THE MILLENNIUM WHICH WAY RELAY

The Millennium Way is signposted through the bottom part of Silverdale Glen via this stile.

But many competitors ignored the signs and stile and took the lower path.

And some even avoided the climb from the car park.

Photos from video ML. Competitors deliberately not identified.

The M & P Legal Millennium Way Relay is planned for Sunday 27 December. First held in 1979 (the Millennium of Tynwald – the Isle of Man’s parliament) it has been sponsored by M & P Legal (formerly Mann & Partners) since 1997. Organised by Boundary Harriers, Manx Harriers and more recently jointly by Manx Harriers and Manx Fell Runners, it needs an early commitment from marshals as well as runners and cyclists for it to go ahead.  Here is a cross section of photos since 2002 to show what will be missed if helpers cannot be found. To help for anything from five minutes to five hours in five weeks time, go to www.manxfellrunners.org

The late Stuart Slack was one of the driving forces behind the start of the Millennium Way Relay. It was intended to be a bit of fun over the festive season to see if a team of runners could beat a cyclist over the new north to south route which was based upon an historical path. From 2002 we see Marie Noon, who has been in the lead in an Olympic road race during her illustrious international cycling career, as well as winning the 2001 Island Games Half Marathon, start the climb out of Crosby at which point the runners have just started the third leg. (photo Murray Lambden)

Tony Varley competed in the very first event in 1979 and every year since. He was one of the principal organisers during the early years and has excelled on his bike and on all legs of the course. His best years usually involved running the first leg from Sky Hill to the Brandywell Road, as it is well suited to the former Manx fell running champion who also made the 1995 Island Games team as a cyclist. This 2003 photo was taken near to the end of third leg at St Marks in awful weather conditions. (photo John Maddrell, Isle of Man Newspapers)

Most people associate the course with the open mountain, hilly roads and muddy paths but the event finishes in Castletown Square next to the Castle. So the final few hundred yards has a nautical association and Stan Sille is seen running past a fishing boat in 2004. When the event was first held Castletown Brewery was still producing its fine Castle ales on the other side of the road. The traditional of sampling the Manx beer in a number of pubs during a coach trip later in the evening continues to this day. (photo Eammon Harkin)

The weather has varied greatly at Christmas time over the past 30 years, with snow, rain, hail and frozen mountains alternating with sunshine and spectacular views. It was the shortage of water in the Manx drought of 1975 (a year earlier than the severe drought in the UK) that encouraged the Isle of Man Water Authority to build the Sulby Reservoir. This fine photograph of Allan Thomson in 2005 (it took a bit of research to identify him!) had a backdrop that would have been unavailable in the early years of the Millennium Way Relay because construction of the reservoir only began in June 1979 and the full water levels were first achieved in 1983. (photo by Martin Critchley)

The first road running section is reached part way through the second leg at St Luke’s Church. On one occasion of bad weather the first leg was extended to this point. The Isle of Man has an unique integration of its sports and this 2006 photograph is of Conor Cummins, the third fastest rider ever in the famous TT motor cycle races. He lapped the 37.73 mile course at 130.225 miles per hour earlier this year and this weekend came without a fraction of a second of winning the Macau Grand Prix. In the photo he has just past the land of retired farmer Kenyon Crowe who was a passive sponsor of Conor in his early years of racing. Conor has stayed close to the grass roots and recently spent a whole morning chatting to Kenyon (aged 87) when he called to see him at Saddle Mews.  (photo ML)

Steve Kelly (37) is one of the greats of Manx road running and was at his peak during the early years of the Millennium Way Relay. He was the first Manx runner ever to finish the London Marathon when he ran 2.27.24 in 1981. Amazingly, 28 and half years later nobody from the Isle of Man has run that event faster since. Best known now as one of the faces of Northern AC he still makes occasional appearances in local events and is one of the most sporting characters around, always finding time to encourage all the other athletes. In this 2007 Millennium Way Relay shot at the start of the Crosby climb he has just given such encouragement to Alan Gault, another man admired by all in the sport for the way he has returned to competition after serious illnesses. (photo ML)

For more than 20 years the event has been handicapped which means that the teams containing the slower runners start before the faster teams. This gives everyone an equal chance of winning and ensures that there remains a fun element – Lesley Christian certainly looked happy at the top of the Crosby Hill last year.  But it is the handicapping that also creates unreasonable demands for the organisers. A great deal of time is spent trying to ensure fairness but then teams request replacement runners because of illness and injury. This task is bad enough but if they are entering the Christmas holiday period without certainty about the number of marshals then their task becomes impossible. There will be an outcry if the 30 year old tradition of racing on or close to Boxing Day comes to an end. There will be shouts of joy if the uncertainty of whether the event can proceed this year is removed much earlier with volunteers confirming their support very early. (photo ML)