Spring will bring with it new pair of marathon champions

This year’s Sure Guernsey Marathon takes place less than six months after the last edition, with organisers finally able to use a spring date as intended after two years of being postponed to autumn following Covid lockdowns.

Race director Michael Quittenden has welcomed around 150 entries for the full 26.2 miles, though he would not be surprised to see considerably fewer on race morning.

‘My main concern is the number of dropouts with Covid,’ he said.

‘It’s still a good, healthy number but you don’t know who will make the start line – you know, last-minute LFTs.’

Regardless, Quittenden has taken the positives from the high interest and hopes to build on this in coming years.

‘It’s really positive that it’s going in the right direction,’ he added.

‘A lot of runners are using it as a good marathon to run before they do their target marathon – have a go at home, that’s a nice way to do it.

‘It’s good to see it’s popular and that the hard work is paying off.’

The course circumnavigates the island from Havelet, starting with a short-but-sharp ascent of Le Val des Terres before following a generally flat and fast route around the coastal roads.

Both the women’s and the men’s honours appear to be up for grabs given the absence of the respective champions.

Reigning champion Will Bodkin has suffered considerable setbacks since winning in 2hrs 35min. 15sec. and no longer intends to run, opening the door to other contenders.

Visiting surprises remain a possibility but Luke Richards could well line up local favourite following some eye-catching results over the shorter distances, while the likes of Clint King, Will Rutherford and Matt Jamieson have also shown strong form recently.

Last year’s top woman, Vicky Carre, is also out as she focuses on her commitment to the concurrent Mourant Relay Race.

These relays continue to attract the bulk of the entry and allow teams to split the course into two or five legs.

Carre is joining forces with Ulrike Maisch, a former European marathon champion and the widow of popular distance runner Richard Friedrich, to raise money for bereavement support service the Sunflower Project.

After dominating last year’s five-person relay, ActiveGsy have entered two different teams featuring some of the island’s top distance runners and both will be battling for the fastest time to cover the course overall.

The full marathon starts at 9am and relays set off 30 minutes later.