Dillon Cassar and Jemima Farley were the fastest runners on the road on Sunday morning, when the Intersport 10k Series returned to Burmarrad for one of the most popular races on the local calendar.
Flat and fast, the Burmarrad route is where many athletes come looking for a personal best, and Cassar has a strong history on it. In 2020 he established the 5km course record of 14:34. This time round he stepped up to the 10km distance and set the pace from the moment the starting gun was fired, opening a comfortable gap that he held all the way to the line. His finish time of 31:13 established a new 10km course record.
Behind him, Andrew Grech, Matthew Xuereb and Alan Camilleri ran close together for most of the race. Grech pulled away to finish second in 34:14, while Xuereb pipped Camilleri to third place by just five seconds.
Jemima Farley was the first female and fifth athlete overall to cross the finish line. Her time of 34:48 was almost two minutes faster than her 2021 run and sets the time to beat in the female category. Roberta Schembri (35:40) and Joelle Cortis (36:37) completed the podium.
In the 5km race Simon Spiteri took top honours in 15:36, ahead of Jake Fenech and Matthew Borg. The female race was the closest of the morning, with Rachel Borg winning by a single second from Rosalie Borg Cauchi. Kimberley Gauci finished third.
The next race of the Intersport 10k Series takes place on 8th December, when runners take on the Valletta route.
| 10km Males | 10km Females | 5km Males | 5km Females | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dillon Cassar (31:13) | Jemima Farley (34:48) | Simon Spiteri (15:36) | Rachel Borg (18:15) |
| 2nd | Andrew Grech (34:14) | Roberta Schembri (35:40) | Jake Fenech (16:04) | Rosalie Borg Cauchi (18:16) |
| 3rd | Matthew Xuereb (34:31) | Joelle Cortis (36:37) | Matthew Borg (16:30) | Kimberley Gauci (19:18) |
Photo Credit: 10k Series Malta
