Next Sunday, while most of Malta will still be asleep, a group of athletes will be just starting a gruelling middle-distance triathlon at 7am. It is being organised by Cynergi Personal Trainer and multiple Ironman athlete Charlie Demanuele in collaboration with the Malta Triathlon Association. The race, the first of its kind to be held in Malta, will cover the same distance as the renowned Ironman 70.3 races held all over the world. It is being held at Birzebbuga.
The name ‘middle-distance’ is a bit of a misnomer – it is used to differentiate from other even longer events – but this race is truly a test of endurance and willpower, where it is a huge challenge just to finish. The athletes are required to start the day with a 1900m swim in B’Bugia Bay, immediately followed by a six-and-a half lap, 90km cycle up and down Hal Far road leading up to the Malta International Airport VIP entrance. This is a tough route that has a surprising amount of climbing, with a total vertical elevation change of over 850m.
As soon as this is over, the athletes kick off their cycling shoes and put on running gear and set off for a half-marathon – a 21.1 km 4-lap route round B’Bugia. Owing to the considerable time that all this will take, it is likely that most of the run would take place under the heat of the mid-day sun, making life even harder for the participants. The cut off time is eight hours.
Unlike other shorter events, such a race needs a huge amount of preparation even to merely finish. Apart from the training necessary to complete the individual distances involved – each of which is a challenge on its own – other aspects of the event must be practised, like the transition between one sport and another, most notably from the cycle to the run.
An event of such duration also requires the athletes to replenish their energy stores – the human body is not designed to swim, cycle and run for 5-7 hours without eating and drinking in the process. These all must be practised during training.
Registration for the race will take place on Friday evening at Al Fresco Restaurant, B’Bugia. Athletes can enter either the full event, or else as part of a relay team where each person does one of the sports, with another team member doing the next.
The race has raised considerable interest among local top endurance sports athletes like Nicky Farrugia, Dermot Galea, Michael Gellel and Fabio Spiteri.
This event is being made possible with the help of Urban Jungle, Ultimate Nutrition, Alf Mizzi and Sons, George Barthet Ltd, Better Living, as well as Mark Bugeja of Al Fresco Restaurant and B’Kara St Joseph.