Whenever you train with runners from the likes of the Manchester University Alehouse club you’re going to hear about the Isle of Man Running Festival.

Initially, you may wonder what is so special about a few races on consecutive days on an island in the Irish Sea? Surely you could do that back in Manchester?

But everyone loves a festival. Music festivals are known for the hedonistic behaviour of attendees, but what about running festivals. Surely that’s more of a green salad and early night affair?

The 56th Isle of Man festival took place over the long Easter bank holiday weekend. Organised by the local island club Manx Harriers, it attracts runners from all over mainland Britain and further afield.

There are four different races, a 5k, 10k, hill race and a beer race. It’s unclear however which carries the most prestige.

“We were thrilled to see a record number of competitors this year and the festival continues to attract runners from far and wide,” says director Chris Quine, when asked about the attraction of the event. “Recent years have seen entrants from the US, Switzerland, Norway, Belgium and Netherlands as well as Ireland.

“As well as offering a party atmosphere, the standard of competition remains strong, particularly for good club runners.”

University groups organise trips for students, present and old, to relive the party aspect of studying. and Alehouse club out of Manchester Uni is whom brothers Andy and Dave Norman represent.

The bright orange vest is a sign of someone who races hard and enjoys a drink too while there.

The best running weekend

Andy, a former winner of the overall festival, has made the trip nine times.  He describes it as “the best running weekend you will ever experience”.

“The easiest race is the 10k on Friday night,” he explains. “After that, you’re hungover for the rest of the races. I started going in 2000 with Altringham AC. It was a team of us along with my brother, Nick Leigh and Adam Wareing”.

“The first two years, I finished second on both occasions. Then, following a scholarship to the University of Tulsa in the US, I came back in 2004 and won all three races. That was the best period in terms of racing.

“The community element of the festival is really strong too.”

Injuries hit the Manchester runner in years to come and it was the last time he ran for Altringham AC. The focus changed a little and that fitted in with the Alehouse ethos.

The Alehouse school of running

“It’s the hill race that trashes the legs and we always follow that with a 10-mile cross-island pub crawl from Peel to Douglas,” he tries to recall. “You take in 10 or more pints on that one. There used to be more pubs, but these days a few have closed.”

Not to despair, Alehouse ensures the runners aren’t left thirsty, with kegs stashed along the route where the pubs once were.

Andy’s older brother Dave, who features in the Fast 10: class of 2018, is the Isle of Man historian and explains: “We call them Rob Stops, named after Rob Francis, who started the tradition of kegs en route.”

The atmosphere and comradery is also a big part of the experience and he adds: “It’s totally unique. I can’t think of another race where you see runners in the pub pre-race, followed by singing and dancing on the start line.”

Many of the Alehouse crew will start the Easter party at the airport on Good Friday, before arriving on the island for the 10k.

Andy recollects a story from 2016 after heading off from Manchester: “I was injured at the time when we headed off, but after drinking 11 pints I decided to run the 10k at the last minute and still managed 39 minutes. It was a lot of fun.”

Think that sounds tough? Well, Laurie Lauscombe of Alehouse has garnered a reputation for his duathlon run/drink skills. Rumours have it that the Liverpool Harrier drunk 10 pints before running 35:24 this year. That’s not far off his 33:37 PB. 

Students of past and present

Other universities such as Leeds, Cambridge and Edinburgh all attend. The Leeds ‘Doss AC’ are Alehouse’s main rivals. Both clubs bring around 50 runners, past and present students, to the festival. 

Edinburgh’s Mike Christoforou, the 2017 festival winner says: “You can tell the organisers are really passionate and it always runs smoothly. Results and photos go straight up. It’s a celebration of running, with more of a focus on the celebration at times.”

The sub 30-minute 10,000m man puts “scoring a 30-year screamer in the Sunday afternoon football match” up there on a par with winning at the festival.

First timers

“If it’s your first time on the island with Alehouse you have to do a ‘virgin challenge’,” says Andy remembering his first experience with Alehouse. “Mine was a pint of vindaloo sauce from an Indian takeaway.”

That might add a few seconds to your race time, but it hasn’t put the 14:06 5000m runner off, who found form in recent months and was rewarded with another second place overall this year.

In 2018 a fresher had the challenge of completing every race in a tiger outfit. The hill race he had to crawl on his knees. Some people pay good money for that kind of niche experience.

Andy Noman (143) & Mike Christoforou (270) battle it out.

Top draw running

One thing that comes across is that this isn’t just a drinking festival. The standard of running is high. Quality runners turn up to let loose and have a tear up on the road and the hill. 

The Norman brothers and Christoforou are not the only decent runners taking part, and this year the overall winners were local Manx Harriers duo Ollie Lockley, a 29:23 10,000m runner, and Rachael Franklin, who has clocked 16:58 over 5000m.

“In our 10k race we had 29 men inside 34 minutes and 18 women under 40 minutes,” adds festival director Quine. “So whether you are coming for the running or the parties, there is something for everyone with a passion for running.”

Dave Norman shares that sentiment and adds: “There’s plenty of drinking and rivalry but no one is antagonistic. The real bond between everyone at the festival is a shared love of running.”

So if you are planning to head on a break next Easter, maybe think outside of the box, and book a long weekend on the Isle of Man and enjoy the running festivities.

The post Running & beer: the Isle of Man festival has the perfect mix appeared first on Fast Running.

Guernsey’s Ryan Burling and Louise Perrio were worthy overall victors of the island’s popular four day festival (March 30 – April 2), fighting off stiff challenges at this ever-competitive Easter event.

It was Bristol & West’s fast improving Elsey Davis who won the opening race of the weekend, however, taking 5k victory in a course record 16:29, while Burling started as he meant to go on by clinching first place in 15:15. The full report can be found here.

Saturday’s cross country race saw 66:28 half marathon athlete and The Big Half 11th placer Burling take the win from club mate Dan Galpin by a near minute margin with a time of 25:59 to Galpin’s 26:53, while another Guernsey athlete, Richard Bartram, was never far behind with 27:06 for third.

Perrio won the women’s race in dominant fashion in 29:08, with Aldershot’s Maisie Grice some distance behind in 31:27. Guernsey’s Nikki Neal’s 32:19 was enough to take third place in a race notable for its weather beaten course!

Sunday’s relays saw Galpin run the first mile long leg in the fastest time of the day of 4:47, leading his team to a 90 second victory, ably aided by his brother Sammy Galpin, Alex Rowe and Bartram. Perrio was again the quickest on the day, her 5:15 being the fastest women’s mile leg, ahead of Grice’s 5:33.

Ryan Burling won the 10k in 31:50 from Dan Galpin’s 34:04 and Andy van Kints’ 34:16, while Bristol & West’s classy Elsey Davies was 5th overall in 34:43, well ahead of Louise Perrio’s 37:45 and Jenny James’s 38:36.

Isle of Man Easter Festival of Running, March 30 – April 1

Manx Harriers were clearly intent on keeping the silverware on home soil when the club’s athletes took the top overall honours at the island festival.

Harriers’ Ollie Lockley won the 10k, the Peel hill race and the 5k to claim the festival title, while club mate Rachael Franklin won two of the three events to secure top honours.

Here’s two of our Champs! @iomeasterrun #ManxHarriers @OllieLockley @Rachy_IOM #iom #athletics pic.twitter.com/ZczeOWfiaz

— Manx Harriers (@ManxHarriers) April 2, 2018

Leeds University’s Beth Garland took the spoils at Friday’s 10k opener, however, winning in 36:19 from Franklin’s 36:26 and Cambridge University Greyhounds’ Polly Keen’s 36:35.

Lockley opened up his festival campaign with victory in the 10k in 31:05, well ahead of Michael Christoforou’s 31:40 and Cambridge University Greyhound’s James Hoad’s 31:43. Tying for fourth place on time was Manchester Uni and Altrincham’s top V35, Andy Norman, who has been consistently excellent at this distance for the past two decades.

Lockley took a narrow win in Saturday’s Peel hill race in 21:27, with Galway Harriers’ Andrew O’Donnghaile and Alan Corlett making up the minor podium positions. Franklin was first woman across the line in 17:21, nearly half a minute up on second placed Leeds Uni’s Bronwen Jenkinson and her club mate Garland.

Franklin and Lockley were victorious again in the final event of the weekend, the 5k, with the former taking the crown in a time of 17:44 from Garland and third placed Hannah Brown of Manchester Uni, while Manx Harrier Lockley had a tighter battle to win again Lancaster Uni’s Philip Robertson, clinching the title by one second in 15:09, with Christoforou’s 15:14 good enough for third.

Earlier on in the weekend, there were wins for Rob Turner and Sam Amend in the 100km Anglo-Celtic Plate International (full report can be found here), John Ashcroft and Laura Hesketh were impressive victors at the Salford 10k and you can read about it here.

On Sunday, Luke Traynor and Sarah Inglis broke the course records at the Scottish 10 Mile Championships and the report can be found here.

And not forgetting the fantastic run from Alex Yee at Dulwich parkrun. Yee’s 14:05 run on Saturday morning was the fastest time at parkrun worldwide since 2012. Read all about it here.

The post Runners impress at Easter festivals and a round-up of the best elsewhere appeared first on Fast Running.