Michael Gellel and Marylynn Bezzina triumph over their rivals

The National Duathlon Championships were held on Saturday over the customary distances of a first 5-kilometre run, a cycle of 30 kilometres and a second 3-kilometre run at the Salina Coast Road.

On a clear, warm but windy day, it was Michael Gellel and Marylynn Bezzina who triumphed over their rivals in a race which was equally marked by the absence of seasoned athletes as well as the appearance of some new faces.

With the emphasis being on the run, it was clearly going to be a field day for Michael Gellel, who, fresh from his sixth placing in last month’s Half Marathon, set a best time in both runs and went on to win the race in a time of 1hr.20m.16s.

In second place was Gordon Camenzuli, who always finishes a race as fresh as he starts it, giving one the impression that he could give so much more in a race. Nicky Farrugia, who will this year be celebrating the 20th anniversary of his momentous Sicily Malta swim, managed to overtake many a younger athlete with his best cycle time and finished the race in third place overall.

In the women’s race, it looked at first as if Marylynn Bezzina and Danica Spiteri were going to have to fight it out to the end but in the cycle segment, Marylynn slowly but surely pulled away from her rival to win the race in 1hr.31m.19s. Danica finished the race in 1hr.33m.39s.

Third place went to Debbie Micallef Eynaud.

The Race, which was sponsored by Kristal Water, Powerade and the Plum Tree Restaurant, Qawra, was assisted by the Police and the Ambulance Service of St James Hospital, Sliema.

The next race in the triathlon calendar is the First Race of the Red Bull Triathlon Series, organised by the B’Kara Sports Club. The race, which is a sprint, is scheduled for next Sunday 3 April.