Tri-News

Official Publication of the Malta Triathlon Federation

July 2013, Issue 50

Highlights: Triathlon Malta clinches Gold European Congress Report A Malteser in London Life outside Triathlon 2 4

Presidents Message
Dear friends of Triathlon in Malta,
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Youth Development Academy 9 Ironman Austria Malta Middle Distance 10 11

I am writing this message soon after experiencing one of the most fantastic moments in my short stint at the helm of Triathlon Malta: the first session of our own Malta Youth Triathlon Academy! Seeing the kids and youth all motivated, smiling and having fun while doing their training and being encouraged 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 incessantly to make Triathlons future on the island better, stronger, healthier and preserve the family feeling of the triathlon community. In the past handful of months we have secured stronger links with the national and international bodies we are affiliated with, namely the International and European Triathlon Unions, the Maltese Olympic Committee and the Kunsill Malti gall-iSport. Our professional ways of doing things led not only to consolidated financial backing, but also to healthier networking resulting in technical inputs and expertise. We have launched the Youth Acacdemy to ensure that triathlon will not longer be the sport of dropouts from swimming, cycling and running, but the prefered sport of kids and youth in their development years. We have been present in International Congresses for European Triathlon to establish better networking opportunties for our coaches, athletes and administrators. We have been present with a strong contingent at the European Triathlon Championships in Alanya, Turkey with five athletes and grabbing Gold by Hannah Pace and Bronze by Keith Galea. We have secured a healthy sponsorship through our partners at Garmin and Medcomms Ltd. We have invested money into the apparel of the National Team members especially when they race abroad. We have ensured a slot in the Youth Development Triathlon Training Camp being organised in Serbia at the end of this month. We have worked together with Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club to find a solution when we were faced with a huge logistical problem for the first sprint race of the season. We are investing into sending a strong contingent at the International Triathlon Unions World Championships this coming September. We managed all this even though we had some unexpected and disrupting moving of goal-posts to our plans, especially the cancellation of the Triathlon Championships of the Small State of Europe. But we were well-prepared and changed these obstacles into blessings and opportunites and 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 has been working really really hard to meet all deadlines set and taking the various initiatives mentioned above. And let us not forget that all this is done on a voluntary basis as our Federation cannot afford to pay for the work involved. I want to take ths opportunity to thank publicly Dermot, Oswald and Maria for their incredible sense of commitment, passion and dedication to the vision of Triathlon Malta. I feel confident that the coming months will bring more challenges and even more opportunities will be in the offing for us to grasp. Only one vision motivates our dealings and projects: that of providing you, the members of the Malta Triathlon Federation with a better, healthier and stronger environment to practice this fantastic sport of ours.

Forthcoming Events - Hellfire 12

Malta Triathlon Federation

MTF Office National Pool Complex Triq Maria Teresa Spinelli Gzira GZR 111 Malta PHONE: +356 7903 7933 E-MAIL: [email protected]

Tri-News Editor
Maria Vella-Galea

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Triathlon Malta clinches Gold and Bronze in the 2013 European Triathlon Champions in Alanya, Turkey
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 age groups covering a distance of 1.5k swim, 40km bike and 10k run. Newcomer Hannah Pace, participating in her first ever International Triathlon Race and such distance stormed to an impressive Age Group victory, clocking in 2hours 13 mins in the Female 20 - 25 age group category. Current Triathlon Champion Keith Galea had an impressive showing registering a personal best time on the distance, clocking 1 hour 57 mins and winning a bronze medal in the process kicking off any doubts on his capabilities following his disappointing performance in the National Duathlon 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 of 2 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 Bonello Spiteri, gave a solid and determined performance even overcoming some difficulties finishing in 2hours 28 mins.

Keith and Hannah proudly showing off their welldeserved medals!

Representing Malta at the European Championships was a really unforgettable experience. The support from the Malta Triathlon Federation before, during and after the race was great - and Cyp's cheers definitely motivated me to push harder during the race. The encouragement from people from all over Europe during the race was really motivating too, especially hearing things like "Come on Malta!!! All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience and I think Team Malta 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 the athletes from a number of different countries (seeing all the bikes racked prior to the race was definitely the cherry on the cake). Having said this, competing in the ETU championships in Turkey was an amazing experience and one that I have learnt a great deal from. The combination of nearly two whole days of travelling, the race itself and general nerves, excitement and adrenalin which I felt throughout the trip, have left me exhausted but hungry for more. Apart from our actual race, one of the highlights of my trip was definitely watching the Female Elite in action. I was in awe at the way they race, collapsing at the finish line they give a whole new meaning to the expression giving it your all. Overall competing for Team Malta in Turkey was an experience that I will never forget and hopefully the first of many Hannah Pace, Gold Medal 20 25 Age Group A challenging race in many respects. A fast race with an slightly longer swim which saw an average performance from my end, but made up for this in the bike leg, which was very flat and I managed to go below 1 hour on a 40km distance, managing the cycle in 58 minutes. This time was even more special to me since in the last 5km of the cycle, I had a mishap, with my aerobar breaking making it quite tough to control the cycle. I kept my good form in the run, pushing to achieve 37minutes 30 seconds and enjoying a personal best time of 2 hours 1 minute, finishing 8th place in my age group. Now the focus will be training for Ironman in August Fabio Spiteri

Following my victory in the first race of the BKara St. Joseph Triathlon Series, I was out for an excellent performance in these European Championships. The course was very fast I so was looking for a fast time as well. Of course there were high expectation from my Coach, Dermot Galea and the Federation. Weather on race day was great so the possibilities for a fast time increased. Having had a great swim of 1.5km in 22.47 minutes, enable me to come out in the leading pack. The bike segment was a bit tricky where terrain was on cobblestones but I felt good throughout, covering the 40km in 57.40. Knowing I could achieve a sub 2 hour results I pushed very hard in the run segment, enabling me to finish the race in 1hr 57mins, a personal best time and winning the Bronze medal in my age group in the process. Keith Galea, Bronze Medal, 25 29 Age Group

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European Triathlon Union Championships, Alanya in pictures

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European Triathlon Union Annual General Assembly - Congress Report

Cyp Dalli, in his capacity as the President of the Malta Triathlon Federation, attended the 2013 European Triathlon Union (ETU) Annual General Assembly which was held in Alanya, Turkey in conjunction with the European Triathlon Championships. The General Assembly focused on the last year of operation of the ETU, since the ad-interim Executive Board was co-opted during last years Assembly. The current board of the ETU presented its amdinistrative and financial report and outlined the fact that in only 12 months managed to change a negative situation into a much more positive one. During the Assembly, various changes to the ETU Constitution were also proposed and discussed, aiming at making this document more open to todays realities and needs. In the afternoon, the General Assembly voted for the new Executive Board and the various committees of the ETU for the coming four years. Cyprian Dalli was nominated and approved as a scrutineer in this important election. Renato Bertrandi, Kathleen Smeet, and Alicia Garcia were confirmed in their posts as President, General Secretary and Treasurer respectively, while Denis Jaeger was appointed Vice-President. Elections were also carried out for the Development, Technical, Medical & Research, Auditing and Paratriathlon Committees of the ETU. Adjacent to the General Assembly, Triathlon Maltas President also attended other meetings with the Development Board. He discussed the setting-up of the Malta Youth Triathlon Academy with the outgoing Development Board and was complimented for the vision and organisation of this project. He also held meetings with the new Board wereas he discussed the possibilty to extended the Academy project into 2014 as well. He also explored the possibilty of partecipating in the Youth Development Training Camp in July and identified Hannah Pace as a possible partecipant. In fact, these discussions proved to be successful as Hannah will, this week be on her way to Serbia to attend this Camp, thus benefitting from the strong relations our Federation is building with the Union. The next ETU General Assembly will be held in June 2014 in Kitzbhel, Austria in conjunction with the European Triathlon Championships. .and Triathlon Malta will be present in Tyrol too!

Malta Triathlon Federation represented at the ETU Annual General Assembly, Alanya Turkey

Tri-News The Adventures of a Malteser in London

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Luke Bonnici
I am often asked what people from Malta are called. Over these past four years I heard some really good ones including Maltan, Maltesian and my favourite Malteser!
I cannot believe it has been four years since I was a regular on the triathlon scene in Malta. For those who have joined the Malta Triathlon Federation over the past few years, let me introduce myself briefly My name is Luke Bonnici and I have been doing triathlon since 2005. My preferred distances 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 one yet! About four year ago, when finishing my Geography Degree, I was thinking of applying for a one year Masters Degree in London. Once finishing this degree, a job opportunity in urban regeneration came up and I took it. Ever since I have been living and working in London, while trying to fit my training around the daily excitement of living in one of the worlds largest cities. The past four year s have probably been some of the most interesting and exciting years in my life. Living in London is however, 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! Despite our Mayors (dear Boris) best intentions, cycling in London is still a hairy business. The streets of London are definitely safer without those damned bendy busses (sorry you had to end up with them). Now, how can we convince Transport Malta to buy Londons black cabs? To cycle in London youve got to be part mad part determined. Whenever I can I avoid it, and if I cant youll find me going in circles around Richmond Park! Some parks, such as Richmond Park, Hyde Park and Regents Park are a haven for cyclists, but on some days they are too crowded, and are no good if you live 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 are quieter 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!).

At the Malta Triathlon Championships

Crossing the Finish Line at the Thames Turbo

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The Adventures of a Malteser in London (cont.)

The rest of my training is usually done at a small gym close to work (in Farringdon). As everything else in London it is pretty crowded, and on some mornings swimming in the tiny 3-lane 25 metre 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 the machines you would expect to find at any gym. Over the course of the past years Ive done a number of races here in the UK and abroad, and I can assure you that very few are as good or as well managed as the races in Malta! If there is one thing that is interesting about racing in the UK it is definitely the race names. Some of the latest races Ive competed in include the Thames Turbo sprint, the Big Cow sprint and the Little Piglet.

With Chrissie Wellington - British Triathlete and four time World Ironman Champion

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 triathlon championships with a group of British friends. My next adventure takes place at the end of this month. A group of us are th heading off to Belgium to race their national triathlon championships and t0 celebrate old Malcs 80 birthday. Im pretty sure that 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 stop any time soon! After that, who knows what adventures will follow? There will definitely be some more racing, a few more gigs, moving in with 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 the sport 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 are always on hand whenever I need advice about training and registering for races!

Doing the Mobot

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Life outside Triathlon.. Davide Arcangeli

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 Military Pilot since 1988. Starting as a Jet Pilot Davide was given the opportunity to fly rescue helicopters. This was 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 many things in 24 hours. I have been living in Malta since July 2009, when the Italian Air Force posted me to the Italian Military Mission as a search and rescue helicopter commander. A job which I have been doing for 25 years, apart from a break of five years from 2004 to 2009 where I worked as a flight instructor for the Italian Air Force. The daily challenge of my job, and almost of my entire professional life is saving lives and give assistance to all those in peril. The high level of training and skills needed to accomplish our daily mission 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 an outstanding and constant training, fast decisions and a strong determination and trust within the crew mates. Having experienced such situations on a regular basis, nobody knows better than me that life can put you in situations difficult to manage and that a very strong and determined attitude is needed when facing issues which seem insurmountable. This is also reflected in Triathlon.
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Davides family wife Susanna, Lorenzo and twins Federico and 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 my experience in triathlon is limited to the last two years, so its easy to understand how much energy and determination 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 do my 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 am happy 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 movement across 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 Operat ion as a flight tutor 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 Italian Progetto 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 great opportunity to educate my children in the proper way, having the possibility to spend with them quite a 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 the shrapnel holes on the pavement, cycling in Beirut or training wearing a weapon and body armor in Iraq 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 another chapter of this adventurous life. Once again I will look for a new house, new schools for the children, new friends, new location. Isnt that exciting? 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 that almost 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 I will 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 Austria in 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 15 July saw the Malta Triathlon Federation mark another milestone in its brief history with the launch of the Youth Academy at the Kirkop Sports Complex. This project was made possible 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 session conducted 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 Dermot taking on the Intermediate level swimmers, John coaching Beginners and Matthew taking the advanced 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 bike and run session for a period of 10 weeks.

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This is the first time Malta Triathlon has opened up to kids and youths in Malta and we are certain that this will mean a healthier, stronger and better future for the sports in Malta." Cyprian Dalli, Malta Triathlon Federation

Tri-News Maltese Triathletes conquer Ironman Austria

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In triathlon circles the word Ironman inspires excitement and awe and visions of people pushing themselves over their limits where 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 Austria Triathlon takes place in the lakeside resort city of Klagenfurt, in the summer sport paradise of Carinthia, where the usually crystal clear waters of Lake Worthersee turn murky with the failing arms and legs of over 3,000 athletes from 50 nations competing in what is one of the worlds toughest endurance races. Popular with Maltese Triathletes, the fifteenth anniversary of 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 finish line for the very first time. Current Duathlon Champion and Metamaterials Ph.D. student Michelle Vella Wood conquered the route superbly clocking a time of 10 hours 29minutes and 33 seconds, which was an improvement of twenty four minutes over her Ironman race last year. th Her efforts saw her registering a seventh place in her age group and 34 overall placing in a race dominated by professional athletes. 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 18 minutes 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 years and registering a personal best time of eleven hours, twenty-three minutes and seventeen seconds earning sixth place in her age group category. Recently inducted Malta Olympic Committee Hall of Fame member Nicky Farrugia completed his sixteenth Ironman race, veteran William Brydon completed his fifth Ironman Austria Race, whilst Robert David Vella also registered a personal best time, returning to an Ironman after an absence of seventeen years. Unfortunately four time Ironman Finisher Mario 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 Ironman finishers medal home. The Ironman experience does not start on race day but it starts months before. It is a journey full of personal sacrifice and requires determination and discipline. For some athletes it is all about getting a good placing, for others finishing is a victory in itself. There are many factors that one has to contend with on race day, mechanical failure on the bike is one of the major worries as is dehydration or injury said Maria Vella-Galea, Secretary General of the Malta Triathlon Federation and first time Ironman finisher. Crossing the finish line to me was a major victory, having had to cope with some injuries a month before the race. 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 this approximately 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 May, with a record number of participants taking place. This race, in its sixth year, is seen as the perfect test pad for athletes wanting to either give endurance racing a short or in preparation for full Ironman distances. The race was won by Rudolph Agius, clocking a time of 04:24:13 closely followed by Malta Duathlon Champion Fabio Spiteri who clocked 04:24:47. 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 Distanc e Champion Michelle Vella Wood, winning this race for the second year in 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 her previous 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 David Agius Lia who clocked in an overall time of 04:26:24. The performance quality of athletes has seen a sharp improvement since we started organizing this race. We have seen a large number of personal best times being improved upon and this is very satisfying commented Race Director Charlie Demanuele. We are pleas ed to see the interest endurance racing is generating, not only from an athletes point of view but also that of the Fede ration of which we thank for their support
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Malta's toughest challenge has a new date this season due to the international competitions schedule. On Sunday the 28th of July many will brave the tremendous heat, and race across unforgiving terrain to claim they have 'survived' the Hellfire Triathlon. The event is held in the beautiful Majjistral Nature Reserve and includes a full and half distance as well as team relays. The toughest distance includes a 1km swim in Golden Bay, a 20km MTB cycle through the Majjistral and an 11km trail run on the Gnejna plateau. The race starts at 8am at the Golden Sands Radisson Blu terrace and is supported by Garmin Malta. Participants are reminded of the traditional Hellfire philosophy that is to 'Challenge Yourself' and take on this event with a mindset to compete against your own limits, not the rest of the field. Finishing this race is a feat in itself and requires more than physical brawn. A good hydration strategy and heat management is as equally important as fitness. The team event this year will see both the full and half distance options. We are doing this because we feel the need to create an opportunity for everyone to experience Hellfire. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned athlete the Hellfire Triathlon will take your mind places it may not have been. Are you tough enough? For more information please visit www.hellfirevents.com on the Hellfire Facebook page. We hope you will help us by sharing the event on your own Facebook profile :)