Isle of Man Parish Walk: Dean Morgan fights injury to take maiden win

Dean Morgan said the heat during the race impacted the times set

The winner of the 2023 Isle of Man Parish Walk says he "just can't believe" he won the race after battling injury for 18 months.

Dean Morgan completed the 85-mile (137km) race in a time of 15 hours 27 minutes 3 seconds on Saturday.

He finished 16 minutes 11 seconds before his nearest rival, double winner Paul Atherton.

Reflecting on the race, Morgan said: "I'm glad it's over, what a nightmare."

Simon Gawne, who had led in the early stages of the endurance event, came in third, a further five minutes 17 seconds back from Atherton.

Lorna Gleave was the first woman to cross the line, with a time of 17 hours 27 minutes 31 seconds.

Dean Morgan crossed the line more than 16 minutes before the rest of the field

Speaking to Manx Radio after taking his maiden win, Morgan said: "I went through a lot of pain, I carried an injury before the race, that's why I can't believe I've done it.

"I've got a hernia, and I've had it for 18 months and I shouldn't even have been doing it."

He said the pain was so bad that at times it had been "hard to stay upright", which meant he had to "fight it with every inch of what I had".

Commenting on how the race unfolded, he said he knew it would be "between us three from the start".

"As soon as Simon set that early pace, me and Paul both knew it was going off a bit too fast and it was only a matter of time," Morgan said.

"I hit a massive bad patch after Peel where the heat really got to me, and I slowed down.

"We all went through bad patches, just me less than the others.

"But once I got out in front I just went from strength to strength, I didn't actually think I would get that much of a lead on him [Atherton], but once I had the lead it gave me more confidence.

"I just fought with everything … I'm relieved to get over the line in the end."

Dean Morgan said he was relieved to finish the race after struggling with injury

The course runs through all 17 of the island's parishes, with competitors required to touch the door of a specified church in almost all of them.

Of the 1,100 entrants in the 2023 event, 134 completed the gruelling challenge within the 24-hour cut-off period.

In the under-21 categories, which finished 32.4 miles (52km) into the course at the Peel checkpoint, Jake Richmond come home first in a time of 6 hours 40 minutes 19 seconds.

Becca Ormisher was the first woman in the category to reach the checkpoint in a time of 7 hours 5 minutes 43 seconds.