Photos from the 1976 Manx Mountain Marathon

(by the late Bill Lambden)

The start of the standard section in the Market Square Ramsey. The event in those days was held on Easter Monday. The starter was the Chairman of the Ramsey Commissioners - my memory may deceive me but I think he might have been Fred Crowe, originally from Kirk Michael but best known in Peel. He stood for the House of Keys in all three constituencies.

As they start you can see the founder of the event, Professor George Broderick on the left of the picture leaning forward (black coat and glasses). You can read about the history of the event on the Manx Fell Runners website here.

The man in the right of the picture in the dark blue hooded top looks like Bob Cowley who was one of the leading Manx runners at the time - and still has the same hairstyle.

Another well known Manx athlete watching the start was (later to be) six times Parish Walk winner and 100 miles winner John Cannell in the yellow top and red tracksuit bottoms. The walking section started ahead of the standard class and the elite runners some two hours later at 11 am. Ian Callister had already progressed to this section.

The event finished in Bradda Glen in Port Erin. Number 20 is Michael Gray and 25 Allan Corlett (thanks to Stan Sille and Robbie Lambie for the identification).

Here are the winners up to this point (as supplied by Richie Stevenson in 2002).

The list of finishers is littered with the best fell runners from the UK with Mike Short completing a hatrick in the following three years and then Colin Donnelly winning for the next two years.

My school friend and rival Simon Capelen persuaded me to enter and here is Simon reaching St Johns. I think it is his family in the foreground (father crouching, mother in light coloured coat and brother Dave in yellow top). My own mother is in the green top.

As the photos are from a family collection, inevitably I feature in most of the twelve. I'll spare you from five of them but here I am at St Johns having my card punched by Irene Corlett.

The late Johnny Quine officiates at the finish as I reach the end in my North Staffs Poly sweatshirt which I appear to have worn in all four of my Manx Mountain Marathon runs. I don't think that I had ever run more than 7 miles (and never run on the fells) when I did this as a 19 year old and I struggled over the later stages each year. My early walks in the Parish Walk gave me some endurance and this effort possibly helped me complete the Parish Walk a few weeks later.

If you have additional information (or corrections) please share them on the forum. I've now found the photos I was looking for at the end of last week (the Bradda Fell Race of 1979) and these will be published later this week with the pictures from the 1977, 1978 and 1979 Manx Mountain Marathons to follow.