tri news - issue 50 (july 2013).pdf

7/28/2019 Tri News - Issue 50 (July 2013).pdf

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July 2013, Issue 50

Tri-NewsOfficial Publication of the Malta Triathlon Federation

Highlights:

Triathlon Malta clinches Gold 2

European Congress Report 4

A Malteser in London 5

Life outside Triathlon 7

Youth Development Academy 9

Ironman Austria 10

Malta Middle Distance 11

Forthcoming Events - Hellfire 12

Dear friends of Triathlon in Malta,

I am writing this message soon after experiencing one of the most fantastic moments in my short stintat the helm of Triathlon Malta: the first session of our own Malta Youth Triathlon Academy! Seeingthe kids and youth all motivated, smiling and having fun while doing their training and beingencouraged by our dedicated coaches was tremendously exciting and gratifying.

In the past 19 months of my presidency I, with the support of the Executive Board of the Federation,have been striving incessantlyto make Triathlons future on the island better, stronger, healthier andpreserve the family feeling of the triathlon community.

In the past handful of months we have secured stronger links with the national and internationalbodies we are affiliated with, namely the International and European Triathlon Unions, the MalteseOlympic Committee and the Kunsill Malti gall-iSport. Our professional ways of doing things led notonly to consolidated financial backing, but also to healthier networking resulting in technical inputsand expertise.

We have launched the Youth Acacdemy to ensure that triathlon will not longer be the sport of drop-outs from swimming, cycling and running, but the prefered sport of kids and youth in theirdevelopment years. We have been present in International Congresses for European Triathlon to

establish better networking opportunties for our coaches, athletes and administrators. We have beenpresent with a strong contingent at the European Triathlon Championships in Alanya, Turkey withfive athletes and grabbing Gold by Hannah Pace and Bronze by Keith Galea. We have secured ahealthy sponsorship through our partners at Garmin and Medcomms Ltd. We have invested moneyinto the apparel of the National Team members especially when they race abroad. We have ensured aslot in the Youth Development Triathlon Training Camp being organised in Serbia at the end of thismonth. We have worked together with Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club to find a solution when wewere faced with a huge logistical problem for the first sprint race of the season. We are investing intosending a strong contingent at the International Triathlon Unions World Championships this comingSeptember. We managed all this even though we had some unexpected and disrupting moving ofgoal-posts to our plans, especially the cancellation of the Triathlon Championships of the Small Stateof Europe. But we were well-prepared and changed these obstacles into blessings and opportunitesand the results are proving we are on the right track.

We have been pretty busy as you can tell over the last couple of months. The Executive Board hasbeen working really really hard to meet all deadlines set and taking the various initiatives mentionedabove. And let us not forget that all this is done on a voluntary basis as our Federation cannot affordto pay for the work involved. I want to take ths opportunity to thank publicly Dermot, Oswald andMaria for their incredible sense of commitment, passion and dedication to the vision of TriathlonMalta.

I feel confident that the coming months will bring more challenges and even more opportunities willbe in the offing for us to grasp. Only one vision motivates our dealings and projects: that of providingyou, the members of the Malta Triathlon Federation with a better, healthier and strongerenvironment to practice this fantastic sport of ours.

You deserve nothing but our very best effort, and we promise to give you nothing short of that!

Presidents Message

Malta Triathlon

Federation

MTF OfficeNational Pool Complex

Triq Maria Teresa SpinelliGzira GZR 111

Malta

PHONE:+356 7903 7933

E-MAIL:[email protected]

Were on the Web!See us at:

www.triathlonmalta.org

Tri-News EditorMaria Vella-Galea

Find us on
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Keith and Hannah proudlyshowing off their well-

deserved medals!

Triathlon Malta had an impressive showing at the European Triathlon Union's Championships

in Alanya, Turkey.

Triathlon Malta was represented by 6 delegates, with 5 athletes participating in their relative agegroups covering a distance of 1.5k swim, 40km bike and 10k run.

Newcomer Hannah Pace, participating in her first ever International Triathlon Race and sucdistance stormed to an impressive Age Group victory, clocking in 2hours 13 mins in the Female20 - 25 age group category.

Current Triathlon Champion Keith Galea had an impressive showing registering a personal besttime on the distance, clocking 1 hour 57 mins and winning a bronze medal in the process kickingoff any doubts on his capabilities following his disappointing performance in the NationalDuathlon championships.

The rest of the team performed well, with current Duathlon Champion Fabio Spiteri finishing

eighth in his category within the 35 39 age group and registering a personal best time o2 hours one minute. Johanna Calleja registered a personal best time in the 25 29 Age group,finishing 5th in a time of 2 hours 20 minutes. Current Triathlon Champion Danica BonelloSpiteri, gave a solid and determined performance even overcoming some difficulties finishing in2hours 28 mins.

Triathlon Malta clinches Gold and Bronze in the 2013

European Triathlon Champions in Alanya, Turkey

Tri-News Page 2 of 12

A challenging race in many respects. A fast racewith an slightly longer swim which saw an averageperformance from my end, but made up for this inthe bike leg, which was very flat and I managed to

go below 1 hour on a 40km distance, managing thecycle in 58 minutes. This time was even more

special to me since in the last 5km of the cycle, I hada mishap, with my aerobar breaking making itquite tough to control the cycle. I kept my good

form in the run, pushing to achieve 37minutes 30seconds and enjoying a personal best time of 2hours 1 minute, finishing 8th place in my age group.

Now the focus will be training for Ironman inAugust Fabio Spiteri

Representing Malta at the European Championships was a reallyunforgettable experience. The support from the Malta TriathlonFederation before, during and after the race was great - and Cyp's cheersdefinitely motivated me to push harder during the race. The

encouragement from people from all over Europe during the race wasreally motivating too, especially hearing things like "Come on

Malta!!!All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience and I think TeamMalta did very well - watching two of our team-mates on the podium,including watching the Malta flag raised up during Hannah's

presentation, was a very proud moment for us all. Johanna Calleja

On arrival I must admit to feeling overwhelmed by all theathletes from a number of different countries (seeing allthe bikes racked prior to the race was definitely the cherryon the cake). Having said this, competing in the ETUchampionships in Turkey was an amazing experience andone that I have learnt a great deal from. The combinationof nearly two whole days of travelling, the race itself and

general nerves, excitement and adrenalin which I feltthroughout the trip, have left me exhausted but hungry formore. Apart from our actual race, one of the highlights ofmy trip was definitelywatching the Female Elite in action.I was in awe at the way they race, collapsing at the finishline they give a whole new meaning to the expressiongiving it your all. Overall competing for Team Malta inTurkey was an experience that I will never forget andhopefully the first of manyHannah Pace, Gold Medal 20 25 Age Group

Following my victory in the first race of the BKara St. JosephTriathlon Series, I was out for an excellent performance in theseEuropean Championships. The course was very fast I so waslooking for a fast time as well. Of course there were highexpectation from my Coach, Dermot Galea and the Federation.

Weather on race day was great so the possibilities for a fast timeincreased. Having had a great swim of 1.5km in 22.47 minutes,enable me to come out in the leading pack. The bike segment wasa bit tricky where terrain was on cobblestones but I felt goodthroughout, covering the 40km in 57.40. Knowing I could achievea sub 2 hour results I pushed very hard in the run segment,enabling me to finish the race in 1hr 57mins, a personal best timeand winning the Bronze medal in my age group in the process. Keith Galea, Bronze Medal,25 29 Age Group
http://www.triathlonmalta.org/1/post/2013/06/team-triathlon-malta-clinches-gold-and-bronze-in-the-2013-european-triathlon-champions-in-alanya-turkey.htmlhttp://www.triathlonmalta.org/1/post/2013/06/team-triathlon-malta-clinches-gold-and-bronze-in-the-2013-european-triathlon-champions-in-alanya-turkey.htmlhttp://www.triathlonmalta.org/1/post/2013/06/team-triathlon-malta-clinches-gold-and-bronze-in-the-2013-european-triathlon-champions-in-alanya-turkey.htmlhttp://www.triathlonmalta.org/1/post/2013/06/team-triathlon-malta-clinches-gold-and-bronze-in-the-2013-european-triathlon-champions-in-alanya-turkey.html


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Page 3 of 12Tri-News

European Triathlon Union Championships, Alanyain pictures


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Tri-News Page 5 of 12

The Adventures of a Malteser in London

Luke Bonnici

I cannot believe it has been four years since I was a regular on the triathlon scene in Malta. Forthose who have joined the Malta Triathlon Federation over the past few years, let me introducemyself briefly My name is Luke Bonnici and I have been doing triathlon since 2005. My preferreddistances are sprint and standard triathlons, but Im slowly gravitating towards longer distances(Ironman 70.3). The desire to do a full Ironman is there, but I dont think Im mad enough to do oneyet!

About four year ago, when finishing my Geography Degree, I was thinking of applying for a one yearMasters Degree in London. Once finishing this degree, a job opportunity in urban regenerationcame up and I took it. Ever since I have been living and working in London, while trying to fit mytraining around the daily excitement of living in one of the worlds largest cities. The past four yearshave probably been some of the most interesting and exciting years in my life. Living in London ishowever, not all about music gigs, meeting your sports heroes, shopping, the theatre and attending

the Olympics.

Living in London has got many challenges and cycling in the City is definitely one of them! Despiteour Mayors (dear Boris) best intentions, cycling in London is still a hairy business. The streets oLondon are definitely safer without those damned bendy busses (sorry you had to end up withthem). Now, how can we convince Transport Malta to buy Londons black cabs? To cycle in Londonyouve got to be part mad part determined. Whenever I can I avoid it, and if I cant youll find megoing in circles around Richmond Park! Some parks, such as Richmond Park, Hyde Park andRegents Park are a haven for cyclists, but on some days they are too crowded, and are no good if youlive on the other side of London (which I do!).

Luckily for me Ive got a couple of friends living is Sussex and Warwickshire wh ere the roads arequieter and drivers nicer. Thirty to forty weekends a year youll find me at one of these friends

house, escaping Londons mad streets and getting some long miles done (sorry I do miles now!).

I am often asked whatpeople from Malta arecalled. Over these past

four years I heard somereally good ones including Maltan,Maltesian and my

favourite Malteser!

At the Malta TriathlonChampionships

Crossing the Finish Lineat the Thames Turbo


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Some of my latest adventures include a trip to Portugal to catch up with friends and seeing one of my favourite bands,swimming in Lake Windermere, finishing off my first Ironman 70.3, and racing last years Maltese national triathlonchampionships with a group of British friends. My next adventure takes place at the end of this month. A group of us areheading off to Belgium to race their national triathlon championships and t0 celebrate old Malcs 80thbirthday. Im pretty surethat you guys dont need to be reminded of old Malc Bennett finishing off last years national triathlon championships. He is probably THE oldest person to finish a triathlon on Malta, and guess what? He is still going strong and does not plan to stopany time soon!

After that, who knows what adventures will follow? There will definitely be some more racing, a few more gigs, moving inwith my girlfriend to a small town close to Brighton, and generally having a good time!

Thats all for the moment ...

All the best with your training and racing!! The team at the Malta Triathlon Federation are doing a very good job with thesport in Malta, it is so heartening to see so many people turn up for a race. A big thank you goes to Cyp and Dermot who arealways on hand whenever I need advice about training and registering for races!


The Adventures of a Malteser in London (cont.)

With Chrissie Wellington - BritishTriathlete and four time WorldIronman Champion

The rest of my training is usually done at a small gym close towork (in Farringdon). As everything else in London it is prettycrowded, and on some mornings swimming in the tiny 3-lane 25metre pool at the gym feels like an open water mass swim start.The gym has also got a 160 metre indoor track as well as themachines you would expect to find at any gym.

Over the course of the past years Ive done a number of races herein the UK and abroad, and I can assure you that very few are asgood or as well managed as the races in Malta! If there is onething that is interesting about racing in the UK it is definitely therace names. Some of the latest races Ive competed in include theThames Turbo sprint, the Big Cow sprint and the Little Piglet.

Doing the Mobot


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Davide Arcangeli, is husband to Susanna and father to Lorenzo (13) and twins Federico and Tommaso(6). Apart from being a triathlete, Davide is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Italian Air Force and a MilitaryPilot since 1988. Starting as a Jet Pilot Davide was given the opportunity to fly rescue helicopters. Thiswas achieved by undertaking very tough training but resulted in a career rich in achievements and

satisfaction. Davide talks to us about his life outside triathlon.

With the help of my wife Susanna and with her support I have always been able to squeeze manythings in 24 hours.

I have been living in Malta since July 2009, when the Italian Air Force posted me to the ItalianMilitary Mission as a search and rescue helicopter commander. A job which I have been doing for 25years, apart from a break of five years from 2004 to 2009 where I worked as a flight instructor for theItalian Air Force.

The daily challenge of my job, and almost of my entire professional life is saving lives and giveassistance to all those in peril. The high level of training and skills needed to accomplish our dailymission is something that reflects a lot my entire life.

To go out 100 miles in the rough winter sea at night to winch a guy from a small boat requires anoutstanding and constant training, fast decisions and a strong determination and trust within thecrew mates.

Having experienced such situations on a regular basis, nobody knows better than me that life can putyou in situations difficult to manage and that a very strong and determined attitude is needed whenfacing issues which seem insurmountable.

This is also reflected in Triathlon.

Life outside Triathlon.. Davide ArcangeliPage 7 of 8

vides family wife Susanna,renzo and twins Federico

d Tommaso



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My work experience helps in training and sports too. Being 47 I am not a so called rookie even if myexperience in triathlon is limited to the last two years, so its easy to understand how much energy anddetermination is needed to achieve decent results.

My three children, Lorenzo (13) and the twins Federico and Tommaso (6) are very demanding and I try to domy best dedicating them all the time I can, trying to involve them gradually in my sports passion which will

help them develop a healthy and honest way of life.

Lorenzo is now getting the triathlon bug, and is starting to cycle and run with me and with my group. I amhappy that he enjoys it without ever feeling that he is being forced to do so.

As a high ranking Officer in the Italian Military, my life is characterized by a continuous movementcross the world, where my expertise is required in various areas.

My experience has seen me work for 6 months in Iraq for the Ancient Babilonia Operation as a flightutor for the Iraqi Forces. I have spent one year in South Lebanon as a Mission Safety Officer for the

UN as well as undertook two Antarctic Expeditions as Chief of Operations and Security for the ItalianProgetto Antartide at the Italian Terra Nova Bay Scientific station. I also took part in several different

missions in Eastern Europe within the Open Skies Warfare Verification Treaty.

Malta is only the last, but not the least destination of my nomad life. It has given me a greatopportunity to educate my children in the proper way, having the possibility to spend with them quite

lot of time.

Despite the movements across the world I have kept constantly trained and improved my skills.Whether it is running on the Ice in Antarctica amongst Seals and Penguins or in Sarajevo avoiding thehrapnel holes on the pavement, cycling in Beirut or training wearing a weapon and body armor inraq each experience has taught me and help me develop my own personality and capabilities.

Now my mandate in Malta is coming, unfortunately, to an end. In August I will be leaving the island for good to return to Italy for anotherchapter of this adventurous life. Once again I will look for a new house, new schools for the children, new friends, new location. Isnt thatexciting?

I will leave many friends in Malta like the one I did in my experiences, and will miss them all a lot. The big difference from the past is thatalmost all the friendships I have on the Maltese Island are related to sports, training and racing.

Triathlon has given me the opportunity, together with mountain bike activity, to meet many new friends and to share with them experiences Iwill never forget, which I will add to my ever-growing list of experience and keep all these memories in my heart forever.

Thank you all triathlon mates, I am sure I will be back for the beautiful races in Malta as well as abroad, the next big even being Ironman Austriain 2014. I hope that I will meet many of you across the world.

In the meantime keep training and stay Happy.


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Youth Development Academy Launched

Monday 15th July saw the Malta Triathlon Federation mark another milestone in its brief historywith the launch of the Youth Academy at the Kirkop Sports Complex. This project was madepossible through the assistance of the Development Board of the European Triathlon Union (ETU)and the Kunsill Malti Ghall-Isports (KMS).

20 children, between the ages of 9 and 16, attended the first session, consisting of a swim sessionconducted by Head Coach Dermot Galea, ably assisted by Matthew Azzpoardi and John Scicluna.Athletes were divided into three different groups, based on their assessed abilities, with Dermottaking on the Intermediate level swimmers, John coaching Beginners and Matthew taking theadvanced athletes. A number of 8 year olds who were already good swimmers were accepted and

fit very well into the programme.

Children will attend three one-hour sessions a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.Swimming will be held on Monday's and Fridays whilst Wednesday's session will consist of a bikeand run session for a period of 10 weeks.

This is the first time MaltaTriathlon has opened up to kids and

youths in Malta and we are certainthat this will mean a healthier,stronger and better future for thesports in Malta." Cyprian Dalli,

Malta Triathlon Federation


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Maltese Triathletes conquer Ironman AustriaIn triathlon circles the word Ironman inspires excitement and awe and visions of people pushing themselves over their limitswhere digging deep, physically and mentally, is a requirement needed to cross the coveted finish line.

Undertaking a course consisting of a 3.8kilometre swim, a 180kilometre bike and a full marathon, the Ironman AustriaTriathlon takes place in the lakeside resort city of Klagenfurt, in the summer sport paradise of Carinthia, where the usuallycrystal clear waters of Lake Worthersee turn murky with the failing arms and legs of over 3,000 athletes from 50 nationscompeting in what is one of the worlds toughest endurance races. Popular with Maltese Triathletes, the fifteenth anniversaryof Ironman Austria saw a mix of experienced and newbie Triathletes taking part.

Out of the ten strong delegation, three athletes registered a personal best time and three athletes crossed the Ironman finishline for the very first time.

Current Duathlon Champion and Metamaterials Ph.D. student Michelle Vella Wood conquered the route superbly clocking atime of 10 hours 29minutes and 33 seconds, which was an improvement of twenty four minutes over her Ironman race last year.Her efforts saw her registering a seventh place in her age group and 34 th overall placing in a race dominated by professionalathletes. A very tough swim start, due to over 2,500 Triathletes starting at the same time, was followed by a good well planned

pace on the bike. Vella Wood continued her consistent performance in the marathon segment, with this leg being only 18minutes slower than the standard marathon time registered this year.

From the seasoned pool of Triathletes, Donatelle Camilleri made a great return to the route following an absence of five yearsand registering a personal best time of eleven hours, twenty-three minutes and seventeen seconds earning sixth place in her agegroup category. Recently inducted Malta Olympic Committee Hall of Fame member Nicky Farrugia completed his sixteenthIronman race, veteran William Brydon completed his fifth Ironman Austria Race, whilst Robert David Vella also registered apersonal best time, returning to an Ironman after an absence of seventeen years. Unfortunately four time Ironman FinisherMario Bugeja had to stop in the fifty fifth kilometre of the bike course due to technical problems on the bike. Steven Delicata,Suzanne Farrugia, Elaine Fenech and Maria Vella-Galea completed the grueling course and took home their first Ironmanfinishers medal home.

The Ironman experience does not start on race day but it starts months before. It is a journey full of personal sacrifice andrequires determination and discipline. For some athletes it is all about getting a good placing, for others finishing is a victory initself. There are many factors that one has to contend with on race day, mechanical failure on the bike is one of the majorworries as is dehydration or injury said Maria Vella-Galea, Secretary General of the Malta Triathlon Federation and first timeIronman finisher. Crossing the finish line to me was a major victory, having had to cope with some injuries a month before therace. The feeling you get crossing the finish line is something that one has to experience to fully understand it

A total of twenty five Maltese athletes will be competing in a number of Ironman races throughout the summer, making thisapproximately twenty five per cent of the current triathlon population in Malta.


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Malta Urban Jungle Middle Distance Triathlon Highlights

The Malta Urban Jungle 113km Triathlon was held on Sunday 5 t May, with a record number of participants taking place. This race, in itssixth year, is seen as the perfect test pad for athletes wanting to either give endurance racing a short or in preparation for full Ironmandistances.

The race was won by Rudolph Agius, clocking a time of 04:24:13 closely followed by Malta Duathlon Champion Fabio Spiteri who clocked04:24:47. David Galea, who made a return to Triathlon in the past year came in third with a time of 04:28:39.

The females segment was dominated by current Middle Distance Champion Michelle Vella Wood, winning this race for the second yearin a row, crossing the finish line at 04:58:39, an improvement of ten minutes from last years race. Second placed Donatelle Camilleri,made a return to this race after an absence of five years, clocking in at 05:18:20, also registering a substantial improvement from herprevious performance. Caroline Zammit, taking part in the race for the first time came in third in 05:27:47.

A total of ten relay teams took part in this segment, which was won by the team made of up of Steve Chetcuti, Keith Galea and DavidAgius Lia who clocked in an overall time of04:26:24.

The performance quality of athletes has seen a sharp improvement since we started organizing this race. We have seen a large number ofpersonal best times being improved upon and this is very satisfying commented Race Director Charlie Demanuele. We are pleased to seethe interest endurance racing is generating, not only from an athletes point of view but also that of the Fede ration of which we thank fortheir support


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Malta's toughest challenge has a new date this season due to theinternational competitions schedule. On Sunday the 28th of Julymany will brave the tremendous heat, and race across unforgivingterrain to claim they have 'survived' the Hellfire Triathlon. Theevent is held in the beautiful Majjistral Nature Reserve andincludes a full and half distance as well as team relays.

The toughest distance includes a 1km swim in Golden Bay, a 20kmMTB cycle through the Majjistral and an 11km trail run on theGnejna plateau. The race starts at 8am at the Golden SandsRadisson Blu terrace and is supported by Garmin Malta.Participants are reminded of the traditional Hellfire philosophythat is to 'Challenge Yourself' and take on this event with amindset to compete against your own limits, not the rest of thefield. Finishing this race is a feat in itself and requires more thanphysical brawn. A good hydration strategy and heat managementis as equally important as fitness.

The team event this year will see both the full and half distanceoptions. We are doing this because we feel the need to create anopportunity for everyone to experience Hellfire.

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned athlete the HellfireTriathlon will take your mind places it may not have been. Areyou tough enough?

For more information please visitwww.hellfirevents.com on theHellfire Facebook page. We hope you will help us by sharing theevent on your own Facebook profile :)

http://www.hellfirevents.com/http://www.hellfirevents.com/http://www.hellfirevents.com/http://www.hellfirevents.com/

tri news - issue 50 (july 2013).pdf

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