While Marathon Derby champion Terrance Armstrong was revelling in the glory of his third consecutive May 24 title on Wednesday, his biggest rival was sitting forlornly at home with a sprained left ankle packed in ice.

Having spent 10 arduous months preparing for the most prestigious road race on the calendar, seven-time runner-up Jay Donawa went for a gentle three-mile jog the day before the big event, simply to stretch his legs and get the blood flowing.

But with only a few hundred metres left, the long-serving fireman rolled his ankle in a small pothole on the edge of the road and collapsed to the ground, his Derby ambitions in tatters.

?I was not too far from home and I managed to limp by way back and dunk my ankle in a bucket of ice and water,? Donawa explained yesterday.

?I got hold of my doctor immediately and after he examined it he told me that it was in pretty bad shape and he advised me not to run ? though of course he said it was up to me. I thought about it for a while and I gave myself as long as possible to decide, but it became obvious pretty quickly that there was no way I was going to be capable of running.

?At first, obviously, I was completely gutted. I went through so many emotions from despair to real anger. I trained solidly for 10 months to get ready and it all fell apart in 10 minutes.

?But having had a couple of days to reflect on it and calm down, I?m fine and trying to be positive about it. I?ve had a lot of people call me to offer their support which I really appreciate and it has made the disappointment a little easier to put up with.?

What made Donawa?s last-minute withdrawal even more frustrating for him was that his recent form had been impressive.

In January?s International Race Weekend half-marathon he clocked a time of just over one hour 11 minutes ? seconds away from his personal best ? while in last month?s RMS Construction 20K race he finished first in an imposing 1:06:55 ? a full mile ahead of his nearest rival.

But a typically modest Donawa preferred not to speculate on whether this might have been his year in light of such commanding displays.

?It is very easy to be the Monday morning quarter back,? he said.

?There are so many intangibles in road running that I wouldn?t like to comment on how well I could have done. What I can say is that I felt in very good shape in the lead-up to the race. My training had been going well and I was putting in some good times so I had given myself the best possible chance.

?I don?t really pay much attention to the time Terrance ran either. In a race such as that you do what you have to do to win ? there is a lot of strategy involved which is not necessarily reflected in the time. From what I hear, Terrance ran a fantastic race and he fully deserved a third consecutive title. We are both good friends and I?d like to congratulate him on a magnificent effort.

?It was also good to see the Marshall brothers (Lamont and Larry) do so well because they are still young and their emergence is great for Bermuda.?

While his wife and children watched the race on Front Street, Donawa decided to stay at home.

?I would have been hobbling around all over the place and I didn?t want a lot of pity,? he said.

?So I thought it was better to stay at home, put the ankle up and watch a few movies. I told my wife that I wasn?t going to listen to the race on the radio, but when she?d gone I turned it on and told myself I?d just listen to the start. Then I said I?d only listen to it through the first five miles. Then eight ? and all of a sudden I had listened to the entire thing!

?It was an interesting experience listening to the commentary because I knew at the different stages of the race exactly what the runners were going through and what they were thinking. I kept picturing myself out there on the course.

?It?s obviously far too early to think about next year. But I really love that race and if I?m healthy, there?s no reason why I won?t be back competing and trying to win it.?