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Sunday 6th May Andreas photo’s by PJ (except where stated) Start Peter Kaneen crosses the finish line to retain the 20K men’s title with an impressive 97m 20s Left; Rose Taylor persevered in the deteriorating weather to claim the ladies title with a well paced walk over 12 laps in blustery conditions. Right; The irrepressible Michael ‘Manx Pronto’ George with another fine performance finishing second overall in a PB time of 104m 45s – that’s 15 minutes faster than his time in the same event last year Left; Jock Waddington also put in a personal best performance over the 20K distance with 114m 26s Right; Dave Griffiths had planned this event as the start of his comeback training for a crack at the Parish Walk to Peel in June. That was until he got a call from his surgeon at the University Hospital in Aintree. His operation planned for July has been brought and he will now have surgery on his longstanding injury on Tuesday. Best wishes Dave for a speedy recovery! Left The improving Karen Renecle posted a 5K time just under the half hour in 29m 48s. Right; Alex Norris recorded an excellent 11m 42s in the 3K 2K finishers Katie Norris (144) 6m 09s & Jessica Isherwood (136) 6m 40s Left; Peter Kaneen 20K Champion receives his medal from Steve Taylor Right; Rose Taylor, Ladies 20K Champion receives the trophy from her husband
Results & Report (thanks to Bridget Kaneen) Considering how many walkers are out on the roads,
training for this years Parish walk, there was a surprisingly low turn out for the 20k walking
championships, which should have been ideal for getting a couple of hours training under the belt. The
Andreas circuit is a fast, walker friendly course so it is a shame that more people did not take advantage of
this opportunity to rack up some good quality training.
Despite this there were a number of personal bests recorded in rather windy conditions, which affected the walkers particularly on the eastern facing stretches of the course. Peter Kaneen took the overall honours in an encouraging 97 minute clocking, showing a return to good form. He was a comfortable 7 minutes clear of his rivals at the finish. With the Dublin Grand Prix in June being the next event on the agenda, he will be relieved that his training is going the right way. Michael George managed to claim yet another personal best, despite the trying conditions knocking off the laps with metronomic accuracy to dip under 105 minutes for the first time. Jock Waddington also recorded a personal best, improving on his debut 20k effort, which was set in the Manx Open event in March. David Griffiths laced up his racing shoes for a rare appearance in recent times, after an injury plagued couple of years and walked a well paced effort. We all wish him a speedy recovery as he undergoes surgery next week, in an attempt to cure the problem.
Rose Taylor was the only woman to finish the 12 circuits of the Andreas course and was deserving winner of the ladies title with a well judged walk and great perseverance. Marie Jackson had been well ahead, but stopped at 15k, choosing to conserve her legs for a 10 mile handicap race in York next weekend. Allan Callow and Brian Brough also elected to stop early at 10k, Allan just under the hour and local resident Brian just over 80 minutes.
In the 5k event, Karen Renecle showed she is back to her best and dipped under 30 minutes again. Henry Da Sliva was second in a seasons best and Pat Pollins also continued her improvement with a personal best. Alexander Norris walked a sound 2k, and shows bags of natural ability in this event. Younger sister Katie also picked up a win in the 1k, though she was pushed hard by Jessica Isherwood, who has been improving steadily over the last few months.
Thanks to all the timekeepers, judges, marshals and other race officials who helped out on the day.
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