DVDs now available

After putting in a lot of time and hard work over the last 3 weeks, I am now able to supply copies of the DVD I have produced from my video coverage of the athletics in Aland. The coverage actually fills 2 DVDs, a total of just over 4 hours and 15 minutes. This sounds like a lot, but believe me I had to cut a lot out as I filmed around 7 and a half hours altogether! It’s not meant to be anything other than an amateur production, but it’s far better and much more comprehensive than the one I did after the Rhodes Games 2 years ago.

Every event contested by an IOM athlete is featured, including heats/semi-finals/qualifying. The majority (though not quite all) of the running events of distances up to and including 1500m are shown in full, with fairly extended highlights of the longer races. I didn’t get every throw or jump by an IOM athlete during the field events as some clashed with other events going on, but at least some are included from every event.

Every medal ceremony involving IOM athletes is included, although some of the ones on the last day have been edited quite a bit as space was starting to run out – indeed it did run out halfway though the men’s 4x400m relay ceremony! I didn’t get as much of the Half Marathon as I would have liked because of the clash with so many other events going on at the same time, but all 4 IOM runners are seen at the start, halfway and at the end.

There are lots of post-race shots including (though I say it myself) some superb footage of Sarah’s and Harriet’s reactions in the minutes immediately after the 400m Final – probably my favourite bit of the whole film! There are close-ups of several of the Manx Radio interviews. I also did a bit of filming round the school on one of the days I visited the team’s HQ, and some of this is included too.

I do not want any payment myself for the DVDs other than covering costs, but would like everyone who requests copies to make a donation to the IOM Athletics Association. I will ask for this to be allocated to the travel fund for the 2011 Games. Can I suggest a minimum donation of £15 for the set of 2 DVDs? I feel this is reasonable for well over 4 hours of great memories from Aland (or to see what you missed if you weren't there!), the hard work I have put in to produce them, and the fact that it will all help the team to travel to the Isle of Wight in 2011. Yes, I know you can probably get round this by borrowing your friend’s copy and burning a copy yourself - but I would expressly ask you NOT to do this please!

If you would like a copy of the 2-DVD set, please email me on griffmuss at manx dot net, and I will arrange to get copies to you very shortly. If you’re on the boat to the Northern League on Sunday I can bring your copies then. Please make a cheque payable to Isle of Man AA, which I will pass onto Cheryl Pryke.

Some photo memories - Part 3

This is the third and final instalment of random photographic memories from Aland, all 10 of which are taken from the Brand collection. I hope these, and the blog in general, will provide some lasting memories of a week that none of us who were there will ever forget.

I am still working on editing all the video I took, which is a very time-consuming but enjoyable task. I was originally going to edit it down to about 2 hours to go on a single DVD, but have now decided to put in onto 2 DVDs, giving over 4 hours coverage. Even then it is quite hard to decide what to leave out! I am really pleased with most of the footage, especially some of the post-race reactions.

The 'Games Square' area was an inspired idea by the Games organisers in Aland. It was a great way to meet competitors and supporters from the other islands, although the competitors had to wait until the last day to sample some of the 'liquid delights' on offer!

Winning your first individual medal is a great moment for any competitor, and Darren Gray looks suitably happy as he gets ready for the 3000m steeplechase medal ceremony!

"I did 17.51, Mum!" Gemma Astin is pleased with her new 5000m pb, and no wonder...

...it earned her the first medal of her Island Games career, surely the first of many!

Ben Brand had a very good week, finishing with 2 silver medals in the relays - his first Games medals.

Ryan Fairclough also earned a silver medal for his excellent contribution to the 4x400m relay Heat.

Peter Richardson won a bronze medal in in the 4x100m relay in Rhodes, and improved that to two relay silvers in Aland...

...as did Michael Haslett, who also kept the team well entertained throughout the week!

Many great athletes have graced the Natwest Island Games down the years, but Aland's Janne Holmen must be one of the very best. The 2002 European Marathon champion bowed out of competitive athletics at the age of 31 after his home island's Games, smashing the Games records in both the Half Marathon and 10000 metres.

This will perhaps be the enduring image of the 2009 Island Games for the Isle of Man's athletics team - the record-breaking, gold medal winning 4x100m women's relay team.

Some photo memories - Part 2

Below are some more photographic memories of a great week in Aland at the 2009 Island Games. The top 4 photos are from the official website http://www.natwestislandgames2009.ax/, the rest are taken from the huge Brand collection.

A moment of pure Gold! Harriet Pryke crosses the line way out in front to bring the women's 4x100m relay team home in the gold medal position. They took nearly half a second off the previous Isle of Man record.

Yes girls, you really have got the record! Harriet, Ciara and Sarah look anxiously towards the scoreboard for confirmation of the time, but Danielle seems more intent on spotting chocolate puddings!

Gail Griffiths and Alderney's Nikki Neal congratulate each other after a great scrap for 5th place throughout most of the women's 10000m race. The 2005 silver medalist Nikki eventually came out on top in that particular battle, but Gail was justifiably delighted with her run.

Every picture tells a story! Guernsey's Lee Garland and Foxdale's very own Darren Gray find that exhaustion is a 'barrier' to conversation immediately after the 3000m Steeplechase Final. Darren took a richly deserved bronze medal just behind the highly experienced Guernsey athlete. And yes, he did get a free pint in the Baltic on his return home!

It was not a happy Island Games debut for Tom Richmond, but he still manages half a smile. He struggled with a foot injury, which has since been diagnosed as a stress fracture of a metatarsal which will rule him out of the remainder of the track season. Tom is a hugely talented athlete as he proved with his performances last season. His time will surely come in future Island Games!

Gail Griffiths pictured at the start of the 10000m Final with 2005 gold medalist Michelle Sandison of Shetland. Michelle's injury problems caught up with her in the second half of the race and she finished last this time. I well remember the rapturous reception she received from her home crowd 4 years ago, so this was one of the sadder moments of the Games for me.

The roving reporter! As usual, John Watterson's coverage of the Island Games in the Independent and Examiner was superb - as was his mode of transport in Aland!

Watty didn't spend the whole week on his scooter though. Here he captures an image of a joyous and patriotic Rachael Franklin after her brilliant silver medal winning performance in the 1500m Final.

It has to be said that the girls out-medalled the boys during the Games, so it's no wonder that Rachael Franklin, Danielle Ross and Gemma Astin never stopped smiling throughout the week!

A rare moment of rest for the video camera! I promise that this will be the first and last photograph of me on the blog. I will be putting together a DVD from my 7 hours plus of video footage, but please be patient. I have plenty to catch up on before I will get a chance to start on this.

Hollie Bass appears to be holding the bar on with her right hand! Hollie reckons she still has work to do on her High Jump technique, but it was a great performance to win a bronze medal on her Island Games return. She loved every moment of being part of the team again.

Relay controversy. This is the heat of the women's 4x100m relay, in which Jersey were disqualified for an infringement in their final changeover. They produced video evidence which, they claimed, proved that their changeover was completed before the end of the box. This was accepted by the organisers, and they were reinstated. Anthony Brand's photo suggests that their baton change was pretty late though - Harriet is already well on her way and the Jersey girls look distinctly worried!

Winning your first individual Island Games medal is an emotional moment, as Harriet shows when pictured with her mum Cheryl shortly after the 400m Final!

A star of the future! Charlotte Christian looks happy as she is pictured shortly after her 4th place finish in the Hammer, and she will surely have a great chance of getting into the medals next time. When you consider how many 4th and 5th places the team achieved as well as the 12 medals, it is clear what a vibrant future this team has.

Ben Brand and Thomas Riley also narrowly missed out on individual medals, finishing in 4th place in the 400m and 200m Finals respectively. Both have every chance of successful Island Games futures - Thomas already has a silver medal from the 100m in Rhodes in 2007. They both won 2 silver medals apiece in the relays.

Some photo memories - Part 1

Below are some random photographic memories of a superb week in Aland, thanks to Anthony and Caroline Brand's camera.

The base - the Hotel Savoy in Mariehamn, where I stayed along with Anthony & Caroline Brand, Frances McDonnell, Cheryl Pryke and Brenda Riley. The Gibraltar team also stayed there. It was 3 minutes walk from Games Street and 4 minutes walk from the stadium - ideal! It also had wireless Internet access throughout, so was a perfect base for publishing the blog.

The changeovers in all the relays were excellent, including this one between Peter Richardson and Michael Haslett during the Men's 4x400m Final.

There was a great team spirit all week, and Ben Brand is roared on by teammates Michael Haslett and Peter Richardson as he approaches the end of the anchor leg.

On the other side of the camera for once! Anthony Brand enjoys some relaxation in Mariehamn, and contemplates the next helping of the local black bread!

The silver relay squad (with a hint of red!). Peter Richardson, Ryan Fairclough, Ben Brand, Thomas Riley, Michael Haslett.

Marit's number 1 supporter! Her dad Lembit doesn't speak any English, but was adopted wholeheartedly by the IOM's athletics team. The following night he appeared at the track wearing a TT hat!

What it's all about - a gold medal! This year's medals were beautifully crafted in the shape of a waterdrop.

Andy Fox in serious mood during the week. "5 medals won't be good enough this time, guys!"

...and in relaxed mood at the team meal before the last night party!

There's nothing easy about winning Island Games medals! Gemma Astin, Martine Scholes and Louise Perrio (both Guernsey) in varying states of exhaustion seconds after the end of the 5000m Final.

There was a great atmosphere at the stadium every day, with packed stands and noisy support. It was a magnificent venue for the athletics competition.

At 15 years of age Ciara McDonnell was the youngest member of the team, but she lacks nothing in confidence as she argues a point with Thomas Riley!

"Andy Watson - A Lean, Mean Massaging Machine!". So said the notice on the wall at the team's accommodation. Andy did a great job all week tending to the various aches and pains of the competitors. Here he gets to grips with Thomas Riley in the treatment room at the track.

If you love the Island Games, this is the man you need to thank. Geoff Corlett was the Organising Director of the inaugural Games on the Isle of Man in 1985 and has done so much since to help the event grow and prosper. Now well into his 80s, he remains a bundle of energy and was a popular visitor to the stadium several times during the athletics competition. If you see him around, be sure to tell him how much you appreciate his efforts. But for Geoff, you wouldn't have been in Aland last week!

Two outstanding athletes. Janne Holmen of Aland (former European Marathon champion) and GB international Lee Merrien of Guernsey pictured during the 5000m Final. After a great career, the Island Games on his home island was Janne's swansong - and what a reception he received from his home crowd!

Confidence vindicated!

"The fact is that, despite the low medal tally, we had a very talented squad of athletes in Rhodes including some potentially outstanding youngsters who deserve everybody’s support. Whilst it is inevitable that not all of the youngsters will maintain their improvement through to the next Games I am confident that most of them will. Even more importantly in terms of winning medals, we already have a quality core of senior athletes who will still be very much around and very competitive in 2009, with some former medallists possibly on the comeback trail as well and challenging for places. In short, I think there is every reason to believe that we will do very well in Aland in 2009. Not every team member will win a medal of course, but we will be stronger than we were in Rhodes and there will be more competition for places. Let’s give the team the support and encouragement they deserve!"


The above paragraph was posted by me on the www.manxathletics.com forum in the autumn of 2007. There had been some criticism of the performance of the Isle of Man team as a whole in the 2007 Island Games, and there was a lot of debate on the forum about the athletics team's performances and selection policy after winning 5 medals in Rhodes - a much lower tally than we had been used to. I argued strongly in support for the team at the time as it was clear to me that the team had great potential for the future, and the passage quoted above was the final paragraph of quite a long submission.

You would have to say that pretty much everything I said in that paragraph has been fully vindicated by the performance of the team in Aland, which is a great credit both to the athletes themselves and to the management team who remained strong in their conviction that their policies for the future success of the team were correct. The athletics team were fortunate to have the support of Andy Fox, Di Shimell and Andy Watson in Aland, and I doubt if any island has a better or more professional management team. I firmly believe that we will be even more successful in 2011.

Final Day report – Part 2

Harriet Pryke, Ciara McDonnell, Sarah Dowling and Rachael Franklin celebrate their silver medals and new IOM record in the 4x400m Relay.

Peter Richardson, Thomas Riley, Ben Brand and Michael Haslett had a relaxed and laid-back attitude to the relays - and prove it here! They also won silver medals and set a new IOM record - a great performance.

A great run from Andy Duncan in the 1500m Final. Despite suffering horrendous blisters he surged through the field to finish in a fine 6th position. He so nearly caught the Isle of Wight athlete in front of him here.

The final 3 events of the Games involving the IOM athletes on Friday were the two 4x400m relays and the men’s 1500 metres final – and all produced cracking performances from the Manx athletes to round off a great week.

After the Half Marathon runners had headed out onto the roads, it was time for the 4x400m relays, and again it was the women who went first. Our team was slightly different to the 4x100m squad, with Rachael Franklin replacing Danielle Ross and a different running order. The leg order was Ciara McDonnell, Rachael Franklin, Sarah Dowling and Harriet Pryke, and with no heats being required for the event this was the first time the team had run together. And what a performance they produced! All 4 girls ran their hearts out and were rewarded with the silver medal and a new IOM record of 3.56.69. This is 1.24 seconds inside the old record set in Gibraltar in 1995 by Julie Moore, Cheryl Done, Danielle McCarrick and Deirdre McLoughlin. The Jersey team who won gold are all very highly-rated athletes and to get to within less than 2 seconds of them was a great performance. Harriet was closing in rapidly on the 200m and 400m gold medalist Gemma Dawkins on the anchor leg. We were nearly 11 seconds clear of the bronze medal winning Shetland squad.

It was then the turn of the lads, with a running order of Peter Richardson, Michael Haslett, Thomas Riley and Ben Brand. Like the girls, they also turned in a superb performance, they also won the silver medal, and they also cracked the IOM record with a time of 3.19.85. The splits were remarkably even, all four of the lads running legs of almost exactly 50 seconds. Their time took 0.50 of a second off the record set in Gotland in 1999 by Kevin Furlong, Kieron Murray, Gary Hunter and Paul Bergquist. This was a fabulous effort, and I was pleased too that Ryan Fairclough also received a medal having run very well in the Heat earlier in the week in place of Tom Riley. There was a memorable performance from the gold medal winning Guernsey team, who were using the race for an attempt at the Commonwealth Games qualifying time. This they achieved with something to spare, having flown in their 2008 GB Olympic relay runner Dale Garland especially for this single event. I’ll have to check my video to see what his leg time was – sub-46 I should think!

The final event was the men’s 1500 metres final, in which Andy Duncan ran a measured and controlled race to record a big pb. He started cautiously, and after 2 laps he was down in around 10th or 11th position. On the third lap he gradually upped the pace and started to reel in several of his rivals, and then on the last lap he produced a real kick in the finishing straight to get up to a fine 6th place finish with a time of 4.07.64. Indeed he only just failed by a fraction of a second to overhaul Newnham of the Isle of Wight. This was a great run by Andy despite suffering from badly blistered feet – the state he was in afterwards suggested that he had just done the Parish Walk barefoot! This race produced another cracking run by a Guernsey athlete – this time Lee Merrien. He beat his own Island Games record to win in great style in 3.49.58. Not quite as fast as Keith Gerrard ran recently though, and I really hope Keith competes in the Games next time.

That was the end of the competition, and the athletics team finished with a very impressive haul of 12 medals -2 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze. A really great effort. A report on the last night party will not appear here - what goes on on tour, stays on tour as they say, and everyone had a lot of fun!!

This is not quite the end of the blog though, as I will post some more considered thoughts about the performance of the team over the next few days. I also have over 7 hours of video footage to go through to try to reduce to just over 2 hours to go on a DVD - not an easy task! Incidentally, I have realised since watching some of the video that my reporting of one or two of the events at the time wasn't entirely accurate, and I am editing these as and when I find inaccuracies as I want them to be correct for future reference. The report of Gemma's 5000m race in particular has been edited quite a bit - it's difficult to fully take in what's happening when you are filming!

Final Day report - Part 1

Rachael Franklin approaches the bell during the women's 800m Final. The race was sensationally won in a photo finish by 15 year old Emma Leask of Shetland (blue kit)

The Golden Girls!! Sarah Dowling, Ciara McDonnell, Danielle Ross and Harriet Pryke joyfully explain to Manx Radio's Tim Glover how they not only won the gold medal but also shattered the IOM record in the 4x100m relay final...

A glorious sight! The Manx flag flies proudly during the medal ceremony for the 'Golden Girls'.

A great performance too from the lads to win silver in the 4x100m relay. Peter Richardson, Ben Brand, Thomas Riley and Michael Haslett celebrate, while the Guernsey athletes in the background comes to terms with their team's disqualification.

Ed Gumbley pictured in the early stages of the Half Marathon. He was the first of the IOM runners to finish, in 10th place.

Darren Gray pictured in the same place, on his way to an 11th place finish. Yes, this race really was in Aland despite the Manx vehicle in the background!

Kevin Loundes started strongly but his recent illness proved too much for him to overcome. He showed great determination to complete the course in 12th place.

Gail Griffiths had a great run to finish 7th in the women's Half Marathon. Despite giving it her all, she still found time to smile for cameraman Anthony Brand as she passed through the stadium halfway though the race!

Fox on a Bike! For the first time since his debut in 1987, Andy Fox was not a competitor in the Games, but still completed most of the Half Marathon course very stylishly!

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It was hectic to say the least on the final day of the athletics competition on Friday. There were individual events, field events, relays, medal ceremonies - and the Half Marathon was going on at the same time as well! I tried to cover every event involving our athletes on video (including the medal ceremonies) and I think I succeeded although I would like to have seen more of the Half Marathon. By the end of the session I felt like I had run a Half Marathon myself!

One thing changed dramatically on Friday and that was the weather. After the heat and humidity of the previous days, the day dawned cloudy and cool - and just as I arrived at the stadium the heavens opened for a few minutes. This was good news for the distance runners, but perhaps not for the relay competitors who would have had to contend with a wet baton if the rain had continued. Fortunately it stopped after a few minutes.

The first event of the day was the women's 800 metres Final, in which Rachael Franklin had high hopes of success after her superb silver medal winning performance in the 1500 metres earlier in the week. She gave it absolutely everything as she always does, but this was perhaps a race too far for her after a demanding week. She did everything right on the first lap, staying on the shoulder of the race favourite Eilidh Mackenzie of the Western Islands, but on this occasion she was unable to respond when the pace lifted on the second lap, eventually finishing 5th. Rachael was desperately disappointed afterwards, but her time will surely come in this event in future Island Games.

The 4x100m relays were next, and first to go were the women. The team of Danielle Ross, Sarah Dowling, Ciara McDonnell and Harriet Pryke had previously run together 3 times, all in the past 3 weeks. On each occasion they have posted times close to the IOM record, and they started the race with the added pressure of being clear favourites for the gold medal. And this was the crunch - could they possibly do it in an Island Games Final when it really mattered? You bet your life they could!! What an awesome performance by all 4 girls. Every changeover was perfect, and Harriet blitzed the anchor leg to take the team to the gold medal in a sensational time of 48.56 seconds, winning by a very convincing margin of 0.98 of a second from the very talented Jersey quartet. Not only was this a golden performance in every sense, it also shattered the 14-year-old IOM record of 49.03 by nearly half a second - a big margin over 400 metres. When you look at the calibre of the team that set that record in Gibraltar in 1995 (Cheryl Done, Danaa Myhill, Julie Moore, Jane Ryder) you realise what an awesome performance this was by Danielle, Sarah, Ciara and Harriet. They can truly be called the 'Golden Girls' and it was an absolute privilege to be there to witness it.

Next up was the men's 4x100m relay, featuring Michael Haslett, Ben Brand, Peter Richardson and Thomas Riley - and what a performance they produced too! The changeovers looked as close to perfect as you could wish for and the team stormed home in 3rd place behind the extremely strong quartets from the Cayman Islands and Guernsey. The news quickly got even better with the disqualification of Guernsey for what looked like a final baton changeover beyond the box, lifting the Manx lads into the silver medal position. Their time of 42.77 was just 0.26 of a second outside the IOM record of 42.51 set in Gibraltar in 1995 by the very powerful team of Gordon Crowe, Alistair Audsley, Kevin Furlong and Paul Bergquist. A great performance by the lads.

Then came the Half Marathon, and it was a strange format and unusual course layout. The race started on the track before heading out onto a 'figure of 8' course of about 10k which was completed twice. At the halfway point of the race the runners came back into the stadium and ran up the home straight in front of the stand before heading out onto their second lap. The race finished on the track. The course mainly used the cycle paths running alongside the roads, but part of the course used a gravel track – you could almost call it a multi-terrain course. There were 4 main feeding stations, which were actually all in the same place – the crossover of the 'figure of 8'. All very unusual, and Marit and Gemma had a busy time keeping the 4 IOM competitors fed and watered throughout the race.

There were high hopes that the men's team could land a medal in the team event, with Kevin Loundes also challenging for an individual medal – but things didn't go according to plan. Kevin started well, and for a few kilometres was in the chasing pack behind the runaway leader Janne Holmen (former European Marathon champion), but quickly succumbed to his recent illness. He had to stop on two occasions, but bravely soldiered on to complete the course in 12th place. Kev has worked so hard over the past 2 years and achieved so much success and it was cruel luck to pick up a debilitating illness so close to the Games. He deserves much better luck in 2 years' time.

Both Ed Gumbley and Darren Gray found the course really tough going, as did many of the athletes throughout the field, and recorded times several minutes down on their best despite giving it their all. They finished 10th and 11th respectively. Indeed, the vast majority of the runners were significantly down on their usual times, suggesting it was a tough course.

One athlete who bucked this trend, however, was Gail Griffiths, who produced a superb run to finish 7th in the women's race in a time only 52 seconds outside her pb. She ran really strongly throughout, and not only looked in complete control but looked like she was enjoying herself too! She ran a very even-paced race despite having few other runners to work with and tag onto. Her 2 years of absolute dedication since Rhodes have paid off with two excellent performances in Aland.

The second part of the final day's action will appear in a separate entry, and will report on more superb performances to round off a great week.