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Record-breaking Parish Walk on the cards
WITH the weather set fair it is likely that this weekend's Clerical Medical Parish Walk could be another record-breaking affair.
The entry of 1,598 surpasses the previous highest total of 1,582 from 2006 and the likelihood is that a record number of finishers will complete the full, gruelling 85-mile distance.
Last year 153 made it to the finish - the highest number in the 48-year history of the Manx Harriers classic as we know it.
>> Bethany aims to tackle Parish Walk twice - non-stop!
The event has grown to immense proportions in the 20 years of Clerical Medical's involvement, to the point that it is by some way the Island's largest annual sporting event participant-wise.
In 1988 just 129 walkers entered the race, fewer than the number of finishers these days, but by 1998 this had grown more than fourfold to 595.
The event continues to captivate the imagination of the Manx public, plus a number of others from further afield, and serious training for many starts several months in advance.
On average, about 10 per cent of the modern-day entry prove to be non-starters, but we can safely predict that around 1,400 will toe the line at the National Sports Centre for the 8am getaway on Saturday.
Castletown's Robbie Callister has become one of the great personalities of the Parish Walk in recent years and he starts with race number 0001 on his shirt again this time, bidding to equal John Cannell's tremendous tally of six wins in the event.
Contrary to the information in the official programme, Callister has not completed the race on 18 occasions (try eight) but his wins are there for all to see in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2007.
Two years ago he and Sean Hands produced the most exciting spectacle when they each managed to better Derek Harrison's incredible course record of 15 hr 20 min 51 sec that had stood for 27 years. Many thought it would never be bettered.
Hands was the star performer on that occasion, shattering Derek's record in a quite phenomenal 14:47.36.
It still takes some believing, after waiting three decades for someone to get close to Derek Harrison's superhuman effort, that Hands didn't just better it — he pulverised it.
But the effort of that magnificent achievement and winning the National 100-mile title at the NSC barely two months later took a lot out of the quietly spoken Douglas man and he openly admitted that his preparation for last year's event was poor.
It showed, and after matching strides with Robbie between the parishes of Santon and Rushen he soon lost touch on the first real climb of the day, throwing the towel in on Ballakillowey.
After that, Michael George was the only serious threat to Callister's superiority, but his challenge faded shortly after Andreas with Ray Pitts taking up the baton as they headed out of St Jude's.
At the close, Callister - in a winning time of 15:36.47 — was 15 minutes ahead of the ever steady (but sometimes leaning to the right) Pitts, with George hanging on for third at a further 6 min 18 sec.
Irishman Eamonn Harkin was fourth, ex-Marine Thomas Melvin fifth and relative race walking novice (12 months ago) Jock Waddington a very good sixth.
Sue Biggart has dominated the women's class in recent years and she managed to finish seventh last year despite not being on top form and some way down on her personal best time.
Multiple Commonwealth Games competitor Steve Partington looked comfortable in eighth place, while the top 10 was completed by Terry Moffat and second female Jane Mooney - who had been forced to pull out of the previous year's event after being diagnosed with appendicitis quite literally a few hours before for the start.
Partington, who has just returned from a family holiday in Florida, is the only one of last year's top-10 finishers not entered this time, while Harkin, who suffered from a virus for much of the winter, is not expected to go past Peel.
There is also a question mark over Ray Pitts who recently underwent a knee operation and could therefore be a non-starter.
Course record holder Sean Hands and five-times winner Robbie Callister must once again start as joint favourites, especially as Hands is much better prepared than last year having approached the event in a different frame of mind.
His form in the recent 20km championship would suggest that he has lost none of his speed so it should be another great contest between the two.
Michael George is also very keen to take the top spot and was bitterly disappointed when the wheels came off his challenge last year after 55 miles. What he did show then was guts and determination to continue to the finish.
He is again likely to fight it out for a podium spot, along with Ray Pitts if fit - the latter man having shown incredible consistency in recent years with six solid finishes in the past seven years.
Jock Waddington, Terry Moffat and Dutchman Martijn Biesmans will all be thereabouts, along with Andrew Titley, Julian Thomas and Michael Shipsides.
One previous non-finisher to keep a close eye on is Ascot hotelier Dave Mackey who has been performing well in training and is determined to make up for previous disappointments.
Putting the cat right among the pigeons could be twice former winner Peter Kaneen.
Something of an enigma when it comes to the Parish Walk, no one is sure if Peter will start this weekend's event or not - even his wife Bridget!
Apparently he is in three minds as to what to do. He entered purely to give him the option to do the Parish if he felt he was up to it, but his training was focused on the Leamington Spa GP and Anglo-Celtic Cup last weekend. He ultimately did not enter that event as his training was hit by illness.
His last few sessions have been better, but he has not been putting in the high mileage that the other contenders will likely have been registering.
Furthermore, the Glen Vine man has been invited to compete in the UK Athletics trials in Birmingham next month and if he really wants a crack at that he will not want the full 85 miles in his legs.
He last started in 2006, but stopped in Peel.
Mark Hempsall, 18th last year in a shade under 18 hours, has been training hard over the winter - perhaps too hard as he has recently been receiving treatment for a stress fracture.
The word is that he is just walking to Peel as training for the 100-mile event at Milton Keynes in August.
The race for the honours in the women's section looks like being a close three-way contest at the very least.
Canada-born Sue Biggart is the fastest resident female over the 85-mile course in 16 hr 23 min 14 sec, less than seven minutes down on Londoner Sandra Brown's all-time best of 16:16.36 from 1998.
RWA 50km gold medallist Marie Jackson has extended her miles in training and is hopeful of gaining a second finish over the full course.
If she does, she certainly has the speed in her legs to get close to Biggart but she may play a waiting game to be sure of first completing the distance. She last made it round in 2000.
Jane Mooney, 10th last year, is well capable of getting closer to Sue Biggart than ever before and could get between her and Latham, but the real dark horse is fellow Peel woman Janice Quirk whose preparation and training regime has been relentless to say the very least.
Quirk finished the course 26th (seventh woman) in 19:01.04, but she will knock huge lumps out of that time this year. She is perhaps not as fast as Latham or Biggart, but her power and stamina are phenomenal. Definitely one to look out for.
Alison Brand, 11th last year, is going no farther than her home town of Peel but regular training partner Roey Crellin, the fastest Manx-born female in the history of the event, is aiming to improve on her personal best of 17:16.44 from 2006.
Others thereabouts are likely to include Marie Gilbertson, Maureen Moffatt, Terri Salmon, Jo Revill, Lisa Motley, Shirley Gage and Irene Taggart - who has finished many more times than the one she is credited with in the programme (try 10 times - the most prolific female finisher of all time and bettered only by five men!!).
Finally, spare a thought for Bethany Clague (No127) who is aiming to complete two laps of the 85-mile course in 48 hours.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: South
