A team of some of the best fell runners from the UK and Isle of Man are aiming to break the course record in this year’s Race The Sun relay. The event – organised by The Children’s Centre and sponsored by Mann Made Group - involves teams running a clockwise lap of the Island’s Raad ny Foillan 98 mile coastal footpath starting and finishing in Peel. There are 10 legs of the relay with teams allowed a maximum of 10 runners and a minimum of five. The record stands at 11h 37m 50s set by a team representing The Children’s Centre in the 2010 edition of the race.
Manxman Lloyd Taggart is leading a nine-man team aiming to break that record in this year’s event on Saturday May 18. Taggart is a member of Manx Fell Runners and Dark Peak Fell Runners based in the Peak District. He represented England for six years in the World Mountain Running Championships, and has been the Manx, and V40 British and English Champion for the last three years. He will be joined by Tom Cringle from Manx Fell Runners who came a close second to Taggart in the 2012 Manx Mountain Marathon, and has been chosen to represent the Isle of Man in June in the Snowdon International race together with Taggart and Ben Corkhill. Welsh ultra-fell runner Andrew Davies, from Mercia Fell Runners, is also joining the Dark Peak Race The Sun team. In the last two World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships Andrew came 13th and seventh. He was also second in the 2011 Commonwealth Ultra Distance Championships, and is one of the current British Fell Relay winning team.
Dark Peak Fell Runners completing the Race The Sun team are the club’s men’s captain Robert Little along with Neil Northrop, Peter Hodges, Rhys Findlay-Robinson, Tom Beasant and Tom Edwards. Between them they also have numerous other individual fell race, mountain marathon, and orienteering race victories. Lloyd Taggart commented:
“The aim was to invite the Dark Peak British Fell Relay winning team of 2011 and challenge them to beat the overall record in an event that is quite different from their usual type of running, which is usually over steep and rough mountains with a compass in hand. As the British relay team was a team of six we needed some extra recruits - with Andrew we hopefully have all the substitutes we will need! But barring further injuries he will only be required for one of the first legs, and the last leg from Niarbyl to Peel. Our aim is to set off as late as possible, which will hopefully mean the team will have other runners to chase. This also means if our record breaking attempt fails, we’ll probably also finish after sunset and therefore be timed out!”
Race the Sun is so named because the main aim for teams is to complete the course before the sun sets in Peel. Now in its sixth year the event has raised over ?40,000 with money going directly to support vulnerable children and young people in the Isle of Man through The Children’s Centre’s Mobex project. Last year 22 teams took part and the race was won by a team from the Department of Education - competing as Team Ed - in a time of 13hrs 18mins. There was also a ‘Golden Shoe’ prize to the team which raised the most money for the charity and this went to the AXA squad which collected more than ?800 in sponsorship. There will be a Golden Shoe award to the top fundraisers in this year’s event too. The Up & Running store in Bucks Road, Douglas, has kindly donated prizes for the fastest runner on each leg of the race and for the team that finishes in Peel closest to sunset. To secure your place in Race the Sun 2013 go to www.thechildrenscentre.org.im and click on the ‘Events’ section, or contact Mark Eastham by emailing markeastham@thechildrenscentre.org.im or by calling 01624 631917.
