Athletics: Husband and wife step out for Isle's day in the sun

Steve and Cal Partington are a team in almost every respect. They are husband and wife and very nearly the Isle of Man's entire athletics squad for the Commonwealth Games. They only have young high-jumper Martin Aram for company.

The Partingtons are both race walkers. This afternoon they will be pounding the roads of Salford Quays in the men's and women's 20km events. They will not be doing so, however, with the benefit of having prepared for their big day together. "Believe it or not," Steve said, "but we never get a chance to train with one another. This is my fifth Commonwealth Games and the third we've been to together. It's been more difficult for both of us this time because we have three growing children now – Joe's 11, Tom's three and Finn's one.

"I work as a milkman and I train when I get in at 10am. Cal looks after the children and goes out training in the afternoon. We don't meet up until teatime. It's been a struggle for us this time. It's a relief that the Games are actually upon us now."

Life has been so hectic for the Partingtons that Steve arrived in Manchester on Wednesday minus his team uniform. It was conveyed by ferry the following morning in time for the 36-year-old to be suitably dressed for flag-bearing duty at the opening ceremony. "It's an honour to carry the flag and to compete in a competition like this for the Isle of Man," Steve said. "It's a very special thing.

"Everyone knows everyone else on the team in all the different sports, and all of the officials too. The Isle of Man is a little sporting community on its own. Everyone wants to see the girl in the mountain biking and so on. We all get involved and support our team-mates in all the sports."

They support their family, too, although unfortunately not at first hand today. While the Partingtons are competing in the walks at Salford Quays, Cal's brother, Neil Parsons, will be shooting in the double trap pairs at Bisley. They will also miss the third member of the island's track-and-field team in action in the City of Manchester Stadium this afternoon.

Like the Partingtons, the 18-year-old Aram has had his troubles preparing for the Games. Each week he has to make an eight-hour-round ferry trip from Douglas to Liverpool to train with his coach, Mike Holmes, the high-jump guru who guided Steve Smith to Olympic bronze and Commonwealth silver, not to mention the British record. He also finds the time to study fine arts, play basketball for the Isle of Man and play guitar in a heavy metal band – all because, he says, he has never had a television at home.

"It's nice to have another athlete in the team," Steve Partington said. "The Isle of Man has a tradition in walking but I think Martin is the first field-event athlete we've ever had at a Games."

It is a walker who has come closest to putting the Isle of Man on the track-and-field medal rostrum at the Games. Graham Young finished fourth in the 20-mile walk in Christchurch in 1974. Cal and Steve have placed sixth and seventh respectively, though their prime objective this afternoon will be to savour the experience of a Commonwealth Games close to their Laxey home.

"It's different for us this time," Steve said. "You go to Victoria or Kuala Lumpur and you see the odd Manx flag. This time we're going to have a lot of support. It's only a ferry ride away. It's the closest we'll get to our home Commonwealth Games."