New routes being introduced this year
Two hundred fifteen athletes will be at the starting line of the 26th edition of the Eurosport Malta International Challenge Marathon and the 3rd Edition of the Gatorade 3rd Gatorade Team Challenge Relay kicks off this weekend.
Race organisers Birkirkara St. Joseph, who took over the race organisation baton from race founder Barry Whitmore, expressed their satisfaction at response that they received notwithstanding the changes that the race underwent.
Whilst the overall distance, that of a full marathon distance spread over three days remains the same, the race organising team took the decision to change the individual distances to reflect IAAF and AIMS regulations. The first stage will be a 10 mile route starting and finishing at the Dar Tal-Providenza Residential Homes in Siggiewi. This location was chosen since these Homes were chosen as the official charity by the Club. The second leg will take place in Marsascala and will be a 5k route whilst the last leg of the Challenge will take place in Bugibba consisting of a 21km scenic route along the coast road.
“Although a number of the regular athletes felt a bit wary of the new route, this year’s race has seen the largest number of participants since 2001 which is very encouraging – we’ve seen also a good number of countries represented – Hungary, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Russia and the Czech Republic” remarked Euchar Camilleri, Secretary General, Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club.
This year’s Male and Female titles remain up for grabs, with both 2015 winners Andrew Grech and Roberta Schembri out of the fray. Six-time winner Jonathan Balzan will be on the starting line however this time will be joining a relay team.
Motorists are advised that a section of the Coast Road, as per map below, will be closed for traffic between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.. This is being done in order to ensure the health and safety of the participants.
The third leg of the Eurosport Malta International Challenge Marathon will start in Bugibba on Sunday, 27th November.
For more information about the Eurosport Malta International Challenge Marathon please visit – http://www.maltachallengemarathon.com
