The Trafford 10k road race has proved to be the perfect race for leading Manx female athletes to run super-fast times.
The three fastest road 10k times ever run by Manx women have come in the past three years – and they have all been at Trafford!
In 2022, Rachael Franklin ran her current personal best time of 33:11, then last year Sarah Astin followed up her English National Cross-Country title the previous week with a superb time of 32:35 which is the Isle of Man record.
Trafford
At the weekend Sarah’s elder sister Gemma ran a time of 33:05 in the 2024 event, finishing 11th woman in a star studded field.
For a small island to have produced three athletes of such high quality really is amazing.
Big Easter weekend incoming
The 60th IOM Easter Festival of Running kicks off with the 10k road race in Port Erin on Good Friday.
The Peel Hill races are on Easter Saturday afternoon and the 5k road races on Douglas Promenade are on Easter Sunday morning.
Entries have already passed 250, with the majority of the visiting universities yet to submit their big group entries.
Last year a record 559 runners competed at least once over the weekend, and all indications so far are that this will be exceeded.
On Easter Saturday the action doubles up with the Manx Mountain Marathon and supporting Half Marathon organised by Manx Fell Runners also taking place.
Advance entries are also looking very good with that event so far, with 138 in the full race and 110 in the half.
Between the Easter Festival and the Mountain Marathon, the sport of athletics brings many hundreds of visitors to the Isle of Man for a long Easter weekend each year and it’s a weekend that showcases the very best of athletics as a sport.
If you are not competing, look out for appeals for help from organisers of both events and lend a hand if you can.
2 Comments