News

New Treasurer required

After many years of fantastic service, Robbie Watterson is standing down as the Treasurer of Isle of Man Athletics.  Robbie is looking to spend more time on his first love of motorbikes!  Sadly, this means we now need to find somebody new to take on this important and fulfilling role.

The Treasurer is responsible for the managing the flow of money into the Isle of Man Athletic Association (IOM Athletics) and for allocating and recording how that money is spent. This is a vital role as the treasurer works to ensure IOM Athletics is able to meet its day-to-day expenses.

The Treasurer is a key member of the IOM Athletics Executive Committee working with the other committee members in planning the development of IOM Athletics e.g. creating annual budgets, estimating funds required for a future projects, projecting income for future years to contribute towards prudent planning of IOM Athletics future.

Responsibilities of the Treasurer

  • Managing IOM Athletics income and expenditure and its assets and liabilities
  • Maintain bank account(s) in the name of IOM Athletics in accordance with mandate ratified by the Committee
  • Producing an end of year financial report
  • Identifying a suitable individual to independently review the annual accounts
  • Regularly reporting back to the IOM Athletics committee on all financial matters
  • Efficient payment of invoices and bills
  • Depositing cash and cheques that IOM Athletics receives
  • Keeping up to date financial records
  • Developing plans and objectives to support IOM Athletics strategy
  • Liaising with IOM Sport on relevant financial aspects

This is a volunteer role.  No previous experience is required, just enthusiasm and an interest in the future of athletics on the Isle of Man.  A full handover will be given.

If you are interested in taking on this role or would simply like chat on what the role entails, please contact Anthony Brand on chairman@iomathletics.com

Safeguarding Updates

UKA have announced changes regarding the renewal of Coach Licences, primarily in relation to Safeguarding.

When any coach renews their coaching licence, they will now be required to complete the UKA Safeguarding course and this will be the only Safeguarding course they will accept.

The course is a self-paced online course and costs £10, renewable each time you renew your Licence.

Please note, this change does not come into effect until your existing licence is up for renewal. No action is required until this point.

Unofficially, this will also become a condition for Officials looking to renew their licence from April, although this is yet to be confirmed.

For a little more background behind the changes: https://www.uka.org.uk/24192-2/

Law Trust IOM Cross-Country League – Round 1 – Port-e-Chee

The new cross-country season got underway in fine style at Port-e-Chee Meadow on Sunday 17th October2021. The first round of four took place under grey skies, the overnight rain having softened the ground a little, but conditions were ideal for cross-country.

The senior races at the Manx Harriers organised event were dominated by established stars Ollie Lockley and Rachael Franklin, the former already selected for next year’s Commonwealth Games and the latter hoping to join him. Both looked in excellent form heading into an important winter season.

Lockley was majestic and made it look deceptively easy as he glided smoothly around the largely flat course and powered up the short sharp hill near the end of each of his three laps, a distance of nine kilometres. He made light work of the varying underfoot conditions, keeping a consistent tempo throughout despite running the whole race solo, well clear of the field.

Alex Bell finished second, a good performance and his best senior cross-country result to date. He is now focusing more on shorter distances on the track, but showed here that he still has plenty to offer over the country.

Third place went to Nhlanhla Nzama who is in a rich vein of form after his recent excellent performance in the London Marathon. He proved his versatility with a strong run over very different terrain.

Sam Looker was not far adrift in fourth place, and he was followed by super-fit veteran athletes Mike Garrett and Paul Condon.

Rachael Franklin continued her strong comeback from an injury-affected year, demonstrating that she is close to her best once again. It was a delight to see her back doing what she does so well and she dominated the six-kilometre women’s race over two laps of the course.

Second place went to Elissa Morris with one of the runs of the day. She too is on the comeback trail after injury and illness, and impressed hugely. She held back a little in the early stages of the race before surging past a number of the men on the second lap to finish only 84 seconds adrift of Franklin. Third place went to Laura Dickinson, always such a strong cross-country runner.

Dawn Atherton, another with a recent Marathon in her legs, just held off impressive cross-country newcomer Emma McMullan to take fourth in a close finish, with Caroline Caren sixth.

Running over the same distance as the women were the u17 men. Corbyn Schade and Charlie Swales enjoyed a close and high-quality contest before the former opened up a winning gap in the closing stages.

The day had opened with two cracking under-nine races over one lap of the main field. The boys’ race produced the closest finish of the whole day with Billy McMullan just getting to the line first ahead of Leighton Curphey in a thrilling sprint finish, both boys being given the same time. Cameron Eyres was third just two seconds further down. The girls’ race was won by Megan Williamson just two seconds clear of Sienna Curphey, with Isabella Quaye third. The quality on show in the under-nine races was fantastic.

The u11 races over two laps of the main field were also excellent. Seamus Hall made an impressive transition from the under-nines by winning his first race in the older age group, with Tim Perry and Gabe Campbell not far behind in second and third. Olivia Martin was in fine form as she won the girls’ race, and Poppy Clayton and Tara Nelson took second and third in their first race in the age group.

There was real quality in the intermediate age group races, the closest contest being in the u15 boys race over 3,900 metres where Sam Perry took victory over clubmate Lucas Stennett by just two seconds. In the concurrently-run u17 women’s race, victory went to Macy Hillier, an athlete who has performed consistently well for several years now.

Harry Stennett produced yet another cracking run to win the u13 boys race over 3,000 metres, while an equally convincing victory in the girls’ contest went to Holly Salter. The u15 girls raced over the same distance and sporting all-rounder Lola Bass was to the fore in this one.

Also racing over 3,000 metres were the short course competitors, an option for junior, senior or veteran athletes to race over a shorter distance which proved very popular. Becky Watterson was well clear of all the competitors including the men with an excellent run, and second across the line was former high jump star Hollie Quaye.

Here are the full results.

  • Grateful thanks go to the team of officials who worked so hard to set up the infrastructure for the season, and to all those who assisted at the venue. Thanks also to Douglas Rugby Club for the use of their clubhouse and car park, and to the farmer for use of the fields.
  • Round 2 takes place at QE2 School in Peel on Sunday 7 November with racing getting underway at 1pm.
  • Video footage of the action is on the manxathletics.com Facebook page.

David Griffiths
19 October 2021

Law Trust IOM Cross Country League – Round 1

Entries have now closed for the first of four rounds of the Isle of Man Cross Country League, sponsored by Law Trust, which takes place at Port-e-Chee Meadow near Braddan Bridge on the outskirts of Douglas on the afternoon of Sunday 17 October. This round is organised by Manx Harriers, with race HQ being at Douglas Rugby Club. The first race gets underway at 1pm.

The course is largely on agricultural grassland which is fairly flat with one hill on each long lap. The senior races will be run over slightly reduced distances for the first round, with mileages likely to increase later in the season.

The senior, veteran and junior men’s race will be over three full laps of the course, a distance of approximately nine kilometres. The senior, veteran and junior women, and under-17 men, will race over two full laps, a distance of around six kilometres.  The minimum age for competitors is seven years on the day of the race.

All competitors must make arrangements to collect their race numbers from Manx Harriers clubhouse at the NSC from 5pm to 7pm on Friday. If you cannot attend you should arrange to have your number collected for you. Anyone who has not yet paid for their entry by bank transfer must pay when collecting their race number on Friday. Payment can be made by cash, or by cheque payable to IOM Athletics Association.

There is a large parking area at the Rugby Club, but perhaps not enough to accommodate everyone. You may have to park in the vicinity of the NSC and to walk up the road from Quarter Bridge – please allow plenty of time.

Timetable and approximate distances are as follows:

12 noon – Course open for inspection

1.00pm – Under 9 Boys, 900 metres (1 short lap)

1.05pm – Under 9 Girls, 900 metres (1 short lap)

1.10pm – Under 11 Boys, 1,800 metres (2 short laps)

1.20pm – Under 11 Girls, 1,800 metres (2 short laps)

1.35pm – Under 15 Boys, Under 17 Women, 3,900 metres (1 short lap, one large lap)

1.37pm – Under 13 Boys and Girls, Under 15 Girls, Short Course, 3,000 metres (1 large lap)

2.10pm – Under 17 Men, Junior, Senior, Veteran Women, 6,000 metres (2 large laps)

2.10pm – Junior, Senior, Veteran Men, 9,000 metres (3 large laps)

Here is the course map

Please report to the start line of your race at least five minutes before the start time. Spectators please keep off the racing line and obey instructions from marshals.

Law Trust Isle of Man Cross Country League – Everything you need to know!

With less than two weeks to go before the start of the new cross-country season I thought it would be useful to share some information on what to expect from the races, as we are always delighted to welcome newcomers to the sport. There will be plenty of information prior to the first round and throughout the season, but please ask if you have any questions.

When are the events?

There are four rounds in the series. To count for the league you need to complete at least three races. If you complete all four, your best three results will count. The fourth and final round also doubles as the IOM Cross-Country Championships. There is a team element to that one.

In each round the first race will be off at 1pm. Details are as follows:

Sunday 17 October – Round 1, Port-e-Chee Meadow, Douglas, organised by Manx Harriers

Sunday 7 November – Round 2, QE2 School, Peel, organised by Western AC

Sunday 5 December – Round 3, Port-e-Chee Meadow, Douglas, organised by Manx Harriers

Sunday 16 January – Round 4 (including IOM Championships), Crossags, Ramsey (to be confirmed) organised by Northern AC.

What age is cross-country for?

Seven to seventy plus! The age groups are under-nine (minimum age seven on the day of a race), U11, U13, U15, U17, Junior (U20), Senior, and Veteran. A child who reaches their seventh birthday during the season will be able to take part from then on. The veteran’s age groups start at 35 and go up in five-yearly bands. So if you are aged seven or older and have a reasonable level of fitness then come and give it a go!

What are the distances?

Unlike track and many road races, distances in cross-country are more approximate than precise. The four rounds of the league are run on different courses and the distances do vary, though not by too much. The distances for the first round at Port-e-Chee are purposely kept a little shorter for most age categories than for the other rounds to allow competitors a reasonably gentle introduction.

There will also be a Short Course option in each of the four races for the U20, Senior and Veteran age groups, which are suitable for newcomers to cross-country, or sometimes for middle-distance track runners (or even sprinters) who want competitive action during the winter but not over the full distance courses. The Short Course races are usually around 3 to 3.5 kilometres.

The approximate distances for the Port-e-Chee course will be confirmed in the next few days, but are likely to be in the region of 900 metres for under-nine boys and girls, 1,800m for U11 boys and girls, 3,000m for U13 boys and girls, U15 girls and the Short Course. U15 boys and U17 women will race over 3,900m, U17 men, junior/senior/veteran women will do 6,000m, and junior/senior/veteran men 9,000m.

What are the courses like?

We are lucky to currently have three good courses for cross country. The descriptions below are for the full lap – the U9 and U11 races are held over shorter laps which are generally fairly flat. The races are held over multiple laps depending on age group and distance. Full information on the courses will be provided prior to each race by the organising club.

Port-e-Chee Meadow, Douglas – Manx Harriers will be hosting Round 1 and Round 3 at this venue, which has Douglas Rugby Club as the base. Last season saw a return to this venue after many years. The course uses the perimeter of the rugby pitches and also the adjacent agricultural grassland. The course is largely flat fast running with varying underfoot conditions. The perimeter of the rugby pitches was boggy in places after heavy rain last year. There is one ‘up and down’ hill on each long lap.

QE2 School, Peel – Western AC have used this course in recent years. It was also their base for cross-country in the past but on a different course – much of which is now covered with houses! The start and finish of the races is on the school field which is on a gentle incline, then all age groups apart from U9 and U11 go onto the adjacent farmer’s fields to do multiple laps (depending on age group) before returning to finish on the school field. Whilst there are no long hills, there is a lot of up and down and some of the short climbs are quite sharp. There are a couple of low hedges to hop over. The course is usually dry and firm.

Crossags Farm, Ramsey – This is the longest-established of the courses currently used for cross-country and has been used by Northern AC since the 1990s. The lower part of the course is fairly flat apart from a sharp climb through one of the fields followed by a descent. There then follows the longest continuous uphill section on any of the courses – initially though a large field, then up a track through a wooded section, crossing a narrow stream near the top. There is then a fast descent through fields with some sharp turns. After heavy rain this course can be very boggy and sometimes has areas of standing water in the lower fields. It’s a good challenging course!

How to enter 

David Griffiths
1 October 2021