It depends on the situation. To be honest, both "Such was my effort ..." and "Such an effort did I make ..." sound rather contrived and perhaps a little old-fashioned. In normal, everyday conversation I would expect to hear "I made such an effort that I soon/quickly caught up with the others".
In written form, either of yours would sound fine if they were in keeping with the tone and the form of the rest of the piece.

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