Hundreds turn out for Easter running festival

News imageBBC Two runners stand side by side near a marina on a sunny day. One wears an orange vest labelled “Guide Runner,” and the other wears a yellow vest labelled “Visually Impaired Runner” with race number 296 from the Guernsey Easter Running Festival 2026. The pair are standing in front of grey railings and a marina with boats and calm blue water fill the background.BBC
Hundreds of runners competed in the 2026 Guernsey Easter Running Festival including partially sighted runner Thomas Oswan and his guide Andrew Ozanne

Hundreds of runners took to the roads over the long bank holiday weekend for the annual Guernsey Easter Festival 2026.

The four-day event, organised by Guernsey Athletics, began on Good Friday with a 5 km race, a cross country, a relay and finishing with a 10km on Easter Monday.

Despite mixed weather, conditions proved favourable for many runners with tailwinds helping to produce personal bests in the 5km run on Good Friday and there was a strong turnout across all of the races.

The event also attracted competitors from the UK and beyond, including three-time Olympian Steph Twell, who has long supported both the festival and grassroots athletics on the island.

Among those taking part were visually impaired runner Thomas Oswan and his guide Andrew Ozanne, who have been training together in the lead-up to the event.

The pair completed the 10k using a combination of verbal cues and a tether to navigate safely relying on trust and clear communication throughout the race.

They said running together has been both rewarding and motivating, with the festival forming part of their preparation for longer distances in the future.

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.