A huge entry of 268 runners took part in the annual New Year’s Day fell race in near-perfect conditions at St John’s yesterday.

Four runners immediately made a break on the initial climb from the massed start at the foot of Gleneedle Road, consisting of Sam Jones, Matt Christian, former cyclist James Harrison and teenager Cian Howard.

The latter two edged to the front for a short while, but Christian powered slightly ahead as the rate of ascent ramped up.

In a close contest, Christian reached the summit cairn first from Jones, who then swapped places on the flat stretch across the plateau.

But 16-year-old Howard proved braver on the descent and he overtook Christian for second place as the going became extremely muddy back inside the confines of Slieau Whallian plantation.

Leading female was Commonwealth Games runner Rachael Franklin, followed at some distance by the Clayton sisters, Abi and Poppy.

Nearing the foot of the descent, Howard had narrowed Jones’s lead to 10 seconds, but the older and more experienced of the two held on through the river crossing at Mullen-e-Cloie to take the honours in the Dave Cretney-sponsored Manx Fell Runners-organised event.

Jones crossed the finish line on the edge of the cricket ground in a superb time of 22min 04sec, followed by Howard in 22.14 and Christian 22.59.

Franklin stayed well in control of the women’s race to complete the course in 27m 20s. But Abi Clayton pulled up on the descent after going over on her ankle, leaving her 11-year-old sibling Poppy to claim the runner-up spot.

Full report in Thursday’s Manx Independent.