The month of March began and ended with extreme weather but everywhere there was change.

At the start of the month the high ground was covered in snow, something that only the older generation had seen more of in a winter before.

By the end of the month, although it was extremely wet and windy, we had our roads, fells, tracks and fields free of ice and snow and available for training (written last night before I realised how snowy it would be this morning).  In the first few days of the month we regained the use of the roadway at the National Sports Centre with its wonderful new surface - now we must only wait a few more months for track and field athletics of the real kind.

Thanks to the excellent performances from Harriot Pryke and Keith Gerrard our youth ensured that the month ended with a different set of Manx records than at the start. And Gail Grifith's rise from Manx Grand Prix rider to top 45 year old in the Berlin Half Marathon will surely be inspirational to anyone who thinks they are too old to start.

Inspiration was available to all in March when Roger Black visited the Isle of Man. "There are far too many 'if only' people around" he said as he encouraged people to try the impossible in the Scottish Widows Parish Walk.

For many March was the final month of training  before embarking on marathon running, starting a track and field season or perhaps walking in the Sara Killey Memorial 50km.

But rarely, if ever, have we finished a month without three people from the sport who were there at the start. Each one played a big part in Manx Athletics. From the visiting long distance runner, to the dedicated club official and the club athlete who was as likely to be seen acting as a marshal as running or walking past a marshal. April will be a poorer month without Cavin Woodward, Dave Horne and Kevin Tasker. People who knew them much better than I did have written about them on the forum and hopefully more of you will add your tributes and paint a picture of their lives which will brighten up even one of the wettest and windiest days of the year.

Murray Lambden 31 March 2010

Cavin Woodword was one of the finest endurance athletes to compete on the Isle of Man.  He won the TT "40" three times in 1978, 1979 and 1983 with a best time of 3:52:19 (he also finished second in 1985). In 1984 he finished second in a world record attempt at (what is now) the National Sports Centre finishing behind Don Ritchie (both pictured above) in 3:54:29 - 58.37 for each 10 mile split.

Dave Horne, the former Manx AC chairman, event official and Easter Festival helper, has had several tributes paid to him on the forum. The Norfolk man who moved to Port St Mary in the 1970s has been credited with giving former Olympic Games silver medalist Maurice Herriott an active role in the sport. His son Andrew was one of the leading middle distance runners for several years.

Kevin Tasker competed in the Parish Walk on 15 occasions and walked the full 85 miles 4 times. Among other achievements he finished the old End to End (east) course on three occasions, and both the Peel to Douglas Walk and the Peel to Douglas Run five times. He is pictured at Ballasalla during the 2003 Parish Wak in his familiar yellow top. A real club athlete he helped and encouraged all he knew.