‘Biomechanical breakdown’ Carroll’s marathon downfall
The Cork national record holder at 3,000m, 5,000m and 10,000m was forced to quit the biggest marathon in the world yesterday after 19.5 miles with his right hip locking up, cutting short what had until then been an impressive run on his return to the classic long-distance race.
The 33-year-old had been part of a stellar leading group of runners in the men’s professional race that included world record holder and eventual winner Paul Tergat of Kenya, defending New York champion Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa and Olympic silver medallist Meb Keflezighi of the United States.
He was leading approaching the halfway stage before his right hip began to tighten. By the time the Leevale star had crossed the 59th Street Bridge the pelvic problems that had badgered his career for the past two years resurfaced with a vengeance.
“At 16 and 17 (miles) my hip just kept locking up. And then down First Avenue it just got worse and worse,” Carroll said.
“It’s not an injury but every time I run, my hip and glute muscles get tighter and tighter. It’s just there and then the problem turns my leg inward and the muscles stop firing basically. As the race goes on it gets worse.”
Carroll thought he had conquered the balance problems that had led to withdrawals from the London and New York marathons in 2004 and spoiled his Olympics in Athens.
He has been wearing plastic inserts in his running shoes for the past three months to correct a slight difference in leg length and was full of confidence going into the race, having run a personal best for the half marathon in September at the BUPA Great North Run.
Yet his problems last year were perceived in some quarters as a sign of failure and in February the Irish Sports Council withdrew his grant funding, leading the Cork man on Friday to criticise its chairman John Treacy.
“I’m doing things right,” Carroll said last night, “my training’s been good, I feel fit but I’m having a biomechanical breakdown.
“There’s a solution to this problem. I have to go and see someone who can figure out what it is because I feel fine and I’m still going to train; I’m not going to leave it at that because for that first half of the race I was completely in control.
“Pace was not a factor, I was in the lead pack and I’d made the decision to sit at the front, not sit in the middle or at the back of that lead pack, because I was coming here to race, not to take the easy way out. I said to myself that if I’m going to do this I’m going to give it 100% and run a committed race, otherwise I have no business being here and I should go off and do something else with my life.
“I’m not at that point yet. I’ve come a long way in the last few months, trying to get this thing diagnosed and the orthotic has helped.
“In the Great North Run, over the half marathon, it was good although my hip was tightening up toward the end, but over the marathon that was something else.”
The former Providence track star, who still lives in Rhode Island, where he married US Olympian Amy Rudolph last month, said he would return to training after a week’s rest before taking his wife on honeymoon next month and spending Christmas at home in Cork. But he has targeted a flatter marathon in the spring.
“I’m disappointed because I put such a lot of work into it but I feel like I’m in a position to run well in terms of the training and the commitment I still have for the sport. I still feel I can still run a very fast marathon.”
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