There were records galore in St John’s on New Year’s Day.

The opening round of the 2008 Rentokil Manx Fell Running League attracted a fantastic entry of 70 athletes. Conditions were damp but the going was good with some excellent performances throughout the field.

The race was won by Lloyd Taggart who set a new record of 20.36m, Simon Skillicorn was second finishing 25 seconds under the previous course record set in 2006, and Ian Gale produced a strong finish for third spot. Richie Jamieson was fourth and Tom Cringle was fifth.

The ladies race was won by Jackie Lee, Taggart's partner, who ran well on her first time over the St John’s course to set another new course record. Cal Partington was second after keeping Jackie close by on the climb to the summit, and Rose Hooton was third.

Six juniors also attempted the tough course. Tom Kelly was top, finishing in an excellent 24th overall, Rachael Franklin was second with Jake Nathan coming in third.

Results:
Men
1 Lloyd Taggart (Dark Peak) 20.36; 2 Simon Skillicorn (Manx Fell Runners) 23.07; 3 Ian Gale (MFR) 24.46

Ladies
1 Jackie Lee (Eryri) 27.17; 2 Cal Partington (MFR) 30.05; 3 Rose Hooton (MFR) 33.08