Pictured is the medal which will be presented to everyone who gets to Santon or beyond in this year’s Manx Telecom Parish Walk. The mementoes will be a lasting reminder for walkers who are part of the event which this year marks its 100th anniversary. Mike Dee, Manx Telecom CEO, will wave the Manx flag to signal the start from the NSC track at 8am on Saturday June 22. Walkers aiming to get a 100th anniversary commemorative medal have three and a half hours to get to the Santon Church checkpoint before it closes at 11.30am.
If you want to keep track of the leading walkers it’s easy to follow their progress online thanks to GPS live trackers provided by Manx Telecom. Simply log on to http://mt.im/tracking to see a map of the Parish Walk route displaying real time locations for some of the elite walkers. So far, last year’s joint winners Vinny Lynch and Richard Gerrard have agreed to carry the live tracker GPS transmitters along with four time champion Jock Waddington. Michael George, who has yet to notch up a Parish Walk win but has regularly been a challenger for victory in recent years, will also carry one of the trackers. Michael won the Merit Award in 2012 for his valiant effort to win the race from the front. GPS live tracking devices will also be carried by some of the event’s most notable names such as Jock Waddington, Michael George, and Robbie Callister; not to mention Janice Quirk (current female record holder) and Sue Biggart (six times winner). Mike Dee commented:
“The Manx Telecom Parish Walk is a fantastic community and sporting event - but with this year marking 100 years since it began in its current format the 2013 race will be a unique occasion, and we hope to see the majority of those taking part reaching Santon to collect their commemorative medals. Good luck to all of the walkers, and a big thank you to the organising team, volunteers, and supporters who make the Manx Telecom Parish Walk such a wonderful celebration of our Island community.”
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. Entrants in this year’s race are expected to raise a total of around ?600,000 for charities and there will be around 5,000 spectators with another 5,000 support crew out on the road helping friends and family taking part in the walk.
Photo - The commemorative 100th anniversary Manx Telecom Parish Walk medals which will be given to all the walkers who reach the Santon Church checkpoint.
