Islanders show team spirit as marathon draws near

James Qualtrough | September 19, 2012 | 0 Comments

Runners train for the Mourant Ozannes Marathon Relay Race

More than 250 teams have now registered for the Mourant Ozannes Relay Race, which will be part of the Standard Chartered Jersey Marathon held on Sunday 7^th October.

As the event draws near teams are taking extra advantage of the bootcamp training sessions organised by relay race sponsors Mourant Ozannes and ahead of this weekend’s Jersey 10K run, which is being seen as a warm up event for many of the marathon runners.

The free sessions, run by training partner Karen Bull of Fiteez, are now being run weekly at People’s Park as the big event approaches. It’s hoped team numbers could top 300 by the time the Marathon weekend arrives.

It’s thought this year’s Olympics have played a part in encouraging so many people to sign up for the relay race, as people embrace the spirit of the London Games and get involved in more sport.

Daniel Birtwistle, Jersey Managing Partner of Mourant Ozannes said: “We are obviously delighted that so many teams have come together for this year’s relay race and no doubt the training sessions we have run with Karen Bull have helped to prepare the runners for the event. Even though individual runners will not run a full marathon, taking part in the relay is still very challenging and we wish everyone taking part the best of luck.”

The Standard Chartered Jersey Marathon is one of the biggest events on Jersey’s sporting calendar and thousands of people turn out to line the route and cheer on the runners. The Mourant Ozannes Relay Race pits team runners alongside the individual marathon competitors, ensuring people of all levels get a chance to experience the big race atmosphere.

Race Organiser Andrew Thomas of 3D Performance said: “The Jersey Marathon now attracts some of the country’s top runners as well as a strong local contingent. The Relay Race is a really important part of the event because it gives people who may not be ready to run a full marathon, the opportunity to compete as part of a team, who will all support and encourage each other. The free training sessions have been particularly beneficial this year, not only for fitness but for team bonding.”

The relay race starts at 09.30 on the 7^th with teams of five runners taking different legs of between 4.8 and 11 kilometres.