Almost 1,500 walkers will be on the start line for this year’s Manx Telecom Parish Walk. The Island’s biggest mass participation sports event begins at 8am on Saturday June 20 at the NSC with most of the participants aiming to achieve personal goals and raise funds for charity.

To help their friends and family share in the fun via Facebook, Manx Telecom has introduced a new, free service. A team of volunteer photographers will be taking pictures around the course as usual, but this year everyone who signs up for the new ‘Pic2Go’ service will have their photos automatically published on their Facebook timeline. All you need to do to register for Pic2Go is sign up at www.manxtelecom.com/parishphotos – it will be run on an ‘opt in’ basis so only those walkers that register will have their photos sent to Facebook. It will be the first time that Pic2Go has been used at any event on the Island, and relies on Manx Telecom’s superfast 4G mobile broadband network. After the event all competitors will have the opportunity to search for and purchase all photos by race number at www.isleofman.in with all profits going to charity.

Of course, the Manx Telecom Parish Walk is one of the Island’s most prestigious sporting events and both the 2014 men’s and women’s champions – Richard Gerrard and Janette Morgan – will be back to defend their titles this year. David Walker and Richard Wild, who finished second and third respectively in the 2014 race, are also on the 2015 start sheet, as are the reigning under-21 champions Alex Eaton and Danielle Oates. Alex set a new under-21 record in 2014 covering the 32.5 miles to Peel in 5hrs 44mins 58secs. Danielle won the under-21 women’s race in 7hrs 5mins 21secs.

Another name to look out for this year is 75-year-old Edmund Shillabeer who could become the oldest competitor ever to complete the full 85-mile Parish Walk. The accomplished race walker and ultra-endurance events athlete made his Parish Walk debut in 2009 at the age of 69 and finished 17th. Edmund, who runs his own veterinary practice in Plymouth, is also raising funds for the Canine Partners charity which trains assistance dogs to help disabled people.

To ensure safety and avoid traffic congestion, motorists are advised to check the ‘information’ page at www.parishwalk,com for details of road closures and no-stopping zones along the course. This is especially important for drivers supporting walkers. However, in order to keep the number of cars on the course to a minimum, walkers are also asked to consider whether they really need a support vehicle before Peel as plenty of food and drinks are available from feed stations, and any kit needed along the way can usually be carried in a small backpack. Walkers who want to help friends or family to follow their progress can have text messages sent to two mobile numbers when they reach each checkpoint. To register for this free service provided by Manx Telecom, walkers have to update their entry information at www.parishwalk.com before 8.30pm on Friday June 19. Live timing updates will be available for anyone to check online at mt.im/parishwalk which will list all walkers as they reach each checkpoint.

For more information about the Manx Telecom Parish Walk go to www.parishwalk.com. 

Photo - Richard Gerrard, pictured on his way to winning the 2014 Manx Telecom Parish Walk, will be back to defend his title on June 20.