Athletics: Record turnout expected at 2024 Syd Quirk Half Marathon

Entries were filled in just over 24 hours in September

A record turnout is expected at this year's Syd Quirk Half Marathon event taking place on the Island on Sunday (17 November).

The amount of places available for the event was increased this year to 500 with all of those slots initially filled.

The level of demand to take part meant entries had to close just over 24 hours after opening in September.

Local athletics correspondent Dave Griffiths explains what he thinks makes the occasion such a popular one:

Taking place on a course which runs through the Castletown and Ballasalla areas, the Syd Quirk Half Marathon previously had a maximum of 400 entries - in 2023 these were filled within nine days of opening.

The decision was then taken to expand the entry list by a further 100 for this year.

This year's occasion will again include both a half-marathon run and half-marathon race walk starting and finishing on the Ronalsway Industrial Estate.

Starting things off will be the race walk at 8am followed at 8.15am by half-marathon runners expected to take longer than two hours 15 minutes to complete the course.

Competitors expected to finish in under two hours 15 minutes will begin at 8.30am.