There are just over five weeks to go until one of the big highlights of the year for local runners.

The 61st IQ-EQ Isle of Man Easter Festival of Running comprises three races over Easter weekend, each of which offer spectacular racing and a great atmosphere.

The landmark 60th festival in 2024 attracted a record entry of 605, with a fairly even split of visitors and locals.

Much of the vibrant atmosphere comes from the hordes of university students who visit each year, adding quality to the event as well as a lot of fun.

The festival is open to all from international runners to novices, with a minimum age of 15 on the opening day of the event.

Action gets underway at 7pm on Good Friday, April 18 with the IQ-EQ 10-kilometre road race which starts and finishes on Port Erin Promenade.

The course, very suitable for those chasing personal best times, takes in the spectacularly scenic coastal section at Gansey before returning via Port St Mary.

Men and women start together, although the results are classified separately. More than 35 percent of the field ran personal best times last year.

On Easter Saturday afternoon, April 19, the action moves west for the famous Full Factory Winnerswear Peel Hill races.

The men’s race of approximately 3.5 miles starts at 2.15pm, with the women’s race over a slightly shorter course beginning one hour later at 3.15pm.

The lower part of the hill is always packed with spectators from the visiting universities who create a fantastic atmosphere for the runners.

Racing concludes on Easter Sunday morning, April 20, with the Outback 5-kilometre road races on Douglas Promenade walkway.

The women’s race starts at 10.30am, and the men follow at 11.20am. The ticket-only prize presentation and party at the Outback Sports Bar follows on Sunday evening.

Organisers are keen to see a big local entry, the only proviso being a generous 38-minute cut-off at the 5k point of the 10k race.

There is a big team element to each of the races and to the festival overall, with entries from visiting universities and local athletics clubs traditionally being the mainstay of the competition.

There will be an extra incentive for island runners this year, with teams being invited to take part from local educational establishments and from recognised local running groups.

Teams in the men’s and women’s races are four members, with the best three to score in each race.

Team members from educational establishments must be current students/pupils or those who have attended since January 1, 2024 at the relevant establishment, be entered as a member of that team and wear an appropriate vest/tee-shirt (rather than their usual club vest).

Teams are also invited from recognised local running groups with their own website/Facebook page or some other means to demonstrate that it is a proper organised group.

Team members must enter as part of their running group and must wear a vest or t-shirt to show that they are part of that particular group.

Team members cannot be included if they are a first claim member of an athletics club. In this case they must be part of a club team.

All the information on the Easter Festival, including full event rules and a link to the entry system, is available through the official website at https://easterfestival.info/

DAVID GRIFFITHS