FRONT COVER: Early stages - many happy walkers taking part in the 2011 Scottish Widows Parish Walk. (1574: Anita Quayle, 528: Ben Mowle, 619 David Wilding, 1141 Rebecca McDowell.) Event Main Sponsors: Scottish Widows. Event Timing Sponsors: Manx Telecom Editorial The 51st edition of the Scottish Widows Parish Walk has continued to grow this year, with record entries again. Congratulations to everyone, whether you took part, supported a walker, helped with the organisation or marshalled. Without YOU the event could not take place! There may have been moments when you said “Why am I doing this?!” or even “Never again!” However, the blisters heal, the pain soon fades, and the memories of the experiences you gained and the people you met will remain with you. Especially when people look at you with awe when they find out you took part in such an event. More and more people are now seeing competitive walking events as an enjoyable and healthy activity. A much larger proportion of walkers are now also being attracted to the Isle of Man just to take part in this event, as its fame spreads further afield. Many people are already planning and looking forwards to their 2012 Parish Walk. Come back next year… You may or may not want to try the full distance but you will certainly miss all the fun if you are not entered. And don’t forget the End to End Walk, where you can walk the entire length of the island with hundreds of other people, taking place in September! If you enjoyed the Parish Walk, perhaps you might enjoy other walks too. From the Isle of Man I headed straight to Dublin, where walkers from all over the World were gathered. Just to line up against Guatemala, Tunisia, Columbia, India, China, South Africa, Australia, and Mauritius was an experience in itself. Earlier in the year regular walkers were also invited to take part in the ‘Olympic Test Event,’ 20km held on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace - a dress rehearsal of the actual event next year, with giant flags and crowds of people. (The closest that many of us could ever get to being in the Olympics.) …And then there is the Death March in Belgium, the Four Day March in Holland, and various Championships around the UK and beyond. Walking will take you places. Walking can also become addictive if you take it up on a regular basis. The beneficial chemicals released by regular exercise will naturally encourage you to keep exercising. (That’s the secret of how and why the top walkers keep going.) You would also be surprised at the number of walkers aged in their seventies and even eighties who still love to enter events. I hope to see you at another event soon… Magazine info Race Walking Record (founded 1941) is the international magazine for walking events and the sport of walking, published every month. Issue: 809-PW - Scottish Widows Parish Walk Special - July 2011. Editor: John Constandinou. Website: www.racewalkingrecord.net Credits - Writing: John Constandinou, Michael George. Photos: Mike & Murray Lambden. Statistics: www.parishwalk.com 30 - Awards 33 - Other Walking Events/IOM Walks Contents 33 - International walks 2 - Editorial/Magazine info 34 - Race Walking/Athletics Clubs 3 - Interview with the Governor 35 - Next year’s event: PW 2012 7 - Results minute miles to Santon was perhaps a little ambitious. Interview with the Governor By Michael George He enjoyed the atmosphere of the race, the enthusiasm of the spectators and being able to The 2011 Parish Walk was unique for many talk to the fellow competitors that weren't zipping reasons, none more so than that Adam Wood past him but feels that being encouraged to became first Lieutenant Governor to take part make it the whole way to Rushen was perhaps a and fortunately, he was kind enough to grant series of steps too far and it took him a few days Race Walking Record an interview. to recover. His initial ardour subsided a little as he dropped to 14, 15 and eventually 25minute Almost as soon as he arrived on the Island, miles for the last couple but it he still finished former President of Tynwald, Noel Cringle with a respectable 4mph average. asked His Excellency if he would take part. Suffering a similar misconception to Roger Having struggled with his quadriceps, I Black who describes the name, 'Parish Walk' as suggested that he may benefit from some one of the biggest misnomers in sport, he coaching as they weren't really the muscles that imagined a gentle stroll around one small area should be troubling a walker but he retorted that of the Manx countryside but realised his error the only technique that he would be working on quickly, when viewing the look of horror on the would be his golf swing. faces of the staff when he told them what he'd agreed to. It also isn't the furthest he has ever endeavoured to stroll because as a 19year old, he hiked 200 His Excellency is a keen walker and one of the miles over a week, travelling from Dorset to quirks of his job which involves lots of anti Buckinghamshire staying in guesthouses along social hours is that he has had time to explore the way and another of his favourite holidays the coastal paths and fells. The whole family involved hauling a tent around the Pyrenees. recently spent a day bird watching and fishing from a boat and they are enjoying their new I am very grateful to His Excellency for taking surroundings immensely at the moment. the times out of his busy schedule to talk to me and I think that due to his open nature and by Certainly, he is a sporting all-rounder, having participating in one of our national obsessions, played football, before graduating to rugby he has endeared himself greatly to the local when he captained the Wasps youth team. He population and I am sure that on behalf of the rowed for his university, then became an Manx athletic community and the readers of this enthusiastic cricketer. As demands on his time magazine, we wish him a very successful tenure increased, he moved from team games to for his 5 year term of office. tennis and golf, already a member at Albany Tennis Club and a regular at the Castletown Fortunately, he has no lasting injuries, though and Peel courses, only yesterday managing a less fortunately, it would appear that we have round at Rowany (Port Erin.) lost him as a Parish Walker and he will enjoy the spectacle from afar in future. Mind you, they all His Excellency was subjected to a few say that, don't they? Watch this space..... interviews before the start of the race and then experienced something of a culture shock, having been thrust into the centre of the front Reports row of the field just before Roger Black fired the gun to signify the beginning of proceedings. He Here are just some of the fascinating stories likened himself to a racing bike and he would behind the competitors, provided by Michael have been grateful for 'tyre warmers' as it was a George. case of him being swept along at the head of the crowd, unprepared and cold. 1st - Jock Waddington Jock stamped his authority on this race and In these circumstances, he made the mistake Parish Walk folklore with a dominant that most us have made at some stage or other performance, taking the lead at the Oatlands being carried away too quickly by the euphoria Road, about eight miles from the start and was of the masses. Despite his general health and never seriously challenged, despite Vinny fitness, he had done no specific training for Lynch‘s constant presence between 12 and 15 what he was undertaking, so in hindsight 13 minutes in arrears from Patrick until the end.. 4th - Richard Spencely Four consecutive victories achieved with a The way that this guy has gone progressed over minimum of fuss. A deceptively languid style the last five years is nothing short of but outstanding excellence, only 14 minutes phenomenal. In fact you are able to read about and twelve seconds outside the course record his entire journey on www.parishwalk.com as he of Sean Hands and now the second fastest lap has been the most prolific blogger ever on the of all time. site. Although many of us are jealous of the amount of time that he is able to devote to It has been well documented in other media training, the way he has gone about it has been that Jock will not be defending his title, as next very impressive and he recognised after last year, he will be supporting his wife Teri, one of year that to be a top Parish Walker, technique is the Parish WAGs team. However, he will not be extremely important. His curve of improvement totally lost to long distance walking for the will continue along with his racewalking and whole of 2012 as he is intending to spearhead a though he does worry about his weight, he must Manx team for the Roubaix 28 hours race which be a force to reckon with in the future. Following is usually held towards the end of September. a warning from one of the judges, he astutely decided to drop back from the early fast pace 2nd - Vinny Lynch (the top five all received admonishment that they There may have been one or two people who were in danger of losing contact before thought that his excellent second place last Ballasalla) and though this meant that he was year was a bit of a fluke.