aims to win a fourth ING New York Marathon. “You are never going to please everybody and there is always going to be someone out there who hates you, or you really bug. You have to accept that,” said Radcliffe.

“There are people out there [who hate me] who don’t even know me. That is something I always talked about but never believed until I came through the Athens Olympics [she failed to finish the marathon].

“Why would I have entered [Birmingham] if I did not have that interest [in representing her country]? I would have just said that I am going to run in New York and the Great North Run beforehand.”

At 35, Radcliffe is drifting towards the twilight of her extraordinary career, but she spoke here on the eve of this race, the final leg of the World Marathon Majors Series, with a passion that could take her to the Olympics in 2016. “Never say never,” she said of her chances of lining up in Rio de Janeiro. “There are marathon runners who are still around at 42 and performing well.”

It was at the Athens Olympics in 2004 where she first experienced major criticism after stopping three miles from the end. Radcliffe, who also missed this summer’s world championships in Berlin because she was not ready in time in a year rocked by injury, said: “You cannot win. You are never going to please everyone. You just have to get on and do what you want. Nobody was more disappointed than me to miss out on Birmingham. I was also gutted about not being able to run in Berlin.”

The marathon world record-holder was keen to talk about the importance of her daughter Isla, who is three in January. “She just comes up to me and says, ‘Mum, I love you so much’,” said Radcliffe. “That just makes you feel better, that is what matters rather than what somebody you are probably never going to meet thinks.”

Norway’s Grete Waitz won the New York Marathon nine times and victory for Radcliffe today would put her alone in second place in the race’s rankings.

The course record of 2hr 22min 31sec is a target in Radcliff’s first marathon since she won here 12 months ago. She should prove too strong for the opposition, her biggest threats likely to be Japan’s Yuri Kano and Kenya’s Salina Kosgei.