For the fifth year running, the National Mountain Running Championships were held on the 20th May in Bingemma under the auspices of the Mgarr local council and the Malta Amateur Athletics Association. The event was sponsored by Perskindol (exclusively imported by NM Arrigo Ltd) Garmin Malta and Costa Coffee Malta. This year there was a record 92 entries 82 finishers.
The race was staged in a unique countryside setting over a distance of 5.6km with a continuous ascent of 139 metres and slight descent of 35 metres, starting from Bingemma, Mgarr reaching one of Malta’s highest points at 240m and finishing in Kuncizzjoni, Rabat.
Simon Spiteri (St. Patrick’s) fresh from breaking the 4-minute barrier on the 1500m, claimed the title of National Mountain Running Champion. Running neck to neck all the way with 5km and 10km national champion, Charlton Debono (Gozo Athletics), he went on to establish a new course record, by 14 seconds on the 5.6km course in 19 minutes 26 seconds previously held by Laurent Vicente (France). In a very close finish with Spiteri,
Debono was second, also running a time below the old course record in 19 minutes 33 seconds. Following in third was steeplechase national champion, Luke Micallef (Pembroke Athleta) in 20 minutes 06 seconds.
In the same race, Malta’s top distance runner, Lisa Bezzina (Pembroke Athleta) once again smashed her own course record, by another 58 seconds clinching her second consecutive National Mountain Running champion title in a time of 21 minutes 54 seconds. In second place, was Angele Satariano (AS Libertas) in 23 minutes 24 seconds while Celine Pace (Athleta Pembroke) was third in 23 minutes 43 seconds.
Simon Spiteri (St.Patrick’s), Luke Micallef (Athleta Pembroke), Angele Satariano (Libertas), Monalisa Camilleri (Libertas) will be representing Malta in the European Mountain Championships (uphill), which will be held in Kamnik, Slovenia on the 8th July.
