THE annual Race The Sun relay race starts at dawn tomorrow morning (Saturday) and features a record 22 teams who will attempt to run around the coastline of the Isle of Man before the sun sets tomorrow evening around 9pm.
Now in its 4th year, the Race the Sun event - sponsored this year by Mann Made Group - has grown in popularity each year and has raised more than £20,000 which goes to the Mobex project for young people - organised by The Children's Centre.
This year the event has set a target of reaching £30,000 for Mobex which supports vulnerable children and young people on the Isle of Man.
The relay covers a distance of 100 miles, split into ten different sections of the Raad ny Foillan, a stunning coastal footpath with significant height gain. The task is simple - complete the route before the sun sets.
Teams can consist of any number of runners up of a maximum of 10. This is a self-supported event and runners are responsible for providing and transporting their own competitors and are responsible for arriving at transition points on time.
The event starts at 5.17 am at Peel promenade and finishes in the same place - outside the Marine Hotel public house - with seven teams setting off first. This year’s event is handicapped, with a gap of two and a half hours between the first and last teams, so there will be a range of good opportunities to see the teams in action throughout the day.
In previous years the event has been staged closer to the longest day of the year - June 21st - but this year is much earlier, chopping around one hour off the daylight hours.
Last year the fastest team - called “Kill ‘em Kenny” - completed the route in a staggering 11hrs 37m 50s. The winning time is therefore expected to be similar, meaning the first finishers will arrive at approximately 4pm onwards. Last year all but two of the teams finished before sunset.
Race the Sun can be viewed by spectators at a number of vantage points all over the Island.
Estimated times at the various vantage points are as follows:-
Peel Prom: 05.00 - 07.30
The Cronk: 06.30 - 10.00
Point of Ayre: 07.30 - 10.00
Maughold Village: 09.00 - 12.30
Laxey Prom: 11.00 - 14.00
Summerland: 11.15 - 14.30
Port Grenaugh: 12.30 - 15.00
Chapel Bay: 14.00 - 16.30
Bradda Head: 14.45 - 18.00
Niarbyl Beach: 16.30 - 20.30
Peel Prom: 17.00 - 21.15
