FOLLOWING his impressive third place finish in the London 10km, Ryde Harriers athlete Matt Sharp claimed an excellent fifth in the gruelling Davos X Mountain Marathon in Switzerland.

The challenging race, which covers a distance of 42.70km, including a harsh 24km climb up to the steep 19km downwards stretch down to the finish line.

Sharp, known for his competitive drive, was not far off the lead at the summit, but he struggled against the demands of the downhill terrain.

The formidable downhill stretch presented more of a challenge for him, than many of the specialised mountain racers from France and Switzerland.

After numerous falls and "numbing exhaustion" in his legs, according to his Ryde-based coach, Geoff Watkin, Sharp persevered to finish the race in a remarkable 3hs 44mins 50secs.

This was significantly slower than his quickest traditional marathon time, of 2hrs 16mins — reflecting the tough conditions of the Davos X Mountain Marathon.

While enduring this formidable challenge, Sharp stayed resilient.

"The uphill gradient is so tough in parts, the athletes have to walk the downhill section, because it is so long and steep, it shatters the legs," said Watkin.

Sally Ratcliffe, also coached by the Islander, won the women’s race by 13 minutes and came eighth overall in 3.53.18.

Sharp will take some time to recover before returning to training and tackling traditional road races this season.