8th October 2006
Jersey holds its first modern marathon
Jersey hadn’t hosted a marathon for two decades when, in 2006, around 300 runners welcomed the long-distance race back to the island. Garry Payne was the first across the Waterfront finish line with a time of two hours, 44 minutes and 33 seconds. Second-placed Henry Wanyoike, a blind runner from Kenya, was eight minutes behind him. The first female runner to cross the line was Michelle Buckle, in three hours, three minutes and 47 seconds. Second placed Glenda Illing was quarter of an hour behind her.
As reported by the BBC, “there’s no better example of the fantastic community spirit that there was all day than the hero’s welcome received by the last runner in, Andrew Green. As director of Headway, one of the marathon’s main beneficiaries, he was determined to finish despite having been unable to train due to injury – he came in just after the 6 hour mark to rapturous applause, accompanied by the sounds of Chariots of Fire.”
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Other events that occured in October
Debussy’s La Mer performed for the first time
- Debussy wrote some of La Mer during his time in Jersey. It had its first performance in Paris in 1905.
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Canadian politician Isaac LeVesconte dies
- Although born in Jersey – in St Aubin – Isaac LeVesconte made a name for himself in Nova Scotia, to which he emigrated aged 12.
- Read more…
Parliamentarians land at St Ouen’s Bay
- Jersey was strongly in favour of the monarch during the English Civil War, which led to an invasion by 84 ships, that landed 3000 Parliamentarian forces at St Ouen’s Bay.
- Read more…
Victor Hugo leaves Jersey
- Victor Hugo settled in Jersey when he was exiled from France, but after criticising Queen Victoria he had to leave the island for Guernsey.
- Read more…