The island’s leading female distance runner of the late 20th century has died. 

Brenda Walker had been receiving hospital treatment since November and ultimately died in Hospice Isle of Man on Saturday morning at the age of only 67. 

Her death will be a great shock for the many people who knew her. 

Brenda was the first Manx athlete to win the women’s title at the Easter Athletics Festival in 1992 when she was a member of Western AC. 

Until fairly recently she almost had a monopoly of the middle-to-long distance road running records and is still the Isle of Man marathon record holder with her time of 2hr 39min 36sec set in Rotterdam in 1993. 

She also holds the 20-mile record with 2:00:01, which was a split time in that same race, and the record for five miles with 28m 58s in 1991. 

Extremely popular and ever-modest, we will produce a lengthier tribute to her in this week’s Manx Independent.