The Anna Maria Cutillo Foxdale 5

foxdale6_2009As part of the ‘No Rest for the Wicked‘ series held in August which consists of six different races in just six days around the Isle of Man, Manx Harriers host the Anna-Maria Cutillo Foxdale 5. The race is run over a scenic and quite hilly 5 mile course from Foxdale School to Eairy Dam via Kionslieau Hill, along the lower boundary of Archallaghan Plantation and along Lhoobs Road before descending Kionslieau Hill and finishing back at the school.

Whilst each race is run as an individual race, with its own prizes and presentation, ‘No Rest for the Wicked’ competitors take part in one of two separate categories determined by their entry in either the Marathon or Half marathon.

Final placings in the competition are based on cumulative time from all six races entered, rather than points for positions.

In addition to the run there is a race walk in support of the running festival which follows the same course as the run.

Anna Maria Cutillo

Anna Maria CutilloAnna-Maria Cutillo died tragically in a road traffic accident at Mount Murray on 2nd September 1985, aged just 19 years. She was the eldest daughter of Leucio and Jennifer Cutillo, and sister to Giuliana, Sandrina and the late Dino Cutillo. The whole family was involved in athletics, and they were members of Manx Athletic Club.

Her coach Graham Davies remembers Anna-Maria as a beautiful young lady with a fantastic personality to match. She was an outstanding individual at most sports, but she enjoyed team sports most of all. She was a member of Graham’s coaching group that included her younger sister Giuliana, as well as Lesley Hope, Helen Mackay, Juliet Brown and the late David Teece. David was later to marry Anna-Maria’s sister Sandrina.

Anna-Maria won the very first junior race to be held in conjunction with the Foxdale 6 in the early 1980s. Unfortunately in later years the junior races had to be discontinued due to the heavy traffic. At the time of her death, Anna-Maria was the Isle of Man 400 metres Champion, IOM Diving Champion, and was a member of the IOM women’s basketball team. Her basketball club team were the IOM League Champions.

At weekends, Anna-Maria worked in Graham’s Alpha Sports shop in Douglas before taking up full time employment with Mann Link Travel. She spent many hours in Foxdale at the Davies family home as babysitter. Graham says “The Island lost a superb all round athlete, and I lost a very close friend. So that nobody would ever forget her, I named the Foxdale 6 road race after her”. Her sister Sandrina Teece recalls “Anna-Maria had a lovely outgoing personality, and was well liked and respected in all areas of her life.”

Thanks to Dave Griffiths.

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