Runners took to the roads over the bank holiday weekend for the annual Guernsey Easter Festival.
Jersey invaders Luke Holmes and Bradley Andrews-Callec took first place in the traditional runs over the fast and flat coastal course and Louise Small returned to the Island to take the women’s prize.
Race 1 5km, L’Eree to Vazon, April 3
It was a record-breaking start to the EY Easter Festival as runners made the most of a favourable wind as they raced up Guernsey’s west coast.
Holmes set a new course record leading the field home in 14:15, while Small is now the fastest woman on the west coast 5km clocking 15:44.
There were impressive performances through the field, with Eloise Scholes’ 16:32 a new island best.
It was pretty miserable weather before the start of the race as the wind and light rain battered runners at the exposed L’Eree venue, but the racing that unfolded more than made up for it.
A leading pack of four men quickly established themselves at the head of the field as Andrews-Callec led Holmes, previous course record holder Callum Tharme and Guernsey’s Jack Rees through the first kilometre dead on three minutes.
Holmes then took control, accelerating to drop a 2:48 split for the second km and holding the pace from there and his time was also adjudged the age-graded best.
Small’s 15:44 was the second-best age graded effort. The 34-year-old had previously won the 5km here in 2024 and her time was a personal best but unlikely to be recorded as such due to the point to point nature of the course with its following wind.
Men Overall: 1 L Holmes (Jers, U20) 14:16; 2 B Andrews-Callec (Jers) 14:28; 3 C Tharme (Cambus) 14:43; 4 J Rees (Guern) 14:46; 5 L Le Cheminant (Guern) 14:53
M60: 1 G Merfield (Guern) 18:09
U13: 1 P Friedrich (Guern) 16:09
Women Overall: 1 L Small (AFD) 15:44; 2 E Scholes (Guern) 16:34; 3 N Whitty (W40) 17:03
W45: 1 U Maisch (Guern) 18:14
W70: 1 J Morgan (St Ed) 23:52
W75: 1 S Garner (Ling) 27:37
Race 2: Keith Falla Memorial Full Course Cross-Country, L’Ancresse Common, April 4
Louise Small made it two from two with a comfortable win in the women’s field on the second day of the EY Easter Running Festival.
While Small (Aldershot, Farnham & District) was untroubled around the Keith Falla Memorial Full Course, a good battle unfolded for the podium spots in the men’s.
Callum Tharme, who won the opening 5km race last year, turned the tables on Jersey’s Bradley Andrews-Callec to take the cross-country section over the traditional course at L’Ancresse Common.
Tharme, Andrews-Callec and Jack Rees were locked together until Tharme stretched a lead at the back end of the course to win in 24:29.
Andrews-Callec and Rees took the race for second to the line, with the Jerseyman taking it by a metre.
Small was tenth overall in 27:45, with Eloise Scholes, just as she had the day before, claiming second fastest women and Zoe Pflug rounding off the podium places.
The age graded prize went to St Edmund Pacers over-70, Jenny Morgan over Guernsey’s long-time and now M45 servant Lee Merrien, with Small third.
Overall (4.75M): 1 C Tharme (Cambus) 24:29; 2 B Andrews-Callec (Jers) 25:07; 3 J Rees (Guern) 25:08; 4 J Morwood (AFD) 25:17; 5 A Stewart (B&W) 25:42; 6 L Merrien (Guern, M45) 25:54
M60: 1 S Galpin (Guern) 34:07
Women: 1 L Small (AFD) 27:46; 2 E Scholes (Guern) 29:00; 3 Z Pflug (Cambus) 30:02
W45: 1 U Maisch (Guern) 30:59
W70: 1 J Morgan (St Ed) 38:44
Race 3, Cross-Country Relay, Delancey, April 5
The event can be a bit of a light hearted affair with many mixed teams taking part, so it was meant to be a chance to take a break from the serious racing, but there were plenty of runners still going full gas in an action-packed relay event.
With 52 teams on the start line in the senior event, each made up of four runners doing a twisting loop of around one mile through Delancey Park, it was a busy and fun filled morning.
There was some noticeable elbow bumping dashes to the finish line among people that maybe should have known better who will remain nameless, and in the end Muggle the Smuggle’s team of Michael Lambourne, Toby Mann, Mikey Ingrouille and Jack Rees took the win.
Fastest laps went to Luke Holmes and Louise Small.
Overall (4x1M): 1 Muggles 21:25 (M Lambourne 5:17, T Mann 5:33, M Ingrouille 5:22, J Rees 5:12); 2 Bristol Distance 22:22; 3 Holeshead Bros 22:22
Fastest: L Holmes 4:56; G Robilliard 5:07: A Stewart 5:09; J Rees 5:12; J Morwood 5:13; P Friedrich 5:16
Women: L Small 5:52; E Scholes 5:53; R Lord 5:59
Race 4, 10km, Grandes Roque to Northside, April 6
Bradley Andrews-Callec became the third individual winner of the festival when he reversed the result of the cross-country and headed Callum Tharme by getting on for a minute after a 30:44 clocking.
This meant that the Jersey junior secured the overall series first place and a useful money bonus.
It was a simpler situation to determine the overall women’s series winner as Louise Small made it three wins out of three with a two-minute victory over top W40 Natalie Whitty in 34:06.
Although point to point on a coastal route around the north of the Island, there is sufficient leeway with changes of running direction to make the event eligible for ranking and personal best performances.
Overall: 1 B Andrews-Callec (Jers) 30:44; 2 C Tharme (Cambus) 31:38; 3 J Rees (Guern) 32:18; 4 J Morwood (AFD) 32:22; 5 J Priest (Guern) 33:21
Women: 1 L Small (AFD) 34:06; 2 N Whitty (Guern, W40) 36:31; 3 Z Pflug (Cambus) 37:52
W45: 1 U Maisch (Guern) 38:35