It has been very sad news to learn of the death of Dave Young, a very popular manx fell runner.  Dave was a leading athlete on the manx fells for many years and one of the best veteran age group competitors on the island.

He enjoyed racing and was a great supporter of the islands fell races always showing great enthusiasm, our thoughts go out to his family at this difficult time.

Tribute by Richie Stevenson

Manx Fell Running in particular and Isle of Man athletics in general have been left in a state of shock on hearing the desperately sad news that David Young has passed away.
“The Doc” as he was affectionately known was without doubt one of the most popular and respected runners ever to compete in local fell races and his passing will leave a huge void in the closely knit fell running community.

My first recollections of the Doc were back in the late 80`s.  I`m not sure what year he made his debut but he came into the sport at near veteran status. Within a short space of time he had made his mark and he proceeded to dominate the various veterans age categories up until his untimely death. Indeed he had just retained his veterans 60 category in the Manx Fell League that he was so proud to win for the first time last year.

A quick look at the Manx fell course records shows that the Doc holds every record for the over 50`s age group, a quite staggering achievement. He was also veterans over 40 and over 50 league winner on numerous occasions.

Preparation was always a strong point for the 62 years old Scotsman. He would spend hours searching for the best routes seeking out sheep tracks or short cuts that may just be a bit quicker than the established route. These routes he would carefully mark with a strategically placed stone or piece of wood so he could find them in the heat of battle. Of course this system became known to his rivals and they would also be looking out for them!

The Docs passion and enthusiasm for the hills was obvious and he took it to new heights, so to speak, in his many journeys home to his native Scotland where be became a prolific “Munro bagger”.

In the space of a few days Manx sport has lost two great and popular characters in Ian Turnbull and now the Doc. We will all miss them greatly.

Manx Fell Runners would like to pass on their sympathies to all the Docs family at this sad time.

The ladies win this year was also clear cut with the victory going to Jackie Lee, just like Lloyd she won every race she did including a victory at the Mount Mountain Marathon.  Second place went to Rachel Holden, the consistency of her results allowed her to pull clear of third place and fell newcomer Caroline Caren who had an excellent first season on the fells.

The veterens prizes went to Ian Callister in the over 50’s and Dave Young in the over 60’s, both runners, very experienced in the manx fells showed they still have what it takes to beat there younger counterparts.

Full league results are available here, keep and eye on the manxfellrunners.org for information on the presentation and AGM.

Next racing will take place in the winter hill league on the 9th October, details of which can be found here

Manx Harrier`s Nigel Armstrong continued his outstanding late season form when he took the honours in Saturdays Sean Craig sponsored North Barrule Fell Race, his second consecutive win following  success in the recent James Coulson event.

The race was the final round in the 2010 Rentokil Fell League and it attracted a sizeable field of 38 runners which included 3 juniors and 4 female competitors.

Conditions were just about perfect over the 3.5miles out and back course with the only problem being the brisk southerly head wind on the final ridge run to the summit.
As early as the outward crossing of the Rhowin Road a quartet had moved clear at the front consisting of Armstrong, reigning fell champion Simon Skillicorn, “Onion” Gale and Peter Bradley.  As the terrain steepened Armstrong began to ease ahead and at the summit he turned for home with a small advantage of around 15 seconds over Skillicorn.
with Bradley and Gale still close behind.
The return leg is a severe test as it requires great strength to run at pace over the steep and extremely rough terrain although the leaders were making it look relatively easy as they stormed down the hill. Back at the finish Armstrong burst into view with an extended lead that had grown to exactly one minute over runner-up Skillicorn. He in turn had been put under great pressure by third placed Bradley who without doubt recorded his best result on the fells to date. The fact that he was able to relegate “demon” descender Gale to 4th place was proof of his excellent performance.

Next to arrive was Paul Sykes who has surprised and pleased everyone, including himself no doubt, with his excellent sequence of results in his first full season on the fells. The Douglas Postman and 6th placed Steve Partington were under severe pressure from Oliver Lockley until the talented junior missed the turning into Ballure.  He ended up running a slightly extended course which ruined his chance of a top six placing but he was by no means the only competitor to slip up here. Even with his unscheduled detour he still finshed first junior in an excellent 7th overall

Top lady was Julie Cretney who just got the better of Rachel Holden with Caroline Caren next followed by Alison Corlett. Impressive stuff from the girls.

There were a number of outstanding performances further down the field. Topping the list must be juniors Shaun and Jason Moore who coped with the tough course brilliantly.
Two other runners who are creating quite an impression in their debut season are Glen Weir, who continued his good form to finish in 10th position, and Geoff Hampton who in only his 4th race was top over 50 finisher.
Final positions in the 2010 Rentokil Manx Fell League will be announced shortly.
Many thanks to sponsor Sean Craig, to all the marshalls and helpers, and to the landowners for access.

Full results here

Competitors safety equipment will be subject to weather conditions.

More details here

The closing stages of Saturday’s penultimate fell race in this season’s league provided an exciting dual between Manx Harrier’s Nigel Armstrong and MFR’s current champion, Simon Skillicorn. In the final mile of the 8.5 mile James Coulson Laxey Fell Race through Glen Roy, Skillicorn and Armstrong battled it out with the latter pulling away from his rival and crossing the line 8 seconds ahead at the finish.

Ian Gale also made light work of the 2,200 feet of ascent course making considerable gains on Tom Cringle in the latter stages and finally taking a well earned third place, almost a minute and a half before Cringle. Peter Bradley made a creditable fifth place, in spite of having to return to the start after the first quarter of a mile into the race, to retrieve his bum-bag which he had left behind. Rob Sellors and Paul Sykes battled it out for sixth place with the former just managing to make gains during the final descent through the flagged sections.

Taking the over 50’s title and 10th place overall, was experienced Manx Harriers runner, Dave Newton in a very impressive time of 1 hour, 35 minutes.

Of the six ladies competing, the title went to Christine O’Shea, the Western Athletics runner achieving 19th place in a very impressive time of 1 hour, 50 minutes, ahead of second place Rachel Holden and third Caroline Caren.

Conditions for the 30 runners in this race, often considered one of the most challenging of all the league races, (17 opting for the early start) were generally good, in spite of a torrential downpour moments before the main start which provided slippery and boggy conditions up the first ascent to John’s Cairn and then onward to the summit of Slieu Lhoist and then to Windy Corner. Various route choices were possible on the descent towards Snaefell mines and then back up to Cronk Y Vaare and on the day choosing good lines was a critical factor in determining final positions.

Special thanks to the hosts at Glen Roy Farm for their warm hospitality and permission to race on their land and also to the marshalls, officials and timekeepers and to those who set out the extensive flagged sections of the route.

Full race results are available here, with photos here for information about the final race of the season at North Barrule on 31st July take a look here

Peter Bradley
Tom Williams
Simon Quirk
Rob Sellors
Nev Jewell
Kevin Groom
Richard George
Peter O SheaS
Cal Partington
Richie Stevenson
Lewis Veale
Adam Denard
Rob Gillanders
Dave Griffin
Dave Young
Alan Sandford

The 8.5 miles race includes over 2,000ft of ascent and is regarded as one of the most challenging in the Manx league.
Start time is 2.00pm with a 1.30pm option for those expecting to take over 1hr 45mins. Registration is from 1.00pm.

Minimum age for this 9th counter in the Rentokil Manx Fell League is 18 years on race day and full safety gear is mandatory for all runners. There will be a kit inspection before the start.

Any runner who wishes to recce the course should avoid going on the private land sections at Ballcowin and Glen Roy Farms, these sections will be clearly marked on race day.

Route information is available here

A decisive victory for Lloyd Taggart notched his wins to 7 in the Manx Fell runner’s league this season. In a time of 1 hour and 50 minutes, Taggart comfortably beat record holder Simon Skillicorn’s time of 2 hours and 10 seconds in the same race in 2008.

Solid performances from Ian Gale (2nd place) Simon Skillicorn (3rd) and Nigel Armstrong (4th) demonstrated their consistent form this season with close finishing times and a very creditable run also from Peter Bradley wrapped up the top five, all under the 2 and a half hour mark. Winning the ladies race today was Lorraine Stigant in just over 4 hours and taking the Veterans over 60’s prize was Dave Young in just over the 3 hours.

Conditions for the 17 runners (4 of whom opted for the early start) were diabolical in the early stages with driving southerly gales and heavy downpours, providing very difficult running conditions on this already challenging 12.5 mile route, starting at Sulby Claddagh, and then ascending up through Ohio plantation before reaching the first summit of Slieu Mannagh. The route which then descends to Block Eary followed by a punishing climb up to Snaefell summit affords many route choices and runners needed the help of map and compass to navigate in the mist.

A particularly gruelling course all round was rewarded with celebratory sunshine towards the finish as runners descended from the Mountain Box to Glen Auldyn before the final climb up to the Millennium Way track and then back through the plantation. All runners deserved congratulations for competing today, even those that managed to take several unplanned detours, including the stray runner who ended up in Ramsey and had to trudge wearily along the TT course for 5 miles back to Sulby.

A special thank you to all the marshals, timekeepers and route markers who braved the elements and supported the runners, as well as the land owners.

Full results are here

The next race, the penultimate one in this season’s calendar on 17th July at 2.00pm is the James Coulson Laxey Fell race, starting at Glen Roy Farm. For further information. please visit the MFR website here