Aston International WHL3 - Slieau Whallian

The third and final round in the Aston International sponsored Winter Hill League will take place on Saturday December 13th. The course will be based almost entirely within the Slieau Whallian plantation with the start and finish at the Patrick Road entrance. Distance just over 2 miles.
 
Start time is 1.30pm with registration from 12.30pm at the old railway station car park on Station Road, St Johns. All runners who have competed in either of the two earlier rounds are reminded to bring the race number that they used previously.
 
Following the race there will be a presentation of awards for the league and junior championships at the Tynwald Inn where hot food will available for all competitors Note: ON PRODUCTION OF RACE NUMBER!

 

Diabetes & Pumps for Kids - Paul Killey

Pumps for Kids is a diabetes charity supporting the use of insulin pumps which helps children control their diabetes without the use of multiple daily injections using needles.

Paul Killey is doing his thing for this charity and has been growing his hair all year and is taking sponsorship to dye it also - the more sponsorship he gets the wilder the colour! After the St Johns Fell Race on New Years Day he is getting it all shaved off so if you see Paul please donate to his cause. If there are other ways to donate they will be advertised here.

WHL 2 (Glen Helen) - Results

A bumper turn out for round 2 of the Aston International sponsored Winter Hill League race 2 at Glen Helen. 114 runners completed the newly designed course, matching the same record total set in the last round at Cringle.

Feedback on the course was excellent so a big thank you to those involved in designing and marking the course. Thanks also to the marshals, helpers, timekeepers and sponsors, Aston International.

Results are now compiled (after being reunited with technology!) and available here. Please let us know in case of any discrepancies. There is a query over number 106 if anyone can clear that one up.

Details of the next and final round will be published soon. Photos below courtesy (hopefully!) of Janelle's Sportypic's camera with Steve Partington behind the lens.

Aston International Ltd Winter Hill League 2 - Glen Helen

The second round of the Aston International Ltd. sponsored Winter Hill League takes place on Saturday November 15th.  The venue will be Glen Helen with the newly designed course based in Eary Beg Plantation. Registration will be in the Glen Helen car park from 12.30pm with the race starting at 1.30pm. The race will also incorporate the second round of the Isle of Man Junior Hill Running Championships for secondary schools.

Any runners who competed in the opening WHL round at Cringle are reminded they will use the same race number at Glen Helen.

Aston International Winter Hill League Round 1 - Cringle Results

A great start to the 2014 Aston International Ltd sponsored Winter Hill League. For the first time we had more than 100 runners with 99 senoirs and 15 juniors making a total of 114. I think I am correct in saying that Lloyd and Jackie broke their respective course records and some fantastic performances by the juniors. I think it speaks volumes for our branch of athletics to see both the leading male and female runner spending hours of their time marking the course and then collecting everything back in again. Many thanks to DEFA for access and a big thank you to all the helpers on the day. (Richie Stevenson)

Results are now available here

2014 Aston International - Winter Hill League Round 1 - Cringle Plantation.

The opening round of the 2014 Aston International Winter Hill Running League takes place on Saturday 25th October at the Cringle Plantation. Start time is 1.30pm with registration from 12.30pm at the main plantation entrance.

The short course is an exciting mix of fire tracks and plantation paths with two short  climbs, the winning time is expected to be around 16 minutes. It is a perfect taster for anyone who fancies a go at off road running.

Because of the anticipated high numbers it is recommended that as many as possible car share as parking is limited. For those driving there are spaces at the reservoir, a few spaces at the main plantation entrance and also a small park about 100mts to the south of the main entrance. Wherever you manage to park please do so carefully.

To get to the main entrance turn off the A3 at the top of Foxdale which is known as Solomons Corner on to the B39. Look out for the reservoir on your right. The main plantation entrance is just south of the reservoir.

Incorporated in the race will be the Junior Fell Championships for school years 7 to 13.

Manx Fell Runners would like to take this opportunity to thank Aston International for their support of the 2014 series.

Isle of Man Bank Junior Hill Running Championships

Runners were greeted to glorious conditions in Peel on Saturday. Event kindly sponsored by the Isle of Man Bank.

Runners were greeted to glorious conditions in Peel on Saturday. Event kindly sponsored by the Isle of Man Bank.

A record entry of nearly 300 young runners took part in the 2014 Junior Hill Running Championships on Peel Hill held in near perfect conditions.

Provisional results are now available here. Please use the contact form to inform us of any corrections. Photos and video of the race can be found at www.manxathletics.com courtesy of Murray Lambden.

A big thank you as always to all the marshalls, organisers, timekeepers and supporters who make the event what it is. Thanks to the Isle of Man Bank for their continued support.

Year 7 and above can enter the upcoming series of races known as the Winter Hill League - short hill/plantation runs of under 3 miles which make an ideal introduction to hill/fell runnning. The first event is at Cringle Reservoir on Saturday 25th October (1:30pm).

Younger runners can have a go at the cross country league which starts next Sunday (19th) at Ballanette, Lonan. More details at http://www.iomaa.info/crosscountry.htm.
 

Special thanks to the finish marshalls and timekeepers who were kept very busy!

Special thanks to the finish marshalls and timekeepers who were kept very busy!

English Schools Fell Running Champs 2014

Team Isle of Man - kindly supported by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company

Team Isle of Man - kindly supported by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company

A group of nine young athletes travelled to the English Schools Fell Running Championships in West Yorkshire last weekend. Hosted by Calder High School, Mytholmroyd, the event is now in its seventh year and continues to attract high quality athletes from schools across the north-west and beyond, including a host of established England internationals. There was another huge entry of nearly 500 and, as in recent years, the standard of all the races was extremely high. On the day, the weather was sunny and warm, providing fine views across the valley.

In the first race of the day, the Year 7s competed over a testing 3 km course which included an arduous climb and fast, technical descent. After a steady start, Kate Cashin (QEII), Alice Cashin (QEII) and Lydia Morris (BHS) worked well together on the climb and began to move through the field. They continued to pick off runners on the descent and finished close together in 9th, 10th and 12th respectively. They were delighted to claim victory in the Year 7 girls team competition – a fantastic achievement.

In the junior race, Lorna Spiers (QEII), fresh from her 4th place in the FRA Junior Fell Championship series powered round the course to 10th place. She made significant gains on the rocky descent, showing off her fearless descending skills. Teammate Angela Aumonier (CRHS), equally adept on track, cross country or fell looked extremely composed for her 21st position and in the boys race, Oliver Shearer (CRHS), another all-rounder, took an excellent 16th position.

David Mullarkey (CRHS) is now an experienced competitor on the fells and his determination was clear to see in the intermediate boys race. After an aggressive start, he climbed extremely well, reaching the summit of Crow Hill in 8th position. He had an epic battle on the descent and, after a slight tumble, finished strongly, eventually taking a well deserved 12th place. George Dickinson (SNHS) and Alex Bell (QEII) paced themselves very well in their first, off-island fell race, finishing in 29th and 32nd respectively. The boys were very happy to finish as runners-up in the team competition, narrowly missing out on the win.

It was to the credit of all the Manx athletes that they performed so well on such steep, long and technical courses. These fine results are just reward for all the hard work they have put in training for the event and no doubt their good form will continue into the Winter Hill League and Cross Country.

The organizers, Manx Fell Runners, would like to thank Isle of Man Steam Packet Company for assisting in making the trip possible. This type of experience is hugely important for young athlete development and they are all most grateful for the Steam Packet's input.


Junior Hill Running Championships 2014

The Isle of Man Bank sponsored Junior Hill Running Championships will take place on Saturday 11th October on Peel Hill. Races will be held for primary school children in each year group from year 2 through to year 6. Entry is free to all competitors.

Racing will commence from 1:30pm with year 2 and every competitor will receive a treat as a prize for completing their race. Awards will be issued through the schools after the event and a trophy will be awarded to the school which has the most competitors running.

Registration will open at 12:30 by the start area on Peel Hill. If it is raining on the day then registration will be moved to a vehicle in Fenella Beach car park.

Full details can be found here.

Competitors are enouraged to enter in advance using this school entry form which can be submitted by the school.

Individual entry forms can be downloaded here. Only use this form if you have not entered using the school entry form above.

Isle of Man Mountain Ultra

It’s now less than 3 weeks until one of the Isle of Mans most daunting sporting challenges. The Isle of Man Mountain Ultra will be held on Saturday September 27th on the difficult and testing 50km course that takes runners from Ramsey in the north to Port Erin in the south west, visiting 12 of the islands highest peaks on the way.

 

The race, that was formerly known as the Manx Mountain Marathon, is one of Britain’s longest solo single day all terrain events. Competitors will face steep climbs, tough ankle grabbing heather, fast runnable ridges and exhilarating descents.  On a clear day the views from the summits can be quite stunning, especially the southern coastal path section, always a favourite with runners from off island as to compete in a fell race with the sea to one side is quite a novelty.

 

The top competitors will cover the full distance in under five hours with the less speedy taking anything up to the full nine hours cut off time. These time differences show the vast variety of abilities of the competitors taking part but all have the same aim of mastering a man sized challenge!

 

The race will again enjoy sponsorship from Okells Brewery and Up and Running (Isle of Man). And we thank the he Department of Tourism and Leisure for their continued support of the event.

 

There is a shorter alternative for those that may not be quite ready for 50km.Starting at St Johns the 23km Isle of Man Mountain Race follows the Ultra course along the southern section. This is a hugely enjoyable route that most runners of reasonable fitness can master.

 

Whichever race you choose you can guarantee a challenging but enjoyable day in the Manx hills. Our marshals and helpers have worked hard to gain a reputation for being helpful and friendly to all competitors, a fact the organising committee of Manx Fell Runners are extremely proud of.

 

Full details including race info, route descriptions and course map can be obtained from www.isleofmanmountainultra.com