Christa Cain took nearly three minutes off her personal best half-marathon time in Copenhagen at the weekend.
Her time of 1:12:34 took 2 minutes and 42 seconds off her previous best, set in Ramsey last month.
It is a new Isle of Man women’s 35 age group record, beating by nearly two minutes the time set by Brenda Walker in the 1991 Great North Run.
Third Fastest
It also makes Christa the third fastest Manx woman over the Half Marathon distance, and she is within one minute of the IOM record time set by Commonwealth Games athlete Sarah Astin in Seville last year.
She is 40 seconds outside Sarah’s sister Gemma’s best time set in Manchester in 2023.
Christa’s performances have been one of the big ongoing stories of Isle of Man athletics in recent years.
More to Come
Having not even taken up running properly until her mid-thirties, and now 39 years of age, her dedication to being the best athlete she can possibly be is extraordinary, and one wonders how much better she can still become.
It is a tragedy that there are no road events in next year’s Commonwealth Games, because Christa would undoubtedly have been extremely competitive in the Marathon.
Instead she will have to focus on continuing to improve and to break records, with her next target being the Chicago Marathon next month.
Here is a list of what I believe to be the four fastest-ever Manx women in Half Marathons:
- Sarah Astin 1:11:40 Seville 28/01/2024
- Gemma Astin 1:11:54 Manchester 15/10/2023
- Christa Cain 1:12:34 Copenhagen 14/09/2025
- Brenda Walker 1:13:35 Mariehamn 1991, 1:14:29 Newcastle/South Shields 15/09/1991
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