Cambridge & Coleridge Athletic Club member Callum Elson on the comeback trail after ‘freak’ Achilles injury at World Indoor Athletics Championship in Glasgow
Callum Elson could be forgiven for wallowing in his own self pity.
After all, the Cambridge & Coleridge Athletic Club member had understandably high hopes for 2024 – only to have those dreams dashed in the cruellest of fashion.
Elson had spent the previous two years leaving no stone unturned in his bid to earn international recognition, having only started to take running seriously during the Covid-19 pandemic.
And he was starting to reap the rewards after call-ups to represent Great Britain out on the roads and in cross country were followed by Elson being selected as part of the British 1,500m squad for March’s World Athletics Indoor Championship in Glasgow.
Shine at the event in Scotland, continue to shave a couple of seconds off his personal best and who knows? Even this summer’s Olympic Games would not have been out of the question.
But just when Elson was riding the crest of a wave it all came crashing down. Running in the last of three heats at the Commonwealth Arena, the 25-year-old pulled up down the back straight before hitting the floor. The commentators initially pondered the possibility of cramp, but with Elson only able to leave the track with the aid of a wheelchair, that hypothesis soon looked far of the mark.
Replays in fact showed that Elson had been caught by one of his opponent’s running spikes, and subsequent scans showed significant damage. The spike had torn part of the former Leeds United academy player’s Achilles, leaving him facing up to the prospect of surgery and several months on the sidelines.
Yet while the feeling of what might have been does still linger from time to time, Elson is refusing to feel sorry himself.
He said: “It was a complete freak accident. I’ve been spiked in the Achilles, it’s not something that can be related to me in terms of over-training or me making an error. It’s not something I can look back on with regret and feel like I should have seen it coming – it’s a one-off thing.
“That’s easier to live with because I’m not dealing with any regret and I don’t have to dive into any deeper issues about a weakness in my body or a bone density issue – something like that.
“But on the other side it is frustrating because you’re left with what could have been. In the summer, could I have run a couple of seconds quicker? And would I have been knocking on the door of the Olympic team? The financial rewards and the exposure that comes with that – all of those type of questions.
“But with running, everyone can think they are going to do something in their head, yet unless you actually go and do it and you run from Point A to B within a certain period of time, then it doesn’t really matter what you think. I’ve just got to suck up and wait until I get the chance to do it again.
“It’s part of what athletes have to go through. If you look at some of the top athletes in the UK right now and across the world, a lot of them have had seasons written off by serious injuries. They’ve had to miss the Olympics and things like that.
“You just have to accept that if you’re committing to this as a job and you really want to get to the top level, this is part and parcel of pushing your body and competing – these things happen.”
For all of his positivity, there have of course been some tough moments. As the biggest tendon in the body, harm to the Achilles is arguably the injury that people from all sports fear the most.
For Elson, he has been left to contemplate whether or not he will be the same runner upon his return. Are his best days now behind him?
World Athletics Championship silver medallist Hannah England has been on hand to allay those fears having battled back from an Achilles injury of her own, while world champion Jake Wightman has also been the source of inspiration following a 12-month period in which he had been dogged by fitness problems.
Asked if he can follow suit upon his return, Elson said: “That’s the dream I need to have in order to keep me motivated otherwise there is no point. I don’t want to just think I’ll come back and be all right. Others have come back and run PBs, so why not me?
“I’ve been upset. When it first happened it didn’t really sink in. You’re going back and forward, having scans and consultations. I knew it was serious, but you’re just focusing on the next appointment and result.
“But when I came out of surgery, I remember I had to walk across the room on my crutches and I was thinking ‘I literally cannot walk’.
“All of a sudden it dawned on me that this isn’t a little injury that’s only going to require a few days off, this is going to take a long time.
“I couldn’t even feel what was going on in my leg. My brain is telling my toes to wiggle and I couldn’t do it.
“It wasn’t good and I got really upset – that’s when it kicked in. Now the attention had gone of being on TV.
“I got spiked and everyone has left me amazing messages, but once that week or two had settled down, you’re just like another injured person and it’s just you left to your own devices.
“I realised it’s only me that’s going to get myself out of this. People will be there and put their arm around me, but it’s up to me
“I either throw my toys out of the pram or I flip it on its head and try to keep busy, occupied and positive.
“One thing I’m very aware of is that it might take quite a bit of time. You see it quite a lot that even when athletes get back to a functional level and they’re doing their training, because of the time you’ve had away from competition it might not be until six months or even a year since you got back to full fitness that you unlock your best times again.
“I would love to say that next summer I’ll be back with a bang, the first couple of races I set PBs and it’s like nothing ever happened, but also I don’t want to put that pressure on myself.
“I need to be realistic and there’s definitely a physical and mental toll that it will have taken to have basically had a full year away from competition. You can’t expect to come back and everything is perfect.”
But while there will be a lot of questions to be answered over the days, weeks and months to come, Elson is at least provided some clarity by his association with Cambridge & Coleridge.
He has remained a regular at the track and is thankful for the report that he has received.
Elson added: “From a Cambridge perspective, that has been such a massive help. Not only do I have my mates down there, people at the club have reached out and offered to help me a lot.
“When I had the surgery, people were offering to drive me places and all sorts of practical support, which was amazing.
“We have such a talented group, and it’s not just a case of suddenly the running group chat is dead because I’m not running.
“We’ve got some of the young guys going for European Under-18s, others going for other times and PBs. The junior depth we’ve got is bonkers – it’s probably the best in the UK.
“So from a motivation point of view it’s great to go down to the track, have a chat and see people continue to do quality training. I’m not isolated with nothing to do – I’m still part of the group and that’s been important.”
Elson has been documenting his recovery on YouTube – search for The Distance Project.
