Samuel Fletcher and David Walker crossed the finish line together to share the honours in the Firefighters Memorial Walk on Sunday.

The joint winners recorded an impressive time of 5 hours 02 minutes in the annual open road event organised by the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service.

James Quirk claimed third place, finishing just 9 minutes behind the winners for the 50-kilometre course, which follows part of the Parish Walk route from Peel to Ramsey Fire Station.

Karen Chiarello was 5th overall and the fastest female in a time of 5 hours 21 minutes, while Alan Teare from Peel Fire Station was the first firefighter to finish, clocking 5 hours 57 minutes.

Each finisher received a medal.

All proceeds from the event go to The Firefighters Charity, which provides various types of assistance to serving and retired fire service personnel and their families. This year’s walk raised ?2,900.

The walk is not only a perfect pre-race event for anyone planning to enter the Parish Walk in June, it can be a personal goal, a challenge to get fit for or simply a great way to spend time with friends.

This event could not have happened without the help and volunteers from the Island’s Fire and Rescue Service, Civil Defence and St John Ambulance, as well as support from Up and Running, Manx Timing Solutions, GH Corlett and the Manx Co-Op.

Chief Fire Officer Kevin Groom said:

“I would like to thank everyone who took part in the event. There were many personal achievements by the walkers on the day. The support from my staff and retired firefighters has again been fantastic, they all contributed to making it such a success. The event itself will continue to evolve and I look forward to it taking place next year.”

Times for all participants who completed the course can be found at www.firefightersmemorialwalk.com. 

The date for next year’s walk has already been set for Sunday 23rd April.

For information about the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service please visit their Facebook page or website.

Photo - Chief Fire Officer Kevin Groom and Department of Home Affairs political member Jon Joughin MHK present trophies to joint winners David Walker (307) and Samuel Fletcher (249).