This year’s Manx Telecom Parish Walk has one of the most competitive fields ever assembled in its 100 year history, says the event’s Race Director. 2012 joint-winners Vinny Lynch and Richard Gerrard are on the start list, but they will face a tough challenge from four time winner Jock Waddington – returning after a break from the event last year – and Michael George who has yet to notch up a Parish Walk win but has regularly been a contender for victory in recent years. In the women’s event defending champion and six time winner Sue Biggart is also on the entry list along with Janice Quirk, the 2009 winner whose time that year of 15h 58m 35s is the fastest ever recorded by a woman.
And these are just a few of the big names among the 1,493 walkers who had signed up when entries closed at midnight on Sunday (May 12). Ray Cox, Manx Telecom Parish Walk Race Director, says it promises to be one of the most exciting races in the 100 year history of the event, and potentially one in which the quality of the field produces some record times. He said:
“This year’s Parish Walk marks the centenary of the event in its current format, and I’m delighted to say that we have a field of exceptional quality to mark the occasion. With so many previous winners who have all achieved superb times it will take very special performances to win both the men’s and women’s titles this year.”
Although the number of entrants for 2013 is down on last year’s record breaking figure of 1,818, the Race Director says that it’s still a magnificent total and will make it a superb event as always. He said:
“This year’s total is on a par with the number of entries in 2007 – which was a record at that time. To have almost 1,500 people signing up to take part in an event out of a population of 84,000 is still remarkable - and I think that this year we will see a greater proportion of entrants actually starting the race on June 22. And, as always, the Parish will be an occasion which celebrates our Island community, and one in which those who are walking are but a fraction of the total number of people who actively take part in the event. The support crews, spectators, and the many volunteers who make the event possible play an equally important role in the Parish as the participants themselves. The race will be great, but with hundreds of thousands of pounds being raised for charity by many of the participants the greatest legacy of the event will once again be the many good causes which benefit.”
It is estimated that the Manx Telecom Parish Walk will attract around 5,000 spectators, with another 5,000 support crew out on the road helping friends and family taking part in the event. Following the success of live trackers in last year’s race, the devices will be used again for 2013 so that the progress of the leading walkers can be followed online. The trackers transmit GPS information to the official Manx Telecom Parish Walk website www.parishwalk.com showing a map of the course with a real time display indicating the location of each competitor.
Everyone who reaches Santon, or one of the checkpoints further along the course, will receive a commemorative medal specially commissioned by Manx Telecom to mark 100 years of the race. The Manx Telecom Parish Walk can trace its roots back to the 1850s, but the first event that is comparable to the modern format was held in 1913. That year there was an event called the Parish Walking Match organised by the Isle of Man Times and the Manx Sporting Club.
