More than 1,000 take on annual Parish Walk

While 1,228 registered for the event, about 1,000 are taking part

About 1,000 people are taking on the Isle of Man's annual Parish Walk.

The challenge sees competitors set off from the National Sport Centre at 08:00 BST to attempt to complete the 85-mile (137km) route covering the 17 Parishes of the Isle of Man within the 24-hour cut off point.

The current record for completion is 14 hours 40 minutes which was set by Richard Gerrard in 2015.

Race director Raymond Cox said it was a "personal challenge" for competitors and the challenge for most was "to go as far as you can".

"It is a personal thing, when you have walked to Peel or wherever, that is your prize, you have done it and it is something for oneself," he said.

The event started off at the turn of the 20th Century as a competition to see who could walk further than the others, the first organised walk took place in 1913 but a formal route fore the contest was not set until the 1960s.

'Listen to your body'

Improvements for the 2024 event included a bag transportation service to Peel, and a shuttle bus between the Bowl in Douglas and Peel Town Hall to reduce congestion.

While 1,228 people had signed up initially, just under 1,100 had gone on to register to start the walk, with the drop partially down to a rise in Covid cases following the TT festival.

Offering advice to those taking part, Mr Cox said competitors should not set off "too quickly", drink little and often, walk with a group and "listen to your body".

Participants have been urged to avoid taking too many painkillers during the event as combined with dehydration it could be "very damaging for your kidneys", he added.

The waning comes after eight people received hospital treatment after taking part last year.