The James Coulson Laxey Fell Race proved tougher than expected with wet conditions underfoot and a strong south-westerly wind on Sunday.

Based at Glen Ruy farm, with a total elevation of 650 metres in 13 kilometres (eight miles), everyone involved was at least thankful that the rain forecast did not materialise.

A shorter 5km race for juniors and novice runners took place first, attracting a field of 21 - of which almost half were female.

Under-15s Lucas Stennett (Northern AC) and Regan Corrin (Manx Harriers) took the junior boys’s honours while the Northern duo of Mia Dunwell and Catherine Perry led the junior girls home.

Under-13s Nathan Hubbard, Florence Griffin and Lucy Ormsby performed well while Jane Bradley took the victory in the senior race.

Right from the start of the main race there was a battle between the leading men with seconds dividing the leaders on the climb up to John’s Cairn.

Towards checkpoint three at Slieau Lhost, Ayre United footballer Harry Weatherill and over-40 Orran Smith pulled away from the rest of the field, the gap fluctuating between the two over the varied terrain.

Weatherill ultimately took control to claim his first victory in the Manx fell running league, well clear of Smith at the last checkpoint and 90 seconds ahead at the finish.

Such is the quality of the runners in the men’s field that there have been three different winners in the three races.

A further two minutes behind, Tom Cringle had a great race to finish ahead of Joey Bond with Gwilym Jones fifth.

Tom Hughes and Ian Goatman ran superb races to finish second and third in the M40 category, ninth and 10th overall, but they were beaten by Geoff Rice who claimed the M50 victory in a fine eighth spot - more than five minutes ahead of his nearest rivals Alan Sandford and Nigel Armstrong.

Robert Webb continued his winning ways in the M60 category in 52nd overall, exactly halfway down the record entry of 104 runners. There was another win for Jane Rose in the W60 category, despite of an injury shortly prior to the race. Main rival, Rose Hooton, sustained an injury in the early stages of the race but battled on to the finish somewhat battered and bruised.

There was a close finish in the W50 class with a mere three seconds separating Jan Gledhill and Maggie Watkins, having swapped places several times throughout the race. In what was Gledhill’s first win of the season, they finished seventh and eighth overall in the women’s competition.

Despite a fall towards the end of the race, Eleanor Miklos (WSEN) was the overall victor in the women’s race, finishing in 22nd place overall, almost a full minute ahead of Sally Walker (W40), with Sian Coleman another nine seconds behind in third in another close contest. Caroline Caren and Eleanor Gawne were also close at the finish with 28 of the total 104 finishers females.

Manx Fell Runners thank all the hard-working officials for marshalling the course, all those who set the course and collected the marker back in again, DEFA for access and the Search and Rescue Dogs Association for the loan of radios.

Finally, a big thank you to John Corlett and his family at Ballacowin and Glen Ruy farms for their help, support and wonderful welcome they gave all the runners.

l The next event is the Bradda Fell Race on Sunday, July 26.

James Coulson Laxey Fell Race, Manx Fell Runners, Sunday: 1, Harry Weatherill 1 hr 10min 56sec; 2, Orran Smith 1:12.27; 3, Tom Cringle 1:14.32; 4, Joseph Bond 1:15.12; 5, Gwilym Jones 1:15.19; 6, Ali Morris 1:19.06; 7, Neil Brogan 1:20.33; 8, Geoff Rice 1:21.07; 9, Tom Hughes 1:22.03; 10, Ian Goatman 1:23.24; 11, Paul Sheard 1:25.00; 12, Gary Kelly 1:25.08; 13, Matt Callister 1:25.11; 14, Graeme Hatcher 1:25.44; 15, Alan Sandford 1:26.18; 16, Nigel Armstrong 1:28.45; 17, Steven Underwood 1:28.57; 18, Jim Reid 1:30.00; 19, Mark Murphy 1:30.02; 20, Chris Kirk 1:30.30; 21, Brent Thomas 1:31.11; 22, Eleanor Miklos 1:31.12; 23, Stephen Caley 1:31.23; 24, Ste Downward 1:31.29; 25, Martin Young 1:31.36; 26, David Peach 1:32.03; 27, Sally Walker 1:32.08; 28, Gary Christian 1:32.10; 29, Sian Coleman 1:32.17; 30, Steve Partington 1:32.21; 31, Shaun Hubbard 1:33.15; 32, Mark Eastham 1:33.27; 33, Alex Redfearn 1:35.14; 34, Chris Cale 1:35.33; 35, Matthew Bettridge 1:36.16; 36, Chris Wade 1:36.19; 37, Robert Crichton 1:37.22; 38, Gary Sherry 1:37.33; 39, Kevin Costain 1:37.53; 40, David Griffin 1:38.35; 41, Caroline Caren 1:39.03; 42, Daniel Mead 1:39.07; 43, Steve Callaghan 1:39.09; 44, Kewin Kerruish 1:39.22; 45, Paul Perkins 1:39.31; 46, Julian Corlett 1:39.41; 47, Eleanor Gawne 1:39.49; 48=, Dave Looker and Lewis Veale 1:40.06; 50, Kevin Whittaker 1:40.17; 51, Ali Stennett 1:40.45; 52, Robert Webb 1:41.08; 53, David Sims 1:41.09; 54, Niall Quiggin 1:41.11; 55, Tristan Kewley 1:43.12; 56, Nikki Arthur 1:43.13; 57, Janette Gledhill 1:44.47; 58, Maggie Watkins 1:44.50; 59, Keith Lowe 1:45.38; 60, Peter Corkhill 1:45.48; 61=, Abby Corlett and Liam Kirkpatrick 1:46.02; 63, Paul Jackson 1:46.17; 64, Ian Hughes 1:46.46; 65, Ed Wilson 1:47.02; 66, Martin Cubbon 1:48.30; 67, Ali Clague 1:48.54; 68, Doug Hornby 1:48.56; 69, Lisa Dunwell 1:49.03; 70, Sarah Collings 1:49.23; 71, Robert Wilson 1:50.19; 72, John Dunwell 1:50.25; 73, Carol Brogan 1:51.29; 74, Jason Coole 1:51.37; 75, Lee Alstead 1:51.46; 76, David Hodgson 1:52.03; 77, Ian Callister 1:52.12; 78, Jane Rose 1:53.32; 79, Mike Hayler 1:54.51; 80, Ashley Sandyford-Sykes 1:54.52; 81, Becca Kelly 1:55.09; 82, John Hills 1:56.04; 83, Mark Corrin 1:56.29; 84, Tonya Corrin 1:56.29; 85, Rosie Ormsby 1:57.10; 86, Will Costain 1:57.28; 87, Mike Connors 1:58.04; 88, Lucy Connors 1:58.04; 89, Ally Stennett 1:58.25; 90, Voirrey Cashin 1:58.25; 91, Geoff Quayle 1:59.33; 92, Mike Turner 1:59.59; 93, Suzanne Wild 2:00.11; 94, Huw Jones 2:04.57; 95, Aifric O’Shea 2:05.43; 96, Christine O’Shea 2:05.43; 97, Kathryn Hull 2:06.28; 98, Maria Hull 2:06.28; 99, Les Brown 2:08.30; 100, Alex Parkes 2:11.16; 101, Cameron Comley 2:15.08; 102, Rose Hooton 2:20.37; 103, Sharon Donaldson 2:54.38; 104, Terri Salmon 2:56.38.

Short course (5km) - split result: 1, Lucas Stennett 29.43; 2, Charlie Teare 32.34; 3, Ayrton Withington 33.38; 4, Jake Richmond 34.00; 5, Alex Read 34.25; 6, Mia Dunwell 34.44; 10, Samuel Perry 35.57; 11, Madison Mcmullan 36.02; 14, Lottie Stennett 37.10; 15, Thomas Bradley 37.37.

Short course 7, Regan Corrin 34.47; 8, Catherine Perry 35.01; 9, Florence Griffin 35.11; 12, Dominic Dunwell 36.43; 13, Nathan Hubbard 36.47; 16, Jane Bradley 42.49; 17, Lucy Ormsby 43.13; 18, Sarah Colley 44.52; 19, Sara Hinds 44.52; 20, Darcey Withington 48.35; 21, Ed Coole 51.01.