Guernsey Marathon brings global runners to island

France's Guillaume Ruel broke the previous Guernsey Marathon course record by nearly four minutes

Hundreds of people have taken part in the 2024 edition of the Guernsey Marathon.

First across the line was Guillaume Ruel, from France, who set a new course record with a time of 2:31:29.

Lindsay Sword, from Guernsey, was the first woman across the line with a time of 3:22:21.

Race director Michael Quittenden said runners from countries including France, Denmark and the USA had participated alongside islanders.

The 2024 edition of the race started at 09:00 BST in St Peter Port with runners taking on the 26.2-mile (42.1km) course.

The men's race winner's time bettered the previous record of 2:35:15 set by William Bodkin.

Mr Ruel's brother Pierre-Antoine Ruel was the second man to finish the race with a time of 2:35:53 while Guernsey's Ethan Woodhead was third, setting a time of 2:40:24.

Following their one-two finish, the Ruels did not hang around for long as the brothers got the ferry back to France at 12:30.

Three races

Along with the main marathon, two other races were held as part of the event.

The relay race, which started at 09:30, involved teams of two or five people completing the marathon course.

Teams of two changed runners at Vazon Bay while changeover points for teams of five were at the Mallard Complex, the Imperial Hotel, Vazon Bay and Pembroke.

At 10:00, the marathon mile race set off with runners completing a mile-long course along the St Peter Port waterfront.

Tourism boost hopes

The international runners included one man who at the age of nearly 80 was running in his 843rd marathon, with Guernsey being the 84th nation or territory he had run in.

Ahead of the race, Mr Quittenden said one of the event's aims was to show what Guernsey offered visitors.

"We always aim to have it in the shoulder months before the tourism season really kicks off," he said.

"As always, the idea is to try and fill beds in the hotels when they might be empty."