Best year yet for Mind 10k Fun Run, say the organisers

The event aimed to raise the profile of the work done by the mental health charity and generate funds for its work.

Organiser Laurel Le Tocq said she was pleased with how much islanders had got behind the event, with 413 signing up in advance and a number more coming along on the day for the 9.30am start.

‘This is our best year yet, which is really good,’ Mrs Le Tocq said.

‘[The 10k] is an achievable goal for people who have just started running, and for seasoned runners, this is the last road race of the season.’

The run started from the KGV playing field and saw runners going up to Rue Sauvage, then towards the Vaugrat Campsite, down the coast road to Cobo and then back to the playing field.

The fastest runners completed the route in about 35 minutes.

Among the runners was Sam Ingrouille and Bernie Gilman, who regularly run together.

‘I’ve done each of the Mind runs,’ Mrs Ingrouille said.

‘I think 10k is a good challenge.’

For one group the run was a family reunion, with four sisters travelling to the island for the event.

Gillian Cullen, Diane Watts, Virginia Holmes and Anne Devenport all grew up on Guernsey, but now Mrs Cullen and Mrs Watts live in Vancouver, while their other sisters live in Buckinghamshire.

‘My sister has children on the autism spectrum and our mother has Alzheimer’s, so we wanted to support Mind and this seemed like a good challenge,’ Mrs Cullen said.

A group of teachers were also among the runners.

Term has just started for Rebekah Kellow, Vicki Langlois and Emma Stumpf.

‘We liked the challenge of the run and the training is good for mental health,’ Ms Kellow said.

‘It is also a very good charity to be supporting.’