The final countdown is on for the Manx Telecom Parish Walk which starts this Saturday (June 17) at 8am. 1,412 walkers have entered the Island’s most popular mass participation sports event which begins on the NSC’s athletics track and takes in 17 parish churches around the 85 mile course. Richard Gerrard will wear the No1 race number as the defending champion, and will be looking to make it four wins in successive years. Karen Chiarello, the women’s champion in 2016 who finished third overall, is also back to defend her title and wears No3.
If you want to keep track of the elite race, or follow the progress of a friend or relative, just go to www.manxtelecom.com/parishwalk and select up to 10 walkers by name or race number. You can use it on your smartphone, tablet or PC, and it’s really useful if you are supporting someone in the walk and need to be in the right place at the right time to provide food, drinks or clothing, or just to cheer them on their way. Smiles, laughter (and the occasional bit of gurning and grimacing!) make for great photos during every Manx Telecom Parish Walk. The popular Pic2Go service is available again this year for walkers who want to have official event photos of themselves in the race uploaded to their own individual Facebook page. Special software recognises the unique barcode on the race number of each walker who has registered for the service at www.manxtelecom.com/parishphotos – it is run on an ‘opt in’ basis so only those who register will have their photos sent to Facebook. After the event, all walkers will have the opportunity to search for photos by race number at www.isleofman.in and purchase higher resolution digital images or order prints, with all profits going to charity. Pic2Go is a free service provided by Manx Telecom and relies on photographers using its superfast 4G mobile broadband network to upload thousands of photos while on location around the route.
Manx Telecom CEO Gary Lamb said: “The Manx Telecom Parish Walk is always a fantastic celebration for the whole community. I wish everyone taking part the best of luck whether they are racing to win, or aiming to achieve personal goals, and thank the organising team for all of their hard work over many months, and on race day.”
A total of 23 Manx Telecom employees have entered this year’s event. The company became title sponsor in 2012, and recently announced an extension of its sponsorship to 2020.
For all the latest information about the Manx Telecom Parish Walk (including updates about road closures and one way restrictions on the day), go to www.parishwalk.com and www.facebook.com/parishwalk.
The commemorative tee-shirts for this year’s event include a tribute to Murray Lambden, one of the Island’s most respected figures in athletics who died in April. Murray had a long association with the Parish Walk as a competitor, statistician, and event adviser, and in more recent years he could be seen around the course taking photos and video of the race. Murray’s many achievements as an athlete include winning the Parish Walk in 1978. The tee-shirt design was created by Steve Partington.
Photo - The 2017 commemorative tee-shirt which features a tribute to Murray Lambden.
