On the morning of Sunday 9th August, the roads around Ramsey belonged to 448 runners chasing down the Isle of Man Marathon and Half Marathon. Coastal air, rolling tarmac and the kind of local support that makes this fixture feel like a village fete stretched into a road race combined to produce a genuinely memorable morning of racing.

Thomas Felton-Smith of Manx Fell Runners took the full marathon win outright, crossing first overall in 2 hours 42 minutes and 51 seconds and topping the M35-39 category in the process. It is only the second marathon of his career, and a dramatic improvement on his debut over the distance, evidence of a season that has been building towards exactly this kind of performance. Felton-Smith has quietly put together one of the standout years on the Island, finishing 8th overall at the UTS 100 Mile and retaining his Manx Mountain Marathon title for a second consecutive year. He is coached through ESTR, and today's win on the road looks less like a one off and more like a marker of the potential still to come from him.

He did not have the roads to himself for long. Nhlanhla Fortune Nzama of Manx Harriers followed him home in 2 hours 44 minutes and 54 seconds, taking the M40-44 category, with Chun Man Tam completing the overall podium in 2 hours 47 minutes and 9 seconds, second in M35-39 behind Felton-Smith. David Bignell of IoM Veteran Athletes took the M45-49 win in 2 hours 48 minutes and 3 seconds, and James Mackie of Wirral AC topped M50-54 in 2 hours 50 minutes and 15 seconds, the sole visiting name to break into the leading pack.

The women's race told its own story further down the field. Kat Darby crossed 29th overall in 3 hours 26 minutes and 50 seconds to take the win in F35-39, the first woman home on the day and a fine run on a course that gives nothing away easily. Carmel Edwards was not far behind, winning F45-49 in 3 hours 29 minutes and 21 seconds, with Christiana Akingbola taking F40-44 in 3 hours 43 minutes and 44 seconds. Julie Gillbard claimed F50-54 in 3 hours 44 minutes and 28 seconds, and Jayne Farquhar rounded out the category winners in F55-59, coming home in 3 hours 49 minutes and 34 seconds, five separate women's age group titles decided across a single field.

Over in the half marathon, Will Draper took the M Senior win, stopping the clock at exactly 1 hour 10 minutes. There is something almost cinematic about a finishing time that round, and Draper will have known exactly where he stood with every split along the way.

The real drama of the men's race came just behind him. Nicholas Colburn of Manx Fell Runners edged into second in 1 hour 17 minutes and 39 seconds, holding off Tim Goldy by the barest of margins, just four seconds, as Goldy crossed in 1 hour 17 minutes and 43 seconds to take the M35-39 win. Picture that finishing straight: two runners who had shared the road for thirteen miles, suddenly sprinting for a placing that would be decided by a handful of strides. Liam Parker was breathing down both their necks too, coming home just three seconds further back in 1 hour 17 minutes and 46 seconds, second in M35-39. Reggie Oasgood took the M Junior title in 1 hour 18 minutes and 11 seconds.

Kirsty Barber led the women home in the half marathon, finishing 16th overall in 1 hour 25 minutes and 23 seconds to win F35-39, the fastest woman on the day over the shorter distance. Clara Isaac topped the F Senior category in 1 hour 29 minutes and 3 seconds, with Annabelle Caton second in that same category in 1 hour 32 minutes and 12 seconds and Amber Carridge third in 1 hour 34 minutes and 51 seconds, three closely matched runners working off one another over thirteen miles. Elena Caley took the F Junior win in 1 hour 32 minutes and 18 seconds, a strong result for the Island's next generation of talent.

With 293 men and 155 women lining up across the two distances, Ramsey's roads hosted a genuine cross-section of the Island's running community, from age group veterans to junior talent, all sharing the same stretch of coastline for a few hours on a Sunday morning. Whatever your pace, whatever your reason for being out there, the Isle of Man Marathon and Half Marathon once again proved why it holds such a firm place in the Island's endurance calendar, a race where the sea is never far from view and the welcome at the finish line is always warm.