Keri-Anne Payne, the double marathon world champion who fell a hand shy of the podium at London 2012 four years after silver at Beijing 2008, has left her base at Stockport Metro to follow new husband David Carry in a move to Edinburgh.

Carry, double Commonwealth champion in 2006, is set to join Red Sky Management after retiring from competitive swimming. “I have moved to Edinburgh to be with David,” said Payne. “His new career is the most important thing for us right now. The time is right for a change. It’s the start of a new Olympic training cycle and the start of a new stage in our lives as a married couple so it is the right decision.

"That said it was a hard decision to make, I’ve trained at Stockport Metro for over nine years and the club has done a huge amount for me throughout my career," added Payne. "The facilities, the swimmers and especially the coaches Sean (Kelly) and Lars (Humer) have been fantastic.  I have definitely made some friends for life."

There were plenty of people to thank. Said Payne: "There are loads of people at Stockport that I need to thank, my coaches Sean Kelly and Lars Humer. Also Shaun Zitani, Sarah Khan, Scott Gardiner, Ben Hollis, Matt Cooke, Lee Harrington, Julie Bennett, Richard Blackshaw and all from the Stockport Sports Trust.”

Payne is currently testing the waters at Warrender Baths and the University of Edinburgh to see if the programme there suits her.