The first wheelchair user from the Isle of Man to complete the London Marathon has said that he hopes his achievement ‘can inspire others’ to do the same.

Mike Ryan, a disabled armed forces veteran from Onchan, completed the 26.2-mile endurance race in just under six hours and four minutes - despite not being able to train for the event due to a significant shoulder injury.

While initially noting he narrowly missed a sub-six-hour finish, he said his primary goal had always been simply to complete the distance.

‘The feeling at the finish line is everything positive you could think of - a sense of relief and achievement,’ Mike explained.

‘Before the race, all I had in my mind was that I wanted to finish, and I’m very happy with the way it went.

‘My wife is my biggest critic, and to see her smile at the end was an even bigger medal.’

Mike suffered pain in his shoulders, hands and legs, and said that his lack of preparation hindered his performance on sections of the course with hills and road cambers, which required him to rely heavily on one arm.

‘The cambers were tough,’ he added. ‘In a wheelchair, you can sometimes only use one arm depending on the slope, and that was pretty savage.’

Mike served in the Royal Engineers throughout the 1990s and was deployed to a number of locations across Europe including Germany and Northern Ireland during his time in the forces.

During his service, he suffered multiple fractures to his legs which has left him needing the use of a wheelchair to get around.

Mike also suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and was referred to the National Sports Centre (NSC) gym in Douglas through the Mental Health Service’s ‘ACTIV4HEALTH’ referral scheme.

In June last year, Mike also completed the equivalent of the Parish Walk (85 miles) using a hand crank machine at the NSC - a feat which then spurred him on to do more.

He said that he hopes his physical achievements can inspire other disabled and able-bodied people to take on something outside of their comfort zone.

‘I want people to see a “lump” like me and be inspired,’ he said.

‘Go and surprise yourself, because if you don’t, people will only see what you can’t do.

‘Disabled people are just different, we’re not less - it’s like judging a shark on land. I challenge people to go and find out for themselves what they can do.’

Looking ahead, Mike said that his immediate priority is recovering from his shoulder injury, but that he is considering further endurance challenges such as the equivalent of 170 miles on a hand crank machine within a day.

In addition to the London Marathon milestone, Mike used the event to raise funds for Isle Listen, a local mental health charity.

He has currently raised £505, which is just over his £500 target - but is still looking to raise more. If you’d like to donate, you can visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/mike-ryan-1