Isle of Man runners complete Six Stars in New York Marathon

Several Isle of Man athletes successfully finished the New York Marathon on Sunday.

Christa Cain and her fiancé Simon Scott plus fellow locals Bernie Johnson and Katie Lawrence all navigated the full 26.2-mile distance in the Big Apple and, in doing so, Cain and Scott completed the six world major marathons needed to earn their coveted Six Star medals.

They are believed to be only the ninth and 10th Manx runners to complete all six world majors which comprise Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York.

They join previous recipients Sarah Air, Sharen Ashley-Gardner, Mark Burman, Matt Callister, Clive Dugdale, Tim Knott, John Quaye and Helen Taylor.

Cain was the fastest of the small Manx contingent, recording an impressive time of exactly two hours 40 minutes 00 seconds.

This was particularly impressive given that New York is not one of the fastest marathon courses and she was not quite running at full pace, using the race as a series of intervals in preparation for her next marathon.

Scott has been managing an injury for some time so, despite a disrupted preparation, he produced a very creditable performance of 3:42.11.

Johnson achieved her fifth World Marathon Major finish and was the second-fastest of the Manx runners, recording a significant personal best of 3:38.46.

Lawrence crossed the finish line in 4:03.46, having enjoyed every moment of this iconic event. She might well have been quicker had she not stopped regularly throughout the race to take photos!

Unfortunately, injury prevented Sarah Air from starting the race, despite having travelled to New York. She is hoping to race the Valencia Marathon in five weeks' time.