Clean start for Keith Gerrard who makes his marathon debut in Rotterdam on Sunday

It will soon be four years since the 29 year from Peel ran his one and only half marathon. He took 63 minutes and 39 seconds and was the first British finisher in the BUPA Great North Run.

It will soon be four days before he lines up on the front row of the Rotterdam Marathon, as one of the elite field, to make his debut over double the distance. "I am back from Albuquerque and I am currently in my house in Peel enjoying my taper and some home relaxation" he reported yesterday but described it as the calm before the storm. "Its starting to feel quite real now" he said.

http://www.nnmarathonrotterdam.org/

Since the Great North Run he has had more than his share of setbacks with injuries or he might well have doubled his distance sooner.

Things really did get dirty in between. In 2012 he added his name to the list of winners of a British event with a much longer history that the mass participation Great North Run when he dominated the National Cross Country at Parliament Hill in London. Twelve months later he defended the title in Sunderland when he demonstrated that, apart from the meticulous race preparation for which he is renowned, he has an incredible determination to ensure that his talent is not wasted when he saw off the relentless challenges of Steve Vernon.

Here is my interview with Keith after the first of his victories:



Half of Keith's four Manx track records have been set since he ran that first half marathon:

Event	PB		Venue		Event		Date
1500	03:47.5		Tempe AZ, USA		Sun Angel Track Classic		09-Apr-11
Mile	04:08.2		Oxford		BMC Grand Prix		20-Jul-13
5000	13:50.1		Walnut CA, USA		Mt SAC Relays		20-Apr-12
10000	28:27.0		Palo Alto CA, USA		Payton Jordan Invitational		01-May-11

Sources: Power of 10

http://iomaa.info/records/track-field-records/isle-of-man-tf-records-senior-men/

Keith in action during the 2012 Microgaming Isle of Man Cross Country League at Ballanette

So how does Keith feel about his latest challenge; "I feel like I have prepared sensibly and I am excited to give this a really good go. My training has reached new heights in recent months and hopefully that will be reflected with a good performance on Sunday. What ever the outcome, I know I'm going to learn something about myself and the marathon. I just hope he experience is positive!".

As for expectations: "I feel too respectful of the marathon distance to name any target times. The marathon is an unknown to me and anything could happen on the day. I feel strong and healthy (something I've not been able to say much the last couple of years) so that is uplifting. Anyone who knows me well will realize that I'm not in it for a Sunday stroll, so I will leave any predictions to the public!".

Its just 13 months since I met the Manx hero on the streets of Peel showing a brave face during a period when he was down in the dumps with his injury.
During more than half of the interim period his name has featured in Manx quizzes as the athlete who had the Manx vest taped in error at the Commonwealth Games rather than for the performances that spread his smile to our faces.

I think we'll see that smile again on Sunday - but only after more than two hours of pain. And I hope his name will be in the quizzes next winter for the right reasons. The other name that might appear in the quiz is Dave Cowell. Dave set the Manx record of 2 hours 23 minutes 34 seconds for the marathon on 31 January 1974. I hope to feature Dave here next.

Keith with his parents and the National Cross Country trophy

Douglas promenade has for more than 50 years served athletics

There are some similarities between the history of the Easter Festival and the largest event athletics organised on the Isle of Man, the Parish Walk, apart from both being organised by sub-committees of Manx Harriers.

The Parish Walk was revived in 1960 with the finish at the Villa Marina. The Villa Marina was the focal point of Douglas Promenade and, after one false start in 1963, the first Easter Festival road race started and finished at the Villa Marina.

The Easter Festival developed from a single day event into a three day affair and expanded rapidly in the 1980s. Although it declined thereafter the organisers through the 90s played a crucial role as they held it together.

In the early part of the century the new organisers did something similar to what has happened to many an old property in the Isle of Man. They gutted it and rebuilt it keeping the best bits but adding lots of nice new features. Regardless of how nice a house is on the inside if you want to sell it you have to make the outside look good too.

They moved the opening race from the front of the house to the delightful garden that is Port Erin and Port St Mary but they reverted to staging the closing event on the front lawn - Douglas Promenade,

The Parish Walk also went through a period of stagnation with minimal press coverage. A large part of its revival could be attributed to the publicity and the better access to information. But, as with the Easter Festival, although the revivalists should take the lion's share of the credit, it was so important that somebody kept the flame going.

So both events had visionaries who started them, efficient administrators who kept them afloat and the developers who have made them what they are today.

The Parish Walk developers found that the Villa Marina was not a big enough house to accommodate all of the expanded family and so the start was moved to the National Sports Centre. As the walkers return over several hours, Douglas Promenade can still cope with the finish.

Since the fun runs were cancelled, when Douglas Promenade was temporarily unavailable, there has not been a once a year event attracting hundreds of runners of all ages. The KPMG relay appears to be filling this void. And where is that being held? On Douglas Promenade of course.

It is no coincidence that three of the biggest events of the year finish within a few hundred yards of each other on Douglas Promenade.

Get rid of the cars, stop the horse trams from being moved there and increase the awareness of the wonderful facility we have.