If
you’re training for this year’s Manx Telecom Parish Walk there will be lots of
great advice on offer at the ‘Strictly Parish’ event being organised by the
title sponsors. Experienced and novice walkers will be there to give tips on
how to train, and on how to reach your goals on the day itself. The Strictly
Parish event takes place at Keyll Darree Education and Training Centre near to
Noble’s Hospital on February 25 – doors open at 5pm for a 6pm start.
Amended panel
Raymond Cox - Race Director
Kevin Walmsley - Course Director
Bridget Kaneen - Judging
Elizabeth Corran - Race Secretary
Michael George - Winner of the
2013 Manx Telecom Parish Walk
Dale Farquhar - First Time Finisher /
Nutritionist / Diabetic
Tracey Cooke - Novice Walker
Allan Callow - Race Walking Coach
The evening will also feature tips for support crews on how to help
friends or family members to reach their goals.
David Smith, Manx Telecom
Marketing Director, said:
“We want to encourage as many people as
possible to experience the community spirit and excitement which the Manx
Telecom Parish Walk generates each year. The idea behind the Strictly Parish
event is to offer some advice and encouragement to walkers of all levels, but
particularly those who just want to get to Santon, Rushen or Peel. Achieving
those goals are worthy achievements, especially for anyone who has never
attempted to walk those sort of distances before. Holding the Strictly Parish
event now is an ideal time as this is when many participants will be beginning
training in earnest. We thank everyone who is giving their time to support the
Strictly Parish talk and look forward to an entertaining and informative
evening.”
The
2014 Manx Telecom Parish Walk takes place on Saturday June 21. Entries opened
on December 1 and will close on May 11. Entry costs £30 which includes a
commemorative Manx Telecom Parish Walk technical tee-shirt and goodie bag. All
entries must be made at www.parishwalk.com
To
encourage more young people to take part there are new trophies this year for
teams of three aged 18 to 21 walking the 32.5 miles to Peel. The winners will
be the team with the fastest combined time of all three walkers. There will be
separate prizes for men’s and women’s teams. This year’s event will again
feature a Corporate Challenge category for teams of four who must all be bona
fide employees of the same company, with no team having more than one member
who has previously completed the full 85-mile Parish Walk. There is also an
overall team competition with the rule that no more than two of the four team
members have previously finished the full Parish Walk course. All participants
- including those for the team and Corporate Challenge events - must enter
individually. To enter the team events, entrants simply put the name of their
team or Corporate Challenge team on the online entry form.
The
Manx Telecom Parish Walk can trace its roots back to the 1850s, but the first
event that is comparable to the modern format was held in 1913. That year there
was an event called the Parish Walking Match organised by the Isle of Man Times
and the Manx Sporting Club. The First World War and its aftermath
prevented any repetition of the event until 1923.