IN its 35th year, the annual June half marathon is a stalwart in the Jersey running calendar and this year was no exception as the numbers have started to climb back towards pre-Covid levels.
With an early start of 8am at Les Quennevais Cycle Track, the runners congregated under the early-morning sunshine to take on the 13.1 mile route along the lanes below Val de La Mare, onto L’Etacq and returning along the Five Mile Road before hitting the dreaded sting in the tail at mile 11, La Pulente Hill.
As the morning unfolded so the temperature rose and by the time that the first runner, James Oliver, crossed the line in 1hr 16mins 53secs, the main field was enjoying the sights and sounds of St Ouen’s with some miles left to run.
After 3hrs 17mins and 25s, the tail runner returned to the finish line, having shepherded 442 runners around the challenging route.
The event is well supported by local runners and always has good attendance from the UK, Guernsey, France and Germany.
This year was no exception, with over 100 runners arriving by sea or air for the weekend.
It is the runners, spectators and volunteers that create the atmosphere and make the event a success.
Organisers also thanked the 40-plus marshals, the Rock n Road crew at the L’Etacq water stop, the Jersey Sports Association for the Disabled, who support the event and help the runners at the finish line and look after a water stop, Nat of Moore Movement, who provided massages for over 50 runners as they crossed the line, and Normandy Rescue for paramedic cover.
The event is sponsored by Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management.
An important aspect to the race is the commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.
This year around 300 trees will be planted to balance out the T-shirts handed out, rubbish was sorted and separated, and around 200 runners chose to use the shared coach facility to arrive at the race.
To reach the goal of carbon net zero all aspects of the event have been looked at reducing the use of plastic bottles by providing water in cups and replacing the traditional metal medal with wooden sustainable alternatives.
Sustainability will be an ongoing story for the Canaccord Jersey Half Marathon and we encourage all our runners to engage and share the responsibility in this journey.
The race date for the 36th edition is Sunday 6 June 2025.
More information can be found at the Run Jersey Events website at runjersey.co.uk.
