On a hot windswept morning, Kenyan runner Joshua Kipchumba won the 21st edition of the BMW Malta Marathon clocking a time of 2hrs 21 minutes. He was almost a couple of minutes shy of the marathon record set last year by Tunisian Abdelkebir Marchane who was also the winner of the last three editions of the race.
It was a good morning for Maltese athletes who also placed second and third respectively. Jonathan Balzan (Bib No 1009) clocked 2hrs. 30m 18 seconds whilst Jimmy Sacco (Bib Nr. 10060 clocked 2 hrs 36m 26 seconds. Jonathan Balzan thus went a step further after winning the Half Marathon last year.
The first woman was veteran athlete Carmen Hili who placed 18th with a time of 3hrs 12m 5 seconds, a marked improvement over her time last year.
Most of the runners commented on the strong wind, which hampered their efforts somewhat.
"The course was very good but the wind was a problem as I could have made it in around 2 hrs 17 minutes. Apart from that I felt pretty good and led from the start without any real problems", race winner Kipchumba said.
Marchane, who was expected to win the race hands down, had to retire when he was near St. Catherine's Hospital in Attard, after having run 3 km off the course. He said that he took a wrong turning and decided to drop out, as it would have been too much for him to make up.
"I wanted to break my record today but I took that wrong turning which ruined my chances", a disappointed Marchane added.
Jimmy Sacco (Mellieha Athletic Club) was extremely satisfied with his result, as he did not expect to come in the first three placings after having suffered problems in training for the event.
Jonathan Balzan (St Patrick Atletic Club) said that he also had huge problems in training but was confident that he would run a good time and place among the top local athletes.
"I really cannot believe the time I clocked today as it was a trying course but I am hugely satisfied with the result and hope that this will lead on to greater things", he said.
Asked whether the transition from the Half Marathon to the full event was hard, Balzan said that he was not unduly stressed and the result proved his efforts were not in vain.
The 4th and 5th placings went to Peter Azzopardi (2'40'36) and Mario Vella (2'48'30). Mellieha Athletic Club was the overall team winner of the marathon.
In the half marathon, English runner Timothy Short (Bib 539) placed first with a time of 1hr 10m 40sec followed by Charles Cilea (1hr 10m 57 sec) and Libyan Haithen Ksheim (1hr 12m 10sec).
Only 11 runners managed to complete the course in under three hours with 9th placed athlete Stephen Borg collapsing at the finish line due to exhaustion and dehydration.
Tourism and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech also presented the winner's trophy to Kipchumba.