TWO Hereford-based students overcame their own battles to complete their first ever marathon.

Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) pupils Freya Gavin and Ryley Day-Hector both took on the Manchester Marathon recently.

Ryley, who was aiming for a four-hour finish, had to battle through illness but still managed to complete the marathon in an impressive 4-46-41. Reflecting on his experience, Ryley said: “It didn’t start off great as I didn’t feel well at all. The first hour was okay and I did a decent first 10k.

“It was a great atmosphere, and I was surrounded by people, which kept me going. I was just relieved to cross the finish line - I sprinted the last mile.

“Being poorly I just wanted to get the job done. My sister and mum came to cheer me on. It was nice motivation as I was just slogging my way through – my sister even ran alongside me on a couple of occasions. However bad I was feeling I still had to finish it as people were relying on me.”

Ryley has some useful vision and was able to navigate his own race and he was able to follow the route along with everyone else. However, he had to dig deep and push through the physical and mental challenges.

Meanwhile, Freya tackled the marathon with the help of a guide.

The terrain presented its own challenges, having to navigate around numerous potholes that made the going tough.

They still managed to finish with a very respectable time of 5-09-31, although Freya had initially set a target of 4.5 hours. Sharing her experience, Freya said: “The first half of the marathon went really quickly and the atmosphere was great.

“In training I had managed 18 or 19 miles so, on the day, beyond 23 miles it became quite a struggle. It was quite disorientating and challenging at times and it made me realise how much trust I had to put into my guide, but I surprised myself with how mentally strong I was.”