Isle of Man Mountain Ultra

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In an effort to inject new life into the Manx Mountain Marathon the organising committee have decided to explore new markets with the emphasis on the Ultra and Trail running scenes.

The event will now be known as the Isle of Man Mountain Ultra. It will be run more or less over the traditional north to south 50km course starting in Ramsey and finishing in Port Erin visiting all 12 of the islands major summits that make up the back bone of the island.

Why change things? Primarily because there has been a drop in interest from the traditional British Fell running fraternity. Ultra and Trail racing is a huge growth area and the Isle of Man course fits into these categories perfectly. 

Another innovation for 2013 will be the introduction of a shorter race for those who are not confident of mastering the awesome Ultra. The Isle of Man Mountain race will follow the same route from Ramsey but will finish at 28km in the picturesque St Johns Village. This race may be a lot shorter but is not to be underestimated as it is a very tough A category event.

 One planned course improvement will be to change the route at the Garey Gate to eliminate the unpopular road section to the Round Table Road. More details shortly.

The winners of each race will be rewarded with cash prizes that have been donated by Up and Running, the Islands premier running store. 

Every finisher in the Ultra will receive a commemorative t shirt from long standing sponsors Okells Brewery.

Proposed start times will be:-

Isle of Man Ultra early start for those expecting to complete the course in between 8 and 10 hours 7.30am

Isle Man Ultra main start for those expecting to finish the course in under 8 hours 8.30am.

Isle of Man Mountain race 8.30am

More info will be forthcoming in the near future. Keep checking isleofmanmountainultra.com, the MFR page on facebook and manxtreme.com

Astin Internation Baldwin Valleys Fell Race

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Don't forget to Bring a Cake

Don't forget to Bring a Cake

Round three of the Rentokil Manx Fell Running League will take place on Saturday 16th February. The Aston International Baldwin Valleys Fell Race will be held over a 14km course that includes 750m of ascent and it will start and finish at Ballawylin Beg in East Baldwin. 

Full safety gear is mandatory for all runners and the minimum age is 18 years on race day.

The event will start at 1.00pm with an early start at 12.30pm for those who expect to finish at the rear of the field. Anyone who finished in under two hours in the recent Ard Whallin race will be expected to start in the main race.

Registration, including kit check, will be from 11.45 to 12.15pm for the early start and 

12.15 to 2.45pm for the main start. There will also be spot checks on kit before and after the race.

As parking is fairly restricted it is recommended to car share if possible.

A few helpers are still required for the race. Please check the marshals page on manxfellrunners.org for details to see if you can help. All runners are reminded that to complete the league they must marshal at one race. 

As was the case last year the race will be known as the “bring a cake race”. Competitors are encouraged to bring a cake, preferably home made, for the post race refreshments.  Last years spread will take some beating!

 It is hoped to have a race map available to download shortly.

Permission has been given by the various private landowners to have a full recce of the course on Saturday 9th February starting at 9.30pm from Ballawylin Beg. It is highly advisable for any runner who has not competed on this course to try to attend the recce.

New Ard Whallin Course Proves a Hit

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Rose Hooton and Peter Cooper on Slieu Ruy (ML)

Tough conditions did not deter 76 runners from tackling the new Ard Whallin Fell race yesterday.  The freezing cold on the summits made it as equally tough for the marshals and spectators as it did for the runners

Lloyd Taggart blazed his way through the snow taking the win from Tom Cringle in second and Simon Skillicorn third, the ladies win went to Jackie Lee.

Full results are now available here please report any errors using the contact form here.  Take a look at coverage from Murray Lambden (braving the sub zero temperatures) at manxathletics.com

Murray's Photos

Paul Sheard's Photos

Rich Sille's Photos

Ard Whallin Pre Race Update

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The race, which is the second counter in the 2013 Rentokil Fell League, will be based at Ard Whallin Outdoor Pursuits Centre in West Baldwin. And will be run around the newly formed Ard Whallin Route.

No parking will be available at the Ard Whallin outdoor centre itself. 

All competitors are reminded that the Colden Car Park can be used on race day only. We have received special dispensation for the day from DEFA but it is with the proviso that anyone parking here must not go into the surrounding plantation. Please park sensibly and car share if possible.

The organisers are very keen that all competitors carry their mobile phone during the race, and the number logged at registration. All competitors will be given a contact number in case they have any problem during the race.

Registration will be from 12.15pm at Ard Whallin. There will be an early start at 1.00pm for

those who expect to take more than 2 hours. The early start is to help those who are normally near the rear of the field. The organisers reserve the right to refuse the early start to anyone who does not qualify.

The main race will start at 1.30pm.
Full safety gear must be presented at registration and there will be random checks at the start and finish.
Minimum age is 18 years on race day.

Ard Whallin Race
Route description 12.6kms. 750 mts of ascent

Start at field gate 50m south of Ard Whallin on the Injebreck road

Ascend flagged route through fields to gate at GR348831 (this is private land with access on race day only)

Ascend to summit of Colden – Manned Check Point (1).

Descend in southerly direction to valley floor. Unmanned Check Point (2). at bottom of stone wall GR 339834

Ascend and cross to Cronk Breck track gate at GR334822 -  Manned Counter Check.

Ascend and cross to Greeba summit –Manned Check Point (3). GR318816.

Slieau Ruy summit – Manned Check Point (4). GR328824

Return to the gate at GR348831 and descend by flagged route to the Injebreck Road. Finish is at Ard Whallin Outdoor Pursuits Centre.

The Baldwin plantation is out of bounds.For Reccying, access to the route can be made via the Cronk Breck Track. Route map is available below

Ard Whallan Race Route

2013 League Marshals

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Don't forget every runner who wishes to complete the Rentokil Manx Fell League must marshal at one race.

Please check the chart here and put your name down for the race that suits you. It is on a first come first served basis so if you miss out on your preferred race you will have to chose another.  For the last couple of years a number of runners  have failed to select their race until the season was nearly over. This caused the organisers problems trying to fit everyone in. This year there will be a deadline of 1st April to put your name forward.

Any runner who fails to meet this deadline will not count for the league.  

Please remember you can arrange for somebody to marshal your slot but the organisers must be informed well before the scheduled race date.

A Note from Margy Creer

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Could I please say a huge 'Thank You' via the website to the people who helped me get down from near Colden on Sunday 13th January having badly sprained my ankle. They are - Stephen Caley, Brent Thomas, Paul Thomas, Paul Killey, Les Brown (plus my sister Ali Corlett) without whom I may well still be up there!!

I really appreciate what you all did in those freezing conditions!

New MFR Website

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Welcome to the new MFR website.  The original website was created in 2004 so was well due for an update, although the new version is quite a bit different in appearance hopefully all the relevant race information is now more accessible and up to date.  The development of facebook, twitter and the MFR groups on there have moved the focus of the new site away from a news blog and to have cleaner static information that is easier to find, although you can still follow the latest MFR developments here on the news feed.

There are still a few tweaks to be made and a final bit of information to add but hopefully the site should be operating at 100% in the next couple of days.

If you have any feedback or improvements that you think could be implemented please post here...

MFR Screen.jpg

Record Start to 2013

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A new record number of 176 competitors tackled the St Johns fell race yesterday, an increase of about 30 to the previous best.  There were some great fancy dress outfits out there with a few making the muddy 3.0 mile course a lot more challenging!

Lloyd Taggart took the win from Andy Cannell and Simon Skillicorn with Jackie Lee taking the ladies win from Rebecca Wallace and Rosy Craine.  Full results are available below.

More coverage thanks to Murray Lambden at manxathletics.com

Results

River Splash (Murray Lambden)