After a two year absence, anticipation is building at the return of the Isle of Man Easter Festival of Running and organisers are promising a 'fun-filled celebration of the return of this great three-day festival' over the Easter weekend.

Organised by Manx Harriers for many this event has become an annual ritual and time to renew old acquaintances with a number of universities organising trips for students past and present. For many the social side is the highlight of the weekend with many taking advantage of the fairly liberal licensing laws!

However, there are also a number of subventions to be won. In recent years a number of athletes have won several hundred pounds for their efforts. With a number of team prizes too, those with a strong team are likely to increase their chances of earning a sufficient amount to cover the cost of their trip. And organisers have announced that the total prize money on offer this year is £4500 split across the three races!

The festival has four main parts – three of these involve running and the fourth is for unwinding after a hard weekend’s athletics.

Good Friday sees the start of the festival with a 10K road race which follows the picturesque coastal footpath to Port St. Mary harbour and finishes by the beach!

On Saturday afternoon, action moves to Peel with the Peel Hill Race. Men compete over a four mile course and women over a three mile route. There are two main climbs on the route for the men and one for the women with a number of short sharp climbs as well. The descent is less steep. Therefore, the climb suits the fell/hill runners but they have less of an edge over the road and track runners on the downhill.

Sunday morning concludes the running with a 5K road race on an out and back course along Douglas Promenade.

You can find out more by visiting the event website.

Image: Isle Of Man Easter Festival