Ryde Harriers’ Chris Newnham claimed his maiden Isle of Wight Marathon victory on Sunday (4th October) as the historic race celebrated its 70th edition.
First held in 1957, the Isle of Wight Marathon is one of the UK’s longest-running marathons, having taken place every year since its inception, including during the COVID pandemic.
This year’s race saw 2 Islanders battling for the lead, with Newnham hoping to secure his first victory and Joshua Price, representing Vectis Academy, looking to add to his previous wins in 2023 and 2024.
The pair remained closely matched throughout the opening 16 miles before Newnham made a decisive break, gradually extending his advantage over his younger rival.
Newnham crossed the finish line in an impressive 2:29:36, narrowly missing the course record.
He later revealed that he had deliberately held himself back, with his sights set on breaking the 2-hour-20-minute barrier at the Verona Marathon in Italy next month.
Price finished runner-up in 2:34:10, later admitting that his early pace had been somewhat ambitious.
Hove resident Joshua Bath completed the podium in 2:47:02, around 5 minutes outside his personal best. Making his Isle of Wight Marathon debut, Bath said he had enjoyed the course despite finding it ‘challenging’.
Ryde Harriers’ Daniel Furmidge, who finished 3rd last year, claimed 4th place in 2:55:58, setting a new course record for the Vet 50+ category.
Furmidge had been running in 7th position for much of the race before producing a strong finish to move up the field.
Jay Hadley of Abingdon AC also broke the 3-hour barrier, finishing 5th in 2:58:58.
Meanwhile, Ian Middlebrooke of Egdon Heath Harriers was the first Vet 60+ runner home, setting a new category course record of 3:02:43.
In the women’s race, Alice Robinson of UK Run Chat RC took victory in 3:25:16.
In a fitting coincidence, Robinson was completing her 70th marathon at the event’s 70th edition, having never previously raced on the Island.
Ryde Harriers’ Carly Scoble finished 2nd in 3:34:06, also taking the Vet 35+ honours.
Island runner Hayley Baxter, who previously won the women’s race in 2017, claimed 3rd place in 3:47:18 and was the first Vet 45+ finisher.
A total of 259 runners started the race, with 248 successfully completing the challenging course.
The field would have been larger had fog not disrupted travel from the mainland, leaving a number of would-be competitors unable to reach the Island.
