Athletics: England debut agony for Mexborough's Carl Ryde

One of the proudest moments of runner Carl Ryde's life turned into the one of his most painful in Canada.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Nov 2016, 05:00 BST
Updated 16th Nov 2016, 15:24 BST
Carl Ryde represented England in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.Carl Ryde represented England in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
Carl Ryde represented England in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

The marathon man from Mexborough was selected to run for England for the first time in last month’s Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

Ryde, of Doncaster Athletic Club, went into the event on the back of a superb run in the London Marathon (2:23:04) earlier this year which saw him finish 12th place overall (outside of the elite runners).

But his England debut sadly did not go to plan.

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“I damaged my ankle by rolling over on it and suffered from six miles into the race,” said Ryde.

“It was complete agony and perhaps one of the most painful experiences of my life, mentally and physically.

“I simply had to finish as I was wearing an England vest and quitting was not an option to me. On paper it is the worst marathon performance of my career but I couldn’t let family, friends and the national team down so take some pride in crossing the line.

“I still feel like I have let the town down, but the injury was simply horrific in terms of timing, the importance of the race to me, and obviously the pain of running.

“It was a bitter pill to swallow but I will gulp it down and come back fighting next season.”