A TALENTED Isle of Wight woman has achieved a superb personal best in the Verona Marathon.

Carly Scoble, from Yaverland, finished the marathon in 2 hours, 53 minutes, and 53 seconds, making her the second overall woman out of 3,000 female runners.

The Ryde Harriers athlete also won her W35-39 category.

The accountant's performance in the Italian marathon comes after a disappointing run in the London Marathon earlier this year.

The 37-year-old's coach, Geoff Watkin, said: "Carly only started running during the Covid lockdown, so to produce a performance of this standard has been down to her dedication and hard work.

"Since the London Marathon in April, she has trained hard, covering up to 80 miles a week, undertaking tough marathon sessions on the track and on the road.

"It is a well-deserved performance and I’m confident she will continue to improve in the coming races."

The marathon took place on a cold, dry, and still morning, which provided ideal conditions for the runners.

Carly, along with fellow Ryde Harrier, Will Newnham, quickly settled into their stride.

By the half-marathon point, which she passed in 1.26.32 seconds, Carly had moved up to fifth place.

She had to dig deep for the last 5 kilometres of the 42.20 kilometre race, but crossed the finish line outside the Arena Di Verona, in a personal best time and position.