Medal delight for Harriet, Sarah and Rachael!!

Pictures of sheer delight!


Harriet Pryke and Sarah Dowling celebrating together after the 400m medal ceremony.

Sarah was so happy to be back on the podium in an individual event for the first time since 2003.

An overjoyed Rachael Franklin celebrating her 1500m silver medal with gold medalist Eilidh Mackenzie of the Western Islands.

What a wonderful night at the track that was! Superb performances from all 4 of the track athletes in action tonight.

In the women's 400 metres, Harriet Pryke and Sarah Dowling obliterated their pbs yet again to take the silver and bronze medals with times of 56.46 and 57.34 respectively, behind Gemma Dawkins of Jersey who is an outstanding athlete. But Harriet and Sarah are also outstanding athletes and they proved it with a vengeance tonight! They have worked so hard over the past 2 years since Rhodes, and the absolute delight with which their performances were greeted by the entire Manx contingent told its own story. It was a wonderful moment to see them both on the podium together draped in the Manx flag. The battle for the bronze medal between Sarah and Orkney athlete Mags MacRae was desperately close and there was an agonising wait of 2 or 3 minutes before it was confirmed that Sarah had indeed got the bronze.

And this was followed by incredible performances from Rachael Franklin and Gemma Astin in the 1500 metres. Rachael ran the race of her life to take the silver medal in a time of 4.36.99, taking nearly 10 seconds off her pb - an extraordinary amount over 1500 metres. She put the eventual gold medal winner Eilidh Mackenzie (a terrific athlete who won gold and bronze in Rhodes 2 years ago) under the severest pressure all through the race, and was in with a real chance of winning until the final 100 metres or so. Rachael is another who has worked her socks off over the past two years and deserves all the success she gets and this was a truly fantastic performance. And so too was Gemma's performance to finish 5th in a time of 4.42.96 - a fraction outside her pb. She has had so many problems this year with illness and injury that have restricted her training and racing to a bare minimum, so to produce a performance like this was astonishing in the circumstances. What she will do when she is fully fit is quite a prospect!

Also in action tonight in the final of the women's Shot were Marit Zahkna and Charlotte Christian, who finished 6th and 9th with throws of 8.82m and 8.15m respectively. The best event for both of them, the Hammer, is tomorrow night. They have both had excellent training sessions today (whisper it quietly - Marit threw over 50 metres!) and are quietly confident for the Final tomorrow. Fingers crossed...

I'm off for a celebratory beer at Games Street now - more tomorrow.

Relay success this morning

There were just two events involving the IOM this morning, both in the 4x100m relay heats. First off were the men's team of Michael Haslett, Ben Brand, Peter Richardson and Tom Riley in Heat 2, which was the stronger of the 2 heats. They finished 2nd with some very slick changeovers in a fast time of 42.98 - considerably faster than either of their times in Rhodes 2 years ago when they won the bronze medal. However, the Cayman Islands produced a fantastic time of 41.84, shattering the Island Games record in the process. Our team were 3rd fastest overall and must have a very good chance of a medal on Friday.

The women's team of Danielle Ross, Sarah Dowling, Ciara McDonnell and Harriet Pryke went in Heat 1, and stormed to victory in a superb time of 49.30. This was the fastest time overall by a considerable margin, and if the team can perform to the same standard or even faster on Friday they will start as clear favourites for the gold medal. Jersey, who were 2nd in our heat, were disqualified following an infringement on the 3rd changeover, but on looking at the results on the official site I see they are still listed as finishing 2nd. Perhaps they have appealed and been reinstated? In Heat 2, reigning champions Guernsey dropped the baton on the 3rd changeover and failed to finish.

Tonight, proceedings get under way with the medal ceremony for the men's 3000m steeplechase, with Darren Gray collecting his richly deserved bronze medal. There are only 3 events involving our athletes, all women's events. Charlotte Christian and Marit Zahkna are in the Shot Putt Final, though this isn't the strongest event for either of them. There follow two events where we have genuine medal prospects - Harriet Pryke and Sarah Dowling in the 400m final, and Rachael Franklin and Gemma Astin in the 1500m final. Go Manxies!!

Monday night in pictures

Michael Haslett on his way to 4th place in the 400m hurdles final.

Danielle Ross happy after finishing 5th in the 100m final on her Games debut - a terrific performance.

Tom Riley about to cross the line in 4th place in the 200m Final.

Hollie Bass in full flight during the Long Jump Final, in which she finished 8th. Will she make it over the top of Aland's 10000m runner?

Darren Gray both exhausted and ecstatic as he wins the bronze medal in the 3000m steeplechase.

Darren tells his story to John Watty afterwards. 'So Daz, what's this about you and the Baltic?'

Gail Griffiths gives her all on the way to an excellent 6th place finish in the 10000m Final.

Marit Zahkna on her way to 5th place in the Javelin Final.


(All photos Anthony & Caroline Brand)

It's a Gray day as Darren wins bronze!

A full round-up of this evening's action will have to wait until the morning as it is after midnight here and I am not long back to the hotel after a visit to the school where the team have their accommodation - and very nice it is too!

The highlight of the day's action was a double first - the first medal of the Games for the athletics team, which was also Darren Gray's first individual medal of his Games career. He ran brilliantly to take the bronze medal in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9.47 - a pb by over 13 seconds and his first sub-10 minute clocking. He followed the pre-race plan to the letter (other than running a few seconds faster than planned!), and was rapidly closing in on Guernsey's Lee Garland in the finishing straight. A superb performance and a just reward for a year of total commitment and dedication.

A summary of all the IOM performances tonight, many only just outside the medal positions:

Men's 400m Hurdles Final - Michael Haslett 4th, 55.93
Women's 100m Final - Danielle Ross 5th, 13.05
Men's 200m Final - Tom Riley 4th, 22.01
Women's Long Jump Final - Hollie Bass 8th, 4.86m
Men's 3000m S/Chase Final - Darren Gray 3rd, 9.47.07
Women's 10000m Final - Gail Griffiths 6th, 39.57.60
Women's Javelin Final - Marit Zahkna 5th, 28.01

More tomorrow morning. The only 2 events that our athletes are involved with in the 1st session at the track are both 4x100m relay teams, and there are high hopes for them both.

Mixed fortunes this morning

Ben Brand and Tom Riley happy after great runs in the 200m semi finals.

Harriet Pryke focuses an hour or so before running her 400m heat.

Ryan Fairclough, a picture of sartorial elegance, in reflective mood after finishing 3rd in his 800m heat.

There were mixed fortunes for the IOM athletes in the heats & semi-finals this morning. A total of 9 Manx athletes were action in the 5 events.

First to go was Michael Haslett in the 400m hurdles heats. After a fast 1st Heat, Mikey knew he would have to run well in Heat 2 to get through either in the first 2 or as one of the 2 fastest losers. Early in the race he clattered a hurdle really hard which disrupted his rhythm for a while, but then he really picked up the pace. With about 50 metres to go he was in a tight battle for 2nd until his rival fell at the final hurdle. This allowed Mikey to ease off over the last 40 metres or so. He is in fairly confident mood ahead of tonight's Final.

Next were the semis of the women's 100m featuring last night's stars Ciara McDonnell and Danielle Ross. In Semi 1, Ciara was holding 3rd place with about 30 metres to go but was unable to quite keep the momentum going to the end, and finished 5th in 13.05. It was still her second fastest ever time over 100 metres and she has done really well on her debut so far. In Semi 2, Danielle produced a terrific run to finish 3rd in a time of 12.90, and to qualify for tonight's Final as the faster of the 2 fastest losers. A great achievement on her Games debut and one that looked unlikely at the start of this season when she was struggling. The fastest runner this morning collapsed in agony at the end of the race and must be a doubt for the Final, so could Danielle be in with a chance of a medal?

In the men's 200m heats, Tom Riley and Ben Brand both ran pbs of 21.95 and 22.67. Tom qualified for tonight's Final as the fastest loser and feels in good shape. He will have his work cut out to get into the medals as the standard is very high, but he will be giving it his all. Ben also ran extremely well and recorded a second pb in 2 days. He looks in really good shape and this will set him up nicely for the 400m and relays later in the week.

There was further success in the women's 400m Heats, with Sarah Dowling and Harriet Pryke both qualifying for the final in style. There were 3 heats, with the winners and 3 fastest losers going through to tomorrow night's Final. Sarah was in Heat 1 with the highly rated Gemma Dawkins of Jersey, and had to ran flat out. She finished 2nd and recorded a substantial pb of 58.18. Harriet had the luxury of being able to ease off in the last 30 metres of Heat 2, which she still won in a very fast time of 57.14. Both Harriet and Sarah have genuine medal chances in this event.

The final event this morning was the men's 800m heats, featuring Games debutants Tom Richmond and Ryan Fairclough who were drawn together in Heat 2 (of 3). After a fast first Heat, the pace was slow on the first lap of this one, during which Tom got boxed and nearly tripped on the back straight. The first lap was over 62 seconds, and it was Ryan who hit the front and upped the pace at the start of lap 2. On the back straight Tom kicked and went into the lead, but in the home straight neither were able to maintain the pace and they finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Both were bitterly disappointed afterwards, but they are both debutants and this is all part of the learning process.

Plenty more action to follow later. I don't think I'll have time to post any more video this week, but between the Brands and myself there will be plenty of photos.

Day 1 report

Note - video footage of Ciara McDonnell and Danielle Ross has now been added to the previous entry. I'm quite proud of myself for working out how to do it!

Well, it's gone midnight, and I've had a couple of beers at Games Street and am now enjoying a generous Talisker in my room, so forgive me if there are any typos!

The evening began with the women's 100m heats, featuring the two youngest members of the Manx team Ciara McDonnell and Danielle Ross. I don't think I have ever seen two more nerveless debutants! They took everything in their stride and ran superbly. Ciara was 3rd in Heat 2 in a time of 12.83, a big pb. Danielle was in Heat 3, and after a false start by another competitor she was fast out of the blocks to finish 3rd in 12.82. The first 2 in each heat and the 6 fastest losers go into the semis, and our girls were 6th and 7th fastest overall. A wonderful start to their Island Games careers.

Next were the men's 200m heats, and a similar story there. There were 5 heats, and rather unusually the qualifiers for the semis were the 5 winners and 7 fastest losers. Ben Brand was in Heat 1, and finished 2nd in a pb of 22.77 - despite momentarily easing off when he thought it was the first 2 to qualify! Thankfully this was not a costly mistake and he qualified for the semis. Tom Riley made easy work of Heat 4, winning in an excellent time of 22.11. This is a pb with electronic timing (he has gone slightly faster with manual timing) and he eased off signifigantly in the last 20 or 30 metres. Tom has had a slight worry with a hamstring strain over the past week or so but reported no problems tonight, and he made it look easy.

The first track Final, the men's 10000m, was next, and there were high hopes of a medal-winning start for the IOM. This race featured Aland's greatest ever athlete Janne Holmen, and his presence in the Island Games (possibly for the first time?) ensured a huge local support and a fantastic atmosphere in the stadium. Initially the Jersey athlete went with him, but he soon dropped off the pace and was being hunted down by Kevin Loundes and Dawes of Guernsey. After a few laps they caught him and the battle for the silver seemed wide open, but sadly Kevin's recent illness caught up with him and he soon dropped back. He showed great determination to defend 4th place with a strong last lap but he was inconsolable afterwards. Ed Gumbley also found it hard going in the heat but performed with typical guts and determination to finish 10th. He must be wondering if he will ever get a cool day in the Island Games! The winning time was a new Games record, but most of the field found it hard going. I hope it is cooler for the Half Marathon on Friday, which starts at 12 noon - and indeed for Gail in the women's 10000m Final tomorrow night.

In the women's Long Jump qualifying, Hollie Bass was pleased to get through to the Final with a best jump (of 3) of 4.84m. Hollie is concentrating very much on the High Jump these days so this was a decent effort. She also had problems with her run up tonight, so if she can get this sorted she will hope to better her pb of 5.12m in the Final tomorrow.

The final event with Manx interest was the women's 1500m heats, with Gemma Astin and Rachael Franklin both in Heat 1. The pace on the first 2 laps was extremely slow, and Rachael was clearly itching to take it on, while Gemma was happy to keep a watching brief halfway back. On the 3rd lap the two Manx girls increased the pace and split the field, and by the last lap they were out on their own. They both recorded 4.55, which is very decent given that they were on around 5.10 pace for the first half of the race. They both looked very comfortable, and this will have done Gemma's confidence the world of good after a difficult year when she has been unable to compete much. Both she and Rachael will be very competitive in the Final.

Back to the track at 11am tomorrow.

Excellent start by Manx athletes

Happy faces all round - and with good reason!

Ciara McDonnell and Danielle Ross both got through to the semi-finals of the 100 metres after finishing 3rd in their respective heats. Ciara recorded a big pb of 12.83 and Danielle a big season's best of 12.82. They were proud to show the Manx flag afterwards!

Gemma Astin and Rachael Franklin were the first 2 across the line in Heat 1 of the 1500m (Rachael a fraction of a second ahead), qualifying easily for the final with loads in hand.

Tom Riley prepares for his heat of the 200m which he won in a very impressive time of 22.11.

More details later. It's 10pm here now - time for some more sunbathing!

Above - video footage of Ciara and Danielle's 100m heats. Ciara (top) in Lane 5, Danielle (bottom) in Lane 2.

Sun, sea, sand and surfing - and athletics soon!

It's another glorious day – at least for spectators, perhaps not for competitors! Once again there is not a cloud in the sky and it is very, very warm. I didn't think for a moment when checking on the weather in Aland over the past couple of weeks that it would be anything like this.

After a fairly late breakfast I headed up to the stadium about 20 minutes into the opening men's football match between Aland and Greenland. By half time, Aland were 3-0 up despite Greenland playing some good football and actually having more of the ball. Early in the second half Aland went 4-0 up with a great goal that I managed to capture on video – an inch-perfect left wing cross being met with a flying header into the top corner. This was really harsh on Greenland,and to their credit they kept playing good football and were rewarded by pulling 2 goals back, the one in the last few seconds being a goal of real quality. There was a good crowd – about 1000 I would guess.

At half time I went to have a look at the 3 tennis matches being played on the courts just behind the stadium, one of which featured one of the IOM men. Here I met Darren Gray and Andy Duncan who had arrived for a training session, which they did on the many cinder paths that run through the surrounding parkland. Darren is competing tomorrow night so only did a short easy run, but Andy doesn't compete until later in the week so did a longer run with a few efforts included.

After the football finished I wandered down to the nearby beach where the sailing and windsurfing events are taking place. The best option seemed to be to grab a deckchair and lounge around on the beach for an hour or so, so that's exactly what I did! The only thing that isn't Mediterranean here at the moment is the sea – I went for a paddle and it was very cold. That didn't deter several hardy souls though!

The athletics starts tonight at 6pm local time (4pm at home), and first in action are young debutants Ciara McDonnell and Danielle Ross in the 100m heats. There is one final tonight, the men's 10000 metres including Kevin Loundes and Ed Gumbley. Best of luck to all – I hope to be able to report good news later this evening.

The Games are Go!

We have lift off! Following the Opening Ceremony earlier this evening the Games are now officially open and everyone is raring to go. After the shambles in Rhodes, I thought tonight's Ceremony was just about right. Still a little long perhaps, but it was done and dusted in less than 2 hours in glorious warm sunshine. There don't appear to be as many Manx spectators as there were in Rhodes but that is understandable - Aland is expensive, not easy to get to and accommodation is strictly limited. There were still plenty of Manx flags in evidence though.

There are a few other Manx athletics supporters staying in my hotel - Cheryl Pryke and Frances McDonnell who were at the Ceremony, and Anthony and Caroline Brand who arrived too late to get into the stadium but who went to Games Street afterwards. It was heaving there tonight, and most of the athletics squad went there for something to eat before heading back to the school.

Several of the other Manx teams were there and I had a chat with Paul McMullan who is captain of the men's golf team, and who will also be marrying my niece later this year! There were some familiar faces from athletics there too, and I spotted Eilidh Mackenzie of the Western Islands who won gold in the women's 800m in Rhodes. At that time she was being coached by former GB international Kirsty Wade who now runs a B&B near Stornoway. I don't know if she still is still being coached by her.

At about 10pm I went for a stroll round the Eastern Harbour and out to the end of one of the jetties on the marina. Even at that time the sun was still quite high and it was really warm. What a glorious place this is! The atmosphere in town is absolutely brilliant and I think this has the potential to be the best Island Games yet.

Tomorrow morning I am going back up to the stadium to watch the opening men's football match between Aland and Greenland - this should be a great occasion with a big local crowd expected. This will be the last football match to be played there until the two finals, as athletics takes over there until Friday afternoon.

Then tomorrow night the athletics gets under way at 6pm local time (4pm at home). Events with IOM interest are the Men's 200m heats (Tom Riley & Ben Brand), 10000m Final (Kevin Loundes & Ed Gumbley), Women's 100m heats (Danielle Ross & Ciara McDonnell), 1500m heats (Rachael Franklin & Gemma Astin) and Long Jump Qualifying (Hollie Bass). Best of luck to all - fingers crossed for a medal winning start in the 10000m Final!

11.40pm now and still light - your average Manx driver wouldn't even have their lights on in this, yessir...

In Aland at last - and it's hot!

Well, I'm glad the journey's over! It really was a long day yesterday with 3 flights and a long coach journey into Stockholm, but this morning's 2-hour sailing into Mariehamn was fabulous and extremely scenic. There is a shuttle bus that goes from the ferry terminal on the Western Harbour, all round the centre of Mariehamn. This is basically a train on wheels, with 2 carriages - very elegant! On the way to my hotel we went past 'Games Street' – and the first people I spotted were almost the entire IOM Athletics team! I gave them a regal wave as I proceeded serenely by.

I can't believe how hot it was at lunchtime! It really was almost Rhodes-like and humid too. As I type this at around 5pm local time the edge has dropped off the temperature and it is perfect - t-shirt and shorts weather! This really is a beautiful place, tree-lined, colourful and with masses of character. Games Street is just round the corner from my hotel, and after meeting up with Gail we had a stroll round to see where everything is. The Manxies were out in force – Chris Kinley of Manx Radio was one of the first people we ran into, followed by John Dowling. Gail had to leave for a team meeting at their school accommodation about a mile away, and I went up to the stadium to have a look around. Compared with Shetland and Rhodes it is fantastic, a proper, purpose-built arena with great atmosphere - and the track looks in superb condition. A rehearsal for tonight's Opening Ceremony was going on while I was there.

I picked up my food vouchers and spectator accreditation from the Games Office, where I met John Watty. He is staying in the same accommodation as the team, and was heading back there for a run. He has hired a little moped for the week - I hope someone gets a photo of him on it! Just off Games Street is a fairly large dedicated area on parkland for Island Games people, with numerous stalls selling a wide range of refreshments, souvenirs etc. But basically it is somewhere for competitors and supporters to mingle, and the atmosphere was brilliant today. Greenland, Minorca and the Falklands were out in force, and I also met Manx football official/reporter Eric Clague.

I had a bit of a problem getting the wireless internet connection in the hotel to work initially, but I have sorted it now - this is being published from my room. The hotel (the Savoy - not quite as posh as the one in London but almost as expensive!) is perfectly placed. 2 minutes walk from Games Street and barely 5 minutes walk from the stadium. Talking of which - it's nearly time to head up to the Opening Ceremony. Where did I put that Manx flag...

ps You can watch it too - it's live on

http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline_islandgames/

Good luck everyone!

It's nearly time to go - well, for me anyway! I fly out at 9.30 Friday morning to Birmingham, then to Edinburgh, then to Skavsta in Sweden. A 50-mile coach ride takes me to my overnight stop in Stockholm, where it's an early start on Saturday. Another 50-mile coach trip takes me to the port of Kapellskar for a 9am sailing to Mariehamn. With the 1-hour time difference between Sweden and Finland, my 2-hour crossing should arrive in Mariehamn at 12 noon on Saturday.

The team have most of tomorrow for last-minute packing before their early-evening flight. They will arrive in Aland quite late, around 11pm, but it will still be fully light. I have just had a look at the webcam, and although after midnight local time it is barely even dusk!! The weather is still fabulous there, and the long range forecast is for unbroken sunshine until at least Tuesday and probably beyond.

Best of luck to the whole team. Enjoy the whole experience, be proud to represent the Isle of Man and give it everything you've got! See you there on Saturday afternoon - I'm looking forward to it as much as you all are!

The Old Timers!

The silver medal winning 4x100m relay team in Shetland in 2005 of Hollie Bass, Hannah Riley, Harriet Pryke and Sarah Dowling (photo Gail Griffiths).

Harriet Pryke blasts off in her 400m heat in Rhodes in 2007 (photo Ian Astin).

Hollie Bass gazes lovingly at her High Jump bronze medal in Shetland in 2005 – or was she sending a text? (photo Gail Griffiths).

Total commitment from Sarah Dowling in the 400m Final in Rhodes in 2007 (photo Ian Astin).


The final 3 athletes to be featured in the pre-event build-up are the most experienced Island Games competitors in the women’s team. They will be competing in their 3rd, 4th and 5th Island Games respectively, and between them they already have a total of 11 medals – 3 individual ones and 8 in relay events.


Many of the team have improved greatly over the past year or so, but few more so than 19 year old sprinter Harriet Pryke. She has always been a very natural athlete and she achieved great success as a youngster, being selected for the Commonwealth Youth Games in Australia in 2004 when she was only 14. She made her Island Games debut in Shetland the following year, when she was the youngest member of the team. She did really well to get into the finals of both the 100m and 200m, finishing 8th and 6th respectively. She was part of the silver medal winning 4x100m relay team, and was denied a bronze medal in the 4x400m relay when the team was disqualified.

The Rhodes Games in 2007 were a little disappointing for Harriet in the individual events, as she was eliminated in the heats of the 200m and 400m, the latter event being fairly new to her at that stage. The real drama came in the 4x100m Relay Final when Harriet, running the anchor leg, was obstructed by Guernsey’s 3rd leg runner who collapsed in a heap in front of her after handing over to her teammate. Thankfully Harriet’s great agility and lightning reflexes enabled her to hurdle the human obstacle in her path, but she had lost a lot of ground. Undeterred, she recovered her bearings to produce a storming run that hauled the team back into the bronze medal position – a great performance.

After 2 or 3 difficult years when she didn’t really build on her early great promise for a number of reasons, Harriet’s athletics career has been transformed since she started at London’s Brunel University last year. A combination of University life, a top coach, high quality training partners and a lot of very hard work have done wonders, and Harriet has rapidly developed into a really outstanding senior athlete. Her improvement this year in the 400m, now her specialist event, has been quite incredible. Last weekend she won the silver medal in the Northern U20 Championships in a time of 56.92 – at the start of 2009 her pb was 60.2! She is presently ranked in the top 20 in the UK in the Under 20 age group.

Harriet is entered in the 200m, 400m and both relays in Aland, and has a really great chance of success in them all. I ventured the opinion in a recent entry on the blog that Julie Harrison’s Island Games 400m record of 55.1, set in 1995, should be safe for another 2 years. I still think it may be just out of Harriet’s reach this year, but I would love to be eating my words this time next week!


The 2009 Island Games will see a welcome return to the team of very talented all-round athlete Hollie Bass, who will be taking part in the event for the 4th time. Hollie debuted as a 16 year old in the 2001 Games on the Isle of Man, when she finished 5th in the 400m and 7th in the High Jump. 2 years later in Guernsey she was 5th in the High Jump (missing out on a share of the bronze medal on ‘countback’) and 6th in the 400m. The real success in Guernsey came in the relays, where Hollie was part of the team that won the silver medal in the 4x400m, and a memorable gold medal in the 4x100m along with Hannah Riley, Sarah Dowling and Rachel Croft.

By 2005, Hollie was expected to confirm her status as joint IOM High Jump record holder by claiming her first individual Island Games medal in Shetland, and she did just that by winning the bronze with a jump of 1.60m. She followed this up with a good 5th place in the Long Jump, and once again ran extremely well in the relays. She helped the team to the silver medal in the 4x100m, and was in the 4x400m team that was unfortunately disqualified after finishing 3rd.

Following the 2005 Games, Hollie took a break from athletics to concentrate on her studies in the UK. She appeared in occasional events over the next 3 years but was not in contention for the 2007 Games. Following her return to the island to work, Hollie started training seriously again last year, spurred into action partly by losing her IOM High Jump joint record to the then 13 year old Reagan Dee. She worked hard over the winter, and her excellent form in the High Jump at the start of 2009 clinched her selection for the Games. She will also be competing in the Long Jump, and is a reserve for the 4x100m relay team. Hollie is desperately anxious to beat her 7-year-old pb of 1.61m in the High Jump in Aland. If she can do that then she has a real chance of standing on an Island Games podium again.

Hollie appears to be really enjoying her athletics this year, and I don’t think we have seen the best of her yet. The emergence of several extremely talented young female high jumpers recently suggests that it is an event that the Isle of Man has the potential to dominate over the next few Island Games. Hollie will have to work really hard and literally ‘raise the bar’ over the next few years if she is to be part of it, but the people who know far more about high jumping than I do all think she is immensely talented. The rest is up to her!


The most experienced and most decorated member of the IOM team is Sarah Dowling, who has taken part in each of the last 4 Island Games, winning a total of 5 medals. She is also the only member of the 2009 team to have previously won an Island Games gold medal in an individual event. Sarah is best known for her sprinting, but in 1999 she just missed out on selection for the High Jump in Gotland, having achieved the guideline after the team had been selected. She made her Island Games debut on the Isle of Man in 2001 and performed creditably, finishing 7th in the 100m and 9th in the High Jump.

The highlight of Sarah’s athletics career to date came in Guernsey in 2003. She won the silver medal in the 100m in a controversial race that had to be re-run the following day after the original final descended into farce. The recall gun had failed after a false start, and many of the competitors ran almost the full 100m! Things only got better from there. She was part of the famous ‘Golden Girls’ team in the 4x100m relay, and capped this the following day by winning the gold medal in the 200m Final. It was a great reward for both Sarah and her long-time coach Di Shimell. Sarah selflessly sacrificed a 4th medal by giving up her place in the 4x400m relay to a teammate. By the 2005 Games in Shetland the depth of quality in the women’s sprints had increased, and although Sarah ran just as quickly as in 2003 she was only able to finish 5th in the 200m and 7th in the 100m. As usual she was a vital member of the relay teams, winning the silver medal in the 4x100m relay. Unfortunately the team was disqualified after finishing 3rd in the 4x400m relay.

Sarah’s 4th Games in Rhodes in 2007 saw another increase in standards in her events, and despite running a faster time than her 2003 gold medal winning performance, she was eliminated in the 200m heats by a fraction of a second. The winner of her heat went on to reach the 200m final in the World Athletics Championships in Osaka a few weeks later! By now Sarah had moved up to the 400m, and did really well to reach the final in which she finished 6th. She guided her young teammates to the bronze medal in the 4x100m relay and 4th place in the 4x400m relay.

After the final event in Rhodes, Sarah was interviewed on Manx Radio and pledged that she and the team as a whole would work really hard over the following 2 years to come back stronger in 2009. As always, Sarah has led by example and has done just that. She is now in arguably the best form of her career, having taken a sizeable chunk off her 400m pb and showing impressive speed in the shorter sprints too. She is entered in the 200m, 400m and both relays in Aland, and will challenge strongly in them all.

Sarah is a wonderful ambassador for her sport, liked and respected by all, and her approach to athletics makes her a great role model especially for the younger athletes in her training group. She puts a lot back into the sport, not least by organising many of her club’s trips away to the UK. Sarah is engaged to fellow Island Games gold medalist John Halligan, and this Friday will mark a significant milestone for them – it will be exactly a year until their wedding!


2 days to go for the team – and a day and a half for me…

Summer arrives in Aland – at last!

It looks like our arrival in Aland at the weekend is going to coincide with the first really summery weather of the year there. The 5-day forecast is glorious – wall-to-wall sunshine and temperatures up to around 16C. Not quite as warm as it has been here today, but that’s probably a good thing especially for the distance runners. Don’t forget to pack the sun cream!

The scene (above) was captured by the webcam overlooking Mariehamn’s Western Harbour early this afternoon. It shows how glorious the weather was, and also how busy the ferry terminal is at this time of the year, with ferries and cruise liners coming and going 24 hours a day. It will be even busier over the next few days with many of the Island Games visitors arriving by sea on Viking Line ferries. I will be on the Saturday morning ferry from Kapellskar in Sweden (about 50 miles north of Stockholm) to Mariehamn, and if the weather is like this then it should be a really enjoyable and scenic 2-hour crossing past hundreds of little islands.

I haven’t had much time to update the blog at any length over the last few days, but I am working on the features on Harriet, Sarah and Hollie. I hope to get these published before I leave on Friday morning.

3 days to go…

Which Andy Duncan do you prefer?

OK then. There have been plenty of comments on the forum and on Facebook this week about Andy Duncan's 1970s retro-style appearance on the team photo taken this week. So - which do you prefer? The 2007 Rhodes version (top), or the 1974 - sorry, 2009 - pre-Aland version (middle)?

And, to get straight to the point, should Andy get his hair cut before Friday? Answers on the forum or on Facebook - to help you make up your mind, here is how the whole team looks with Andy's current hairstyle (thanks to the Brand family)!!

Third Time Lucky?

Top: Typical determination from Darren Gray during the 2009 Easter Festival Relay on Douglas Promenade (photo: Murray Lambden). Bottom: Ben Brand pictured after running the last leg of the 4x400m Relay final in Rhodes in 2007 (photo: Caroline Brand)


The two most experienced members of the men’s team in terms of previous Island Games appearances are distance runner/steeplechaser Darren Gray and sprinter/long jumper Ben Brand. Both will be competing in their third Island Games.


The ’Foxdale Flyer’ Darren Gray made his Games debut in Guernsey in 2003, producing a terrific performance in the 3000m steeplechase to finish just out of the medals in 4th place. In Shetland 2 years later, he moved up to the Half Marathon, and although a novice at the distance he was part of the silver medal winning team along with John Halligan and Andy Fox. Indeed it was Darren’s last-ditch sprint finish to overhaul Guernsey’s Lee Garland (an athlete who has had many a battle with the Isle of Man’s finest) in the final 100 metres that turned what would have been bronze medals for the team into silvers. It was a moment I remember very well from the Shetland Games of 2005.

Darren’s form dipped somewhat over the following 3 years, and he missed out on selection for the 2007 Games in Rhodes. After a slightly disappointing track season in 2008 Darren had a really poor run by his standards in the Peel Heritage Trail run last August which severely dented his confidence, and it would be fair to say that his athletics career was at a definite crossroads at that stage. Since then he has responded magnificently. Over the past winter and into the 2009 track season Darren has found his best-ever form, his hard work and gritty determination being rewarded with an excellent cross country season and a series of pb times on both road and track over many different distances.

Darren has been helped by being part of Andy Fox’s training group who are often as competitive in training as they are in races! A few weeks ago he managed to out-run Kevin Loundes on the final 400m rep of a tough session – and not many can claim to have done that over the past year or so! I can see no reason why Darren’s great improvement over the past year can’t continue and I think his best is still to come. Now aged 28, he will be contesting the Half Marathon and 3000m steeplechase events in Aland , and can look forward confidently to performing well in both. Darren will feel at home in Aland as he is used to visiting the Baltic!!


Also making his third Island Games appearance is the multi-talented Ben Brand. Perhaps Ben’s biggest problem as an athlete is being such a natural in so many disciplines of the sport that probably no-one, Ben included, quite knows which his best event is! Over the past few years he has achieved Island Games selection guideline performances in about 7 different events, which tells its own story. If only there was a multi-event competition in the Island Games!

Ben made his Island Games debut in Shetland in 2005 at the age of 16, and performed brilliantly. He finished 5th in the 800m in a time of 2.02 on what I recall was a cold and windy day, and did even better to finish 4th in the 400m in 50.67 – just 0.2 of a second behind the bronze medalist. During 2006 and the early part of 2007, Ben made spectacular progress in both the 400m and 800m, shattering some long-standing age group Manx records in the process. All seemed set for a cracking Island Games in Rhodes in 2007, but sadly it was not to be. A calf strain sustained during one of the first training sessions on arrival in Rhodes ruled Ben out of all his events until the very last day of competition. He recovered sufficiently to run a cracking last leg in the 4x400m relay final, in which the team missed both the bronze medal and the senior IOM record by about a second, but it was small consolation.

Since 2007, Ben’s athletics career has changed direction slightly, and he is now concentrating very much on the sprint events rather than middle distance. He will be one of the team’s busiest athletes in Aland as he is entered in the 100m, 200m, 400m, both relays and the Long Jump! He will surely have to sacrifice at least one of those (probably the 100m) to give himself the best chance of success. Ben will be looking to claim his first Island Games medal this year, and his best chance is likely to be in the relays where the team looks strong in both events.


6 days to go…

Island Games records

Pictured below are two Island Games record holders from the Isle of Man.

A famous photo of Martin Aram on his way to winning the gold medal in the High Jump during the 2005 Games in Shetland (photo www.shetland.gov.uk).

Women’s 400m record holder Julie Harrison (nee Moore), pictured with Noel Cringle after the Manx Harriers Open Meeting in 2004 (photo Stan Hall).

It was interesting to look through the current list of Island Games records for each event on the official site. I have re-formatted them and put them into a more logical order, and they are as follows:

Event Record Holder Island Year

Men

100m 10.60 Gordon Crowe Isle of Man 1989
200m 21.31 Mattias Sunneborn Gotland 1999
400m 46.70 Dale Garland Guernsey 2007
800m 1.50.37 Michael Guegan Jersey 1993
1500m 3.51.28 Lee Merrien Guernsey 2007
5000m 14.38.69 Mikael Nordblom Åland 1991
10000m 30.17.32 Kim Godtfredsen Greenland 1997
Half Marathon 67.54 Richard Large Isle of Wight 1991
110m Hurdles 14.65 Dale Garland Guernsey 2005
400m Hurdles 51.27 Dale Garland Guernsey 2003
3000m S/Chase 8.57.46 Mikael Nordblom Åland 1991
4x100m Relay 42.00 Guernsey Team Guernsey 2003
4x400m Relay 3.16.03 Guernsey Team Guernsey 2007
High Jump 2.13 Martin Aram Isle of Man 2003
Long Jump 7.73 Mattias Sunneborn Gotland 1993
Triple Jump 15.28 Urmas Treiel Saaremaa 1993
Pole Vault 4.62 Bo Jacobsson Gotland 1999
Shot Putt 16.21 Ove Lehto Åland 1997
Discus 49.22 Goran Eklund Åland 1993
Hammer 69.51 Andy Frost Isle of Wight 2007
Javelin 62.59 Sander Suurhans Saaremaa 2007

Women

100m 12.02 Kelly Sotherton Isle of Wight 1997
200m 23.27 Cydonie Mothersill Cayman Islands 2007
400m 55.10 Julie Moore Isle of Man 1995
800m 2.11.90 Eilidh C Mackenzie Western Isles 2007
1500m 4.28.17 Ann-Catrin Nordman Åland 1991
5000m 17.01.0 Maria Pardalou Rhodes 2007
10000m 36.11.68 Ann-Catrin Nordman Åland 1997
Half Marathon 73.35 Brenda Walker Isle of Man 1991
100m Hurdles 14.39 Kelly Sotherton Isle of Wight 1997
400m Hurdles 60.72 Diana Lindqvist Åland 1991
4x100m Relay 47.60 Cayman Team Cayman Islands 1999
4x400m Relay 3.54.60 Cayman Team Cayman Islands 1999
High Jump 1.75 Diana Lindqvist Åland 2003
Long Jump 5.95 Kim Murray Isle of Wight 2007
Triple Jump 12.11 Kalliopi Neski Rhodes 1999
Shot Putt 12.86 Virge Treiel Saaremaa 1997
Discus 44.91 Lauren Therin Rhodes 2007
Hammer 45.04 Amy Church Isle of Wight 2005
Javelin 50.84 Linda Lindqvist Åland 1997

The site only lists records for events that will be contested in the 2009 Games. Four of these records are currently held by Isle of Man athletes, although two of them don’t quite tell the full story. Gordon Crowe’s 100m time of 10.60 in the Faroe Islands in 1989 was recorded with a strong tailwind well over the legal limit, and was not therefore ratified as an Isle of Man record. It does however apparently still count as an Island Games record. It was also generally accepted that the Half Marathon course in Aland in 1991 was measured inaccurately, and therefore Brenda Walker’s fabulous run that year was actually over a distance some way short of 13.1 miles, as was that of the Isle of Wight’s Richard Large.

Martin Aram’s High Jump record of 2.13m, set in 2003, could come under threat this year as one of the Cayman athletes has a pb of 2.19m. I think that the women’s 400m record of 55.1, set in Gibraltar in 1995 by Julie Moore (now Harrison), should be safe for another 2 years though – nobody else in the history of the Games has ever got to within a second of Julie’s time!

I hope that a few of the current and prospective future Isle of Man team members look at this list and think ‘I could break one of those’, and I think there is a realistic chance of at least one and possibly two of the 2009 team setting new records if all goes well on the day. In 2 years’ time there may well be two or three others who could challenge these records. Looking ahead briefly to the next Games in 2011 on the Isle of Wight, I would love to see a shoot-out between Keith Gerrard and Guernsey’s Lee Merrien (with Keith winning, obviously!) over any distance from 1500m to Half Marathon – that could take the records into orbit!

9 days to go…

Results page goes live!

Top: The logo on the official Island Games 2009 Results Site. Below: The view the St Helena team will have on their return to the island's capital Jamestown in about 4 weeks time! (from www.sthelena.se)

We really are getting close now – the official event website has launched its live results page today! This is at

http://www.alandresults2009.com/

This site is completely interactive and lists all entrants in the Games in every sport. This can be listed by island, by sport, etc. Competitors can click onto their events and see exactly who the opposition is and see a photo of each of their rivals. Note – photos are not shown for competitors under the age of 16, so Danielle Ross’ photo should appear on the site tomorrow. Happy birthday Danielle! The site is packed with information including the full schedule, Games records etc, and is well worth a look.

The Isle of Man team are busy making late preparations before their departure a week on Friday, and on the days of travel they will have the luxury of direct flights to Aland. Not so the team from St Helena, who are shortly leaving for a 3-day boat journey to Ascension Island. From there they have a marathon flight to London, where they stay overnight before catching another flight to Stockholm. They will then get a coach to the ferry terminal, and after a 3-hour sailing they will finally arrive in Mariehamn on the 25th June. They will presumably be travelling back the same way. That's an even longer journey than mine!

To me it’s the small teams from far-flung places like St Helena, right in the middle of the southern Atlantic Ocean, that make the Island Games so special. When Gail and I were in Shetland as supporters in 2005 we stayed in a B&B in Lerwick, and one of the other guests was a lady from St Helena who travels to every Island Games to support her fellow islanders. Their entire team usually only consists of about 6 to 8 competitors, but I still remember her absolute joy at seeing one of them win a badminton match! Just to show what a small world it is, I discovered that her doctor about 20-30 years ago was ‘Doc’ Dave Young of local fell running fame – he had a spell working in St Helena in his younger days!

10 days to go – I wonder if the 2007 Opening Ceremony has finished yet…

Good performances at Merseyside Schools

It was good to look through the results of yesterday's Merseyside Schools Track and Field Championships at Bebington and see several of the Aland-bound athletes in good form. I was especially pleased to see excellent results from two athletes who haven't had the easiest of starts to the season but who are now obviously coming into top form just when it really matters.

Tom Richmond produced his fastest 800m of the season to take the Senior Boys title in the tightest of finishes in a time of 1.57.7, and Ciara McDonnell set a new pb of 42.4 for the 300m and a time of 26.8 in the 200m which is not too far away from her best. These results should do wonders for their confidence. Full results are at

http://www.thepowerof10.info/resultsfiles/2009/28028_6002_13062009213538_Merseyside%20T&F%20results%202009.pdf

I haven't had much time to update the blog recently with the TT and all that, and for some strange reason the blog was 'locked' for a couple of days as it was identified by the host site as potential spam!!! Presumably there are thousands of others out there all writing Aland 2009 blogs. Features on Darren Gray, Ben Brand, Sarah Dowling, Harriet Pryke and Hollie Bass will appear over the next week.

I hope the weather in Aland improves soon as it is awful at the moment - cold, wet and windy!

It happened last time…

There have been many references on the blog so far to the most recent Island Games, held in Rhodes in 2007. It may be of interest to look back at the reports that were done at the time from those of us in Rhodes.

Regular reports on the Manx Athletics forum appeared here (probably best to switch to ‘board’ style to read them all):

http://pub38.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=3219660836&frmid=54&msgid=628932&cmd=show


Phil Riley, who set a new IOM record in the Long Jump in Rhodes, was blogging regularly – his page is here:

http://iomathletes.blogspot.com/


Ian Astin was only in Rhodes for the first 3 days of competition, but took well over 200 photographs. I have used several of these to go with this blog – thanks Ian. These are at:

http://www.ianastin.fotopic.net/c1319066.html (Day 1)

http://www.ianastin.fotopic.net/c1319086.html (Day 2)

http://www.ianastin.fotopic.net/c1319106.html (Day 3)


As far as the 2009 event is concerned, Caroline and Anthony Brand will have their camera in Aland and plan to upload photos regularly, and I will be reporting at least once a day on the blog. Add in the Manx Radio and IOM Newspapers coverage, together with the results on the official Games website, and hopefully our athletes will get plenty of publicity throughout the Games. I’m sure Murray Lambden will link all these through www.manxathletics.com during the Games – assuming he’s recovered from covering the Parish Walk by then!

If I had a little more technical expertise (I have approximately none!) I would consider uploading some video footage each day, but that’s not going to happen this time. I will be filming most of the events, which will go onto a DVD when I have time to edit it all when I get home. Perhaps later in the summer we can arrange a get-together to watch the ‘premiere’?

Over the next week or so the blog will feature the 5 ‘old timers’ in the team who have already competed in 2 or more Island Games. These are 19 year old Harriet Pryke, 20 year old Ben Brand, and over-21s Darren Gray, Sarah Dowling and Hollie Bass!

Second Time Around – Part 4

Rachael Franklin finishes 2nd in her 800m heat in Rhodes, behind Claire Wilson (Shetland) and ahead of Martine Scholes (Guernsey). Photo - Ian Astin

Gail Griffiths pictured in the early stages of the Half Marathon in Rhodes, in which she finished 11th. Photo - Ian Astin

Gail and Rachael pictured by Murray Lambden just after the 2009 Easter Festival 5k race on Douglas Prom. Rachael narrowly beat her IOM teammate in that race!

The final two athletes to be featured in the ‘Second Time Around’ category are middle distance runner Rachael Franklin and long-distance specialist Gail Griffiths, both of whom made their Island Games debuts in Rhodes 2 years ago. Both absolutely love running; both work extremely hard to make the most of their ability; one is 27 years older than the other!

17 year old Rachael Franklin has been competing in running events of all types since she was very young, and it was always obvious that she had masses of talent. Whether it was cross country, hill races, track or road, she was good at them all, but initially it looked as if she was most likely to favour the longer distance events. About 3 or 4 years ago she developed much more basic speed, and that combined with building up her physical strength has seen her develop into an outstanding middle distance runner. The 800m is probably Rachael’s best event now, but she is also a very strong 1500m runner and has enough speed to be an important member of the 4x400m relay team too. She will be busy in Aland – and very competitive in all 3 events!

Rachael’s performances in Rhodes at the age of 15 were brilliant. She was 7th in the 1500m, and took a superb 4th place in the 800m. The times she recorded in each event would have won medals in most previous Island Games, but the standard in the women’s middle distance events in 2007 was extremely high. Over the past 2 years, Rachael has worked exceptionally hard and shown real dedication to improving as an athlete. She has always loved running and being in the company of other athletes, but she is much more focussed these days. Being part of Di Shimell’s training group has brought her on a lot, particularly being able to train regularly with Sarah Dowling who sets such a great example to all the other athletes. Two of Rachael’s targets are an Island Games gold medal and the Isle of Man 800m record (currently 2.13), and I think she will achieve both – perhaps not this year, but she will achieve them in the not-too-distant future. If Rachael continues to work hard, enjoy her running and stay injury-free she can dominate the local athletics scene for many years.


In 2005, a few months after her 40th birthday, Gail Griffiths travelled to Shetland for a holiday to support the Isle of Man’s athletics team in the Island Games without the slightest thought of competing in the event in the future. She had no athletics background, and had taken up running 2 years earlier to improve her fitness for racing her motorbike in the MGP. Gail started competing in cross country and road races, but initially stuck to the short courses - anything over about 2 miles was out of the question at that stage. During the second half of 2005 she started increasing her training, and began to rapidly improve. By early 2006 she was running 10k in under 44 minutes and was considering trying a Half Marathon later that year. After a discussion with Andy Fox at Easter that year she decided to commit to a serious and structured training programme with the aim of getting to the 2007 Island Games. This she achieved, with two excellent runs in her first two Half Marathons gaining her selection for both the Half Marathon and 10000m races in Rhodes.

Gail was far from her best in Rhodes, largely because she suffered a series of niggling injuries as she increased the mileage in training on the build-up to the Games, but also due to the worry of her Mum being critically ill in hospital after being involved in a TT marshalling accident only a couple of weeks before the Games. There have been no such problems this time, and 2 years of extremely hard work (including injury prevention measures) have been rewarded with regular terrific performances and substantial pb times across all her distances. Gail will be giving it everything to try and challenge for an individual medal in both the 10000m and Half Marathon, but if she doesn’t make it this time she intends to still be around for another go in 2011!

Athletics programme and entry lists published

Over the last couple of days, the full programme for the Athletics events has been published on the official website, along with entry lists for each event. This can be viewed at

http://www.natwestislandgames2009.ax/files/athletics_programme.pdf

Well done to the organising committee for getting these published well in advance of the Games - I don't think we saw an 'advance' list of competitors in Rhodes until the very last day of competition!! Many of the pb performances of the athletes have been published, which highlight the fact that the standard is going to be high in most of the events. There are a few weak or poorly-supported events - only 5 competitors in the women's Javelin for example - but generally the standard of competition looks very good.

One huge disappointment to me is that the organisers have chosen to hold the Half Marathon events at the same time as several Track & Field events on the final day of competition. This has certainly not happened in the last 2 Games I have been at, and it will force me as a supporter to choose between watching the Half Marathon or the Track & Field events on the Friday. Naturally I will be supporting Gail and the 3 Manx men in the Half Marathon, so I will miss both 4x400m relays and the Men's 1500m. I will also miss the medal ceremonies for the women's 800m, Men's 400m, Men's 1500m and all 4 relays. As we have a good chance of success in many of these events I feel totally cheated by this to be honest, especially as I have paid a heck of a lot of money to travel to Aland to support the team and the Island Games in general. I feel I am entitled to be able to watch every athletics event.

Considering the athletics programme has been spread over 6 days this time (it is usually 5) I can see no reason for there to be any clashes. This situation will also put pressure on the management team who will have to cover both events. I really hope there is still time for a rethink on this - I have emailed the athletics co-ordinator with some of these thoughts, so will see if there is any reaction. I was hoping to video every event and all the medal ceremonies involving our athletes, but it looks like quite a few on the last day will be missing now!

Second Time Around – Part 3

Charlotte Christian pictured during the Shot Putt competition in Rhodes in 2007 (photo: Ian Astin).

The late Merrik Bousfield, friend and mentor to many Manx throwers, pictured during the 2005 Games in Shetland (photo Graham Davies).

Gemma Astin takes the bell during the 1500m race in Rhodes in 2007 (photo Ian Astin).

Four of the female members of the team will be travelling to their second Island Games later this month – one thrower, two middle distance competitors and one long distance runner. This entry looks at two of them; the other two will feature next time.

19 year old Hammer thrower Charlotte Christian made a promising debut in Rhodes, where she finished in 8th place with a best throw of 30.92m. She also competed in the Shot Putt event, finishing 12th. Competing in her first Island Games definitely helped Charlotte to focus on what she wants to achieve and the standards required, and she has worked very hard since on both technique and fitness. Her Hammer pb has improved at regular intervals over the past couple of years, and now stands at 38.99m. Her target for this season of 40 metres plus is now tantalisingly close – will it come at the Games? It is hard to predict what the standard of competition will be in Aland, but the bronze medal in Rhodes was won with a throw of 36.53m. Charlotte will have her work cut out though, as her team mate Marit Zahkna is aiming for 50 metres! It’s great to see such strength in the Isle of Man team in one of the throwing events - can we dare to dream that they will both get onto the podium?

Charlotte has been studying in Ormskirk for the past 2 years, and will be starting a course at Liverpool John Moores University this autumn. She has benefited greatly from the set-up at her club Liverpool Pembroke & Sefton AC, which has a strong tradition in the throwing events. Her initial introduction to the club was through the late Merrik Bousfield, who did so much to help Manx throwers over several years and was part of the management and coaching team for the Shetland Games in 2005. Merrik is still fondly remembered by all who knew him and he would be proud of the progress Charlotte has made over the past 2 years. Charlotte puts plenty back into athletics too, always willing to help out with officiating and coaching young athletes, and she deserves to be successful. I hope she is part of the Manx athletics scene for many years to come.


One of the most successful junior athletes the Isle of Man has produced in recent years is 17 year old Gemma Astin. Since getting involved with athletics about 5 years ago, Gemma’s achievements at both middle distance track running and cross country have been too numerous to list in a couple of paragraphs. Some of my favourite memories of Manx athletics over the past 3 or 4 years have been the performances of Gemma and her younger sister Sarah in the big cross country events in the UK, where they have both regularly achieved very high placings against the best athletes in the country in their age groups. Gemma has also been Lancashire age group champion several times on both track and country. The highlight of her career to date must be gaining selection for the Commonwealth Youth Games in India last autumn, where she contested the 3000m event. Prior to travelling to India she did an interview with me for the Manx Harriers website – this is still online at http://www.manxathletics.com/manxharriers/mhgemmaastin.htm.

Gemma made an outstanding Island Games debut in Rhodes at the age of 15, finishing 6th in the 1500m and 5th in the 5000m in times that would have won medals in nearly every previous Games. Her time of precisely 18 minutes in the 5000m race was astonishing and she ran with a maturity far beyond her years. She is entered for the same 2 events in Aland. Over the past few months a succession of niggling injury and illness problems have resulted in the first real dip in form of Gemma’s career, and she cannot be expected to perform to the same level in Aland as she did in Rhodes 2 years ago. But regardless of what happens in Aland – and she will give it her all, as she always does – I have every confidence that Gemma will go on to become a fine senior athlete, probably in the distance events.


The next entry will feature two athletes at opposite ends of the age spectrum (!) – Rachael Franklin and Gail Griffiths.

Winter returns to Aland!

This was the scene in Aland at 4.30pm local time today, captured by the webcam overlooking Mariehamn's western harbour. This is about half a mile from the athletics stadium. Web link http://www.ha.ax/weather/ha/index.php?link=4&camsize=1


Whilst the Isle of Man has been basking in temperatures of up to 25C over the past few days, it seems that summer has yet to fully arrive in Aland. After a promising few days last week when the temperature got up to around 14C, the BBC forecast today shows a maximum temperature for the next 2 days of only 9C in Mariehamn, and some rain is expected in the coming days. Indeed when I had a quick look at the webcam at 4.30pm local time today, the temperature was only 6.1C, it was windy and the rain was lashing down. Just like a horrible mid-January day here, except with more than 20 hours of daylight!

Of course things can change a lot in 3 weeks, and hopefully we will get plenty of sunny and pleasantly warm weather during the Games. I guess the best advice for everyone going to Aland is to be prepared for anything! My bags will contain t-shirts and shorts, but there will also be waterproofs, fleeces, gloves, a woolly hat and a fairly thick coat in there as well. I suspect that the fleece jacket Gail insisted on taking to Rhodes 2 years ago will definitely be worn at some stage this time!

They only have a fairly short summer in Aland, and it’s a heck of a long winter there. Towards the end of April, the temperature was still hovering around the freezing mark, and in the depths of winter there are only a few short hours of daylight. We complain about our winters here, but from the point of view of training for the Island Games I think our athletes have much better year-round conditions than our rivals from the more northerly islands.

22 days to go – must get those Euros ordered!