London Marathon 2019: I lost sight in one eye as I crawled to finish line, says elite runner Hayley Carruthers
Elite British runner Hayley Carruthers says she lost sight in one eye as she crawled over the finish line in a dramatic finish at the London Marathon – only to return to work on Monday.
Ms Carruthers finished 18th in Sunday’s race in a personal best time of 2hr 33min 59sec, but after going out hard she found the second half was a “survival fest”.
The 26-year-old NHS worker fell to her knees as she approached the line and had to be helped across the finish by officials, but posted a picture of herself back working at hospital in Birmingham on Monday, tweeting: “Don’t worry guys! I am a’ok! Back to reality...#doubelife.”
“I started counting my steps and my head was gone,” Ms Carruthers told the BBC's Radio 1 Newsbeat. “I think I lost sight in one eye. I couldn’t lift my legs at all and I just could’t move. it was just petrifying.”
Ms Carruthers described the race as the toughest challenge of her life.
“We started too fast and I got carried away with the excitement of being in the elite race and all the excitement of London really.
Don’t worry guys! I am a’ok! Back to reality... 🏥 #doublelife pic.twitter.com/ba03G05zaQ
— Hayley Carruthers (@mileswithhayley)
“We ran the first half far too quickly and it just ended up being a survival fest. To get to 20 miles and think I’ve still got another 10km to go – I genuinely didn’t think I could finish.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”