Step on it if you want to get Manx Telecom Parish Walk discount!

Time is running out if you want to get the maximum discount on the entry fee for this year’s Manx Telecom Parish Walk. Those entering before January 31 will pay just £30, and Manx Telecom customers entering before that date will receive an additional £5 discount. From February 1 the entry fee will be £35 and the Manx Telecom discount ceases.

All entries must be made online at www.parishwalk.com. The 85-mile race is on Saturday June 20, starting as usual from the NSC. Certificates will be awarded to all walkers who complete the full 85-miles in under 24 hours. Sub 18 hour finishers receive a gold certificate, 18 to 21 hour finishers receive silver, and 21 to 24 hour finishers, bronze. The fee is £40 after March 31 until the final entry deadline on May 10.

There is a Corporate Team Award for teams of four walkers who are all from the same Isle of Man based company. Teams may include no more than one walker who has previously completed the full 85 mile distance. The winners will be the team with the highest aggregate distance covered by all four members. In the event of a tie on mileage, the fastest aggregate time for the four walkers will determine the winners. The Overall Team race is for four walkers and cannot include more than two previous finishers who have completed the full 85 miles. The rules for determining the winners are the same as those for the Corporate Team Award. All participants in the team competitions must enter individually and include their team names.

Younger walkers aged 18 to 21 can also compete, with prizes for the first male and first female competitors to cover the 32.5 miles to Peel. There’s also a competition for teams of three in the same age group over the same distance. The winners will be the trio with the fastest combined time, and there are separate prizes for men’s and women’s teams.

Last year Manx Telecom extended its commitment to sponsor the Parish Walk until 2017. The company’s support for the event goes back to 2007 when it began sponsoring the official timing and results service. Richard Gerrard won the 2014 race, with David Walker second and Richard Wild in third. The ladies winner was Janette Morgan who crossed the line ahead of Janice Quirk and Joanne Cubbon. The under-21 winners were Alex Eaton and Danielle Oates. A total of 184 completed the 85-mile course within 24 hours – 71 of them managing the full distance for the first time.