Fantastic Performances in Mdina Spinola and fleur de lys Running Races

Hi Everyone, On the 2nd December I was awarded an MOC Bronze Award for the fourth consecutive time and the fifth consecutive MOC award in my career. I am very proud to have been awarded such a prestige award after all the hard work done throughout 2012 which without doubt is the most successful year of my career. I was awarded this Bronze award by the MOC thanks to victories in the European Championships in Israel and the Olympic Distance Triathlons in Cyprus and San Vito lo Capo in Sicily. Training has been going really well. After the National Championships my coach decreased my training to 2 sessions a day to recover properly after such an intensive season. It important to recover physically but it is also important to recover mentally in order to be back in shape and eager to train intensive again. I took a month recovery and in the first week of November I started training again with a target in my mind, The Malta Half Marathon.

All the training done till now is paying off as I managed a very good 3rd place in the Fleur de lys 10km Race with a good time of 34minutes 18seconds, just 30 seconds away from my personal best. It was a very well organized race which I really enjoyed to race. There were athletes who were doing the 5km race with us. I was keeping with the guys who were doing the 5km and was a little bit confused as I thought I started fast but was feeling comfortable so I kept on with this pace. After the first lap I was third and I tried to decrease my disadvantage from the 2nd placed runner but did not have that change of speed required so I kept running to the limit till the finish to register a good time and consolidate my third place.

Before this race I did two 5km races of the MAAA Running League as part of my half marathon training. In the first race I finished 5th in a personal best time of 16.24 and in the second one I finished 8th with a good time of 16.40. After the 10km I participated in the annual Mdina Spinola 17km Race. I was very looking forward to it and was aiming for a good result. I started fast with the top two runners, Vinenzo Scuro and Jonathan Balzan. I tried to stay with them but they were at another level. I slowed down the pace in order to recover and to find someone to pace with. Mark Herrera and Richard Chetcuti caught me and stayed with them. Richard increased the pace and went behind him. Mark Herrera could not keep up the pace and Richard and I kept on pushing together fighting for third.

At Sliema front I as feeling a bit the tiredness and Richard increased the pace again but this time I could not keep up with him. I kept focused and noticed that gap between us was little. Going to Spinola was all head wind and this did not helped, however I kept on pushing trying to get Richard. In the end Richard beat me by 17seconds and finished the race 4th overall and 3rd Maltese in a personal best time of 59minutes 7 seconds. An improvement by 3minutes 30seconds I am very happy that I achieved a podium spot in the 10km race because it was organised by the club I race for, BIRKIRKARA ST JOSEPH S.C and am very pleased with my performance in the mdina Spinola because I managed to achieved my target, that to run the course under the hour and finish top 3 among the Maltese runners to end such a successful year with a fantastic performance.

I would like to thanks my parent for their constant support, my brother/coach Dermot Galea for his great training schedule and advices and also Nutritionist Johanna Calleja for her plans, my fiancée’s parent s for supporting me as well but most of all I want to thank to the most important person of my life, my wife to be Elizabeth for always being there for me. I would not have achieved all the success this year without her. Thanks xxxxxx I would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year 2013. Yours in Sports Keith

The Champion.... The Best!!!!

Hi Everyone, Finally season is over and I managed to end the season on a high note. I am the New Malta Triathlon Champion for the second time in my career. I trained very hard for these championships taking care of every detail. I trained 3 times a day with a total of 30hrs a week and managing that training is no joke. It was not the first time that I fainted after a hard session because I went over my limits but I was ready to give everything I’ve got. I wanted to win the championships at all costs, no matter what. However I was not happy with only a win. I wanted to win with a big margin to show my Dominance in the sport and to show as well that at the moment I am THE BEST Maltese Triathlete. I was a bit excited and a bit nervous before the race. I always have those mixed feelings and emotions before the championships that makes me more nervous however thanks to the support of my fiancée, I calmed down and was thinking more positive. The training leading to the race has been excellent. I improved my times in all the three disciplines so everything was showing that I had to do a great performance. Weather was ideal for a strong performance. I was feeling good the morning of the race and was waiting impatiently for the start.

I started the swim at a very fast pace. I was immediately on the lead. I knew that I was swimming well so I just pushed and pushed. I was feeling strange being alone in the lead at one point because usually I have someone to push with, however I kept on pushing. Out of the water I had a lead of over two minutes on my rivals. After a good transition, I went on to tackle the 40km at a strong pace. My legs were responding really well. I noticed that I will be having a strong bike. My brother/coach Dermot was giving me updates of my times each lap. My advantage was increasing and this gave me more energy to put more effort. During the last to laps the wind was increasing. I was on target to break my brother’s 2001 course record so I slowed down a bit to reserve some extra energy for the run. By the end of the bike my advantage was over 5 minutes.

I was alone on the run; I knew I had the championship safe in my hands. The only target I had was to beat the course record. It was going to be a bit difficult to maintain a good speed alone but I managed to keep strong all the way. Thank god there was a bit of a wind because if not, it would have been a very hot run. When I was approaching the finish line I was really pushing a lot to break the record. My parents, my brother and my fiancée all shouting like mad to push and thanks god I managed to do so breaking my brother’s record by over 2 minutes.

Finally I achieved my target I had been training hard for. I am overjoyed. I managed to become for the 2nd time in my career Malta Triathlon Champion with a course record. I managed to beat my rivals by over 7 minutes and managed to stay unbeaten throughout the whole season and rounded a successful season with an amazing win. Now a short break and during this break will start thinking for the next season. I love the October championships because thanks to this race I started triathlon. I remember way back in 1998 when my brother won his first championship, I promised to myself that I one day this championships will be mine so every time I win this race, I always remember the first steps I did in the sport and how long time passed since then I would like to thank my parents for their support and patience, my brother coach Dermot for his training and suitable advices, Nutritionist Johanna Calleja for her nutritional Plans, my fiancée’s parents for their support, my club Birkirkara St Joseph, the Malta Triathlon Association, the KMS for the opportunity of the 20/20 Elite Scheme and my sponsors which are Starbene shop of Mosta and BBB Bike parts.

I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to the most important person in my life, my fiancée Elizabeth Galea. Soon Elizabeth will be my wife in the near future. I feel very lucky that I met such a wonderful person with such a nice character. Elizabeth has been fundamental to me this season. Her support was simply great. She came to see me in every single race even abroad, she has a lot of patience with me as she always cook for me what I have in my nutrition plan, sometimes we don’t go out because of training or because am so tired to go out, she makes m company for very long hours when I have indoor training in my gym / garage. She is simply unique. I would like to tell her that I love her so so so much and I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together. TI AMO ELI XXXXXX

Winner of the BSJ Tri Series for the 5th time in my carrier

Hi Everyone

On the 16th September I took part in the last race of the Birkirkara St Joseph Triathlon Series. I was looking for a strong performance and a good time. Unfortunately it was a bit windy and it was a bit difficult to do a personal best. However I wanted to test myself again. This was the last triathlon before the National Championships and I wanted to see the effects of all the hard training done. Today I was determined to do a good swim. I have been swimming a lot lately, covering over 20km a week of swimming, going up and down the MFA Pool. I started the swim at a very fast pace and went into the lead immediately. I was feeling strong and although the sea was very choppy, I was feeling comfortable. Today I was determined to be the first triathlete out of the water. I managed to do so and surprisingly I swam the 750m in 11.09 which is the fastest swim from all the four races.

It was a windy day and I had to forget fast times on the bike. I was a bit frustrated as I was feeling strong and could have done a great time if weather permitted. I had the third best bike split of day covering the 20km in 30.10, however still maintained a good lead over my nearest rivals. I suffered a bit in the first kilometre of the 5km run as I felt my legs a bit heavy. I think because I had pushed big gears in those windy conditions. However my legs were feeling better after the first kilometre and managed to establish the fastest run of the day in 17.50 covering all the triathlon in exactly 1 hour thus winning the series for the 5th Time in my career. This was my 10th win of the season, winning it in style as managed to beat my nearest opponent by 2mins 30sec and 3rd athlete by 3.30.

A week after I participated in the attard 10km. I wasn’t expecting much from this race as I continued with my normal training programme but still was looking for a good performance. A race is a race and when I am on the start line, I always want to give everything I’ve got. I started leading the race together with St Patrick’s Jonathan Balzan. After 3km Balzan started to open a gap between us. Cautious not to burn myself, I kept my own pace and then was caught by Mario Grech of St Patrick and Atleta Pembroke’s Drew Lang. We stayed together until at the 7th kilometre I increased the pace and managed to surge out of the group to finish 2nd in 35minutes 10seconds, 38 seconds behind winner Jonathan Balzan of St Patrick’s in 34 minutes 33 seconds.

I am very pleased with these performances. I He used these races as part of my preparations for the National Triathlon Championships on the 7th October and with these results all seems on the right track to reach my peak in a week’s time. That’s all for now Yours in Sport Keith

A win ala Pantani

Hi Everyone . Finally back to racing after a month and a half of very hard training. After the 2nd race of the Birkirkara St Joseph Series I took an easy recovery week before starting training hard to finish such a successful season on a high note. I spent the month of august really training hard. I was training 3 times a day with a total of 30hrs of training a week and it was not easy to finish all the training especially with the heat. It was really hard but I gave my best in every session because I want to achieve my target at all costs, TO WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN OCTOBER. On Sunday 2nd September I took part in the third race of the Birkirkara St Joseph triathlon Series. I was looking forward for this race as I wanted to see the results of training done. I was a bit worried before the race as I was not feeling so well during the week. I was feeling very tired. I think because all the tiredness of the previous weeks took its toll. I rested a lot on Friday and Saturday and luckily I was fresh for the race

I started the 750m swim at a very hard pace. I wanted to do a strong performance and test myself. I was on the lead from the very beginning. I kept the lead together with two swimmers and went out of the water in 11.19, which is t my best swim time of the season. After a good transition, I started the bike at a very hard pace. I felt strong on the bike from the very beginning. I noticed that after the first lap my advantage on my rivals increased so I really digged in. I covered the 20km in 29.43 which was the best bike split of the day thus increasing my advantage I felt my legs fresh after the bike and it was a good sign for the run. I pushed a lot. I wanted to do a good time and winning the race in a dominant way. I wanted to show my superiority in the sport. I wanted to win the race by more than a minute or two. After covering the 5km in 17.50 which was the best running split of the day as well I won the race in 59.42, 3 sec away from course record. 2nd guy 3mins behind and 3rd guy 5mins behind.

I am very happy with my race. This was a great win, una vittoria ala pantani, arrivando sul traguardo staccandu tutti. I am happy that all that training is paying off and now I am very looking forward for my next races and very confident as well in my abilities. I am going to continue training hard till the end of the season. I want to win the championships at all costs NO MATTER WHAT!!!! Thats all for now Yours in Sport Keith

8th in TCSSE and 1st in BSJ Triathlon

Hi Everyone. Another race and another good result abroad. This time it’s an 8th Place in the Triathlon Championships of the Small States of Europe in Echternach, Luxembourg. In all honesty I really wanted to win a medal but this year the field consisted of professional triathletes from Luxembourg. In fact the first 7 triathletes were all from Luxembourg. I knew before the race that a medal was impossible especially since the Luxembourg Association linked the TCSSE with their National Championships and so the field consisted of the best Luxembourg athletes. However I still wanted to test myself among these guys and see what I can do. Well I am more than satisfied with the result achieved.

I started the race with a very good swim. I tried to go out as fast as I could to be with a good group and avoid being on the bike alone. I managed to stay in a group of three till the end of the swim covering the 1500 m in 22minutes. It was a good time for me and came out of the water in 11th place. I was really looking forward for the bike as the course was very undulating with a hill of 3km long with gradients touching 12%. This hill had to be done for 3 times so one had to save his legs for the run as well. I was feeling fine on the bike especially on the hills. We were working reasonably well in the group although some of them were risking too much in the corners. However these Luxembourg triathletes were not enjoying my company in the group so they launched several attacks which managed to cover them brilliantly. At one point it started raining a bit and roads were a bit slippery. I was very cautions at this point and still had to cover attacks and had to take some risks a bit. I covered the distance in 1hr 01 mins and started the run in 10th place.

I felt legs very fresh in the beginning of the run and since the course was flat I started at a fast pace to register a good run split. However I think I started too fast and the attacks were taking its toll, as I after 5km I had to deal with stitches and very painful cramps. At one point I had to stop running in the last lap. Unfortunately I had to slow down a lot to be able to finish the race in 8th place in 2hrs 5mins A week later, there was the second race of the Birkirkara St Joseph Triathlon Series. After Luxembourg, I took a very easy week in order to recover well for the race. The Olympic Race and all the travelling back to Malta ( got stuck for 8hrs in Luxembourg airport) took a bit out of me so needed a very easy week to be able to perform well. I was not expecting much from the race. All I wanted a good solid win. However I had to face fierce competition from my club mate Steve Chetcuti and from my brother/coach 10 times TRIATHLON CHAMPION Dermot.

It was a perfect race to test myself under pressure. I had a slow start but quickly recovered and stayed in the leading pack. We were a group of 6 and unfortunately swimmers of the relay teams did not helped as they don’t have a clue how to swim in the sea. We were slowing ourselves, hitting each other to stay in the draft instead of pushing together. Still did a good time of 11.30, 5 seconds better than last race. I went out of the water leading the race together with Dermot. After a good transition I started at a strong pace immediately expecting Dermot hot on my heels.

However it was not the case. Dermot was not having a good day at the office and then I started pushing harder to increase the gap. I was increasing the gap in every single lap. I was feeling strong and was keeping a good average speed. I covered the 20km in 29.17, 15seconds faster than last time and I was on target for a personal best. I started the run with more than a minute lead. Started strong but this time I did not had a runner of a relay team with me to set a good pace and push myself more. It was getting really hot and this affected my running performance. I could not run faster than I was, so I settled in a good pace to cruise to victory in 59minutes 52seconds. Steve finished strong 2nd 1min behind me and Dermot in 3rd place.

I am happy with my performance in Luxembourg. I could not have gone better even without having cramps. I could have finished in 7th but 7th or 8th for me does not make a difference. I am happy to have gone under the hour in such heat and after a hard Olympic race the week before. Now a week rest where I can eat what I want without taking care of the amount of calorie intake daily, have some rest but most important spending quality time with my fiancée whose support was amazing. That’s all for now Yours Keith

Victories at Salina and Xemxija Bay

Hi Everyone, June was another positive month for me. On the 10th of June I participated in the first Race of the Birkirkara St Joseph Triathlon Series. I won the series for 4 times and I wanted to defend my title with a win and a very strong performance. I wanted to continue with the winning momentum. I was peaking for the race of the week after, the TCSSE Selection race so I was not on top form as I continued with my normal schedule however when I am in a race, I go for the win. I had a pretty good swim; however my time was a bit slower than usual. The others were a bit closer than usual and so I started the bike segment at a strong pace. I was cycling well and powerful and felt good sensations, however at the back they were gaining ground due to the fact that they were a group of 6 and obviously that helped them a lot to produced very good bike splits. I covered the 20km in 29.32 which is a personal best on the course and started the run, leading the race with less than a minute.

I pushed the run from the beginning. I knew that I could go under the hour again and even try to go for the course record as I was running well. However the heat was taking its toll. Still kept a good pace covering the 5km in 17.46 to finish the race in 59.39, 10seconds away from my personal best and 30 seconds from the course record. A week later there was the TCSSE Selection Race. I was looking forward for this race as finally we were going to race in a different venue and the bike course really suited my climber characteristics as it was very undulating. I came out from the water in 2nd place in a time of 23mins. Considering the bad vision we had to face with all those boats in the bay and slowing down the pace to see the buoys, I was happy with the time.

Strangely coming out of the water I had cramps and I was afraid for a moment. The bike course is hard and was expecting cramps in the run and having cramps coming out of the water not even starting the bike was not a good sign. I started the bike at a steady pace keeping in mind that the bike course is hard (7 loops of the St. Paul’s by pass) and about the cramps. I was alone in front leading the race with a 2mins advantage on a group of 4 who were working hard together to catch me. However I was increasing my pace in every single lap and managed to gain some valuable seconds on the group. When I started the run, my legs were ok so I could push it on the run. However it was very hot; so tried to keep myself hydrated all the time. I continued to push to gain more time on the others at the back. Wanted to win with a good gap and managed to do so winning the race in 2 hours 13mins increasing my advantage to 3mins thus winning a spot in Team Malta who will fly to Luxembourg to represent the country in the TCSSE.

I am very pleased with both races. I managed to go under the hour in a sprint distance which is very good and I know that I can go much faster and give it a good try to lower the course record, and also pleased to be selected in Team Malta for the TCSSE with such a strong performance especially on the bike. I liked the bike course at Xemxija and I am pleased that I managed to hang on to the lead in front alone and even setting up the fastest bike split. I would like to say a big well done to the Malta Triathlon Assiciation for organising such a good race at xemxija. Finally we raced on a new course. Yours Keith

Beautiful May

Hi Everyone May was a great month for me as I managed to win 2 other competitions abroad, one in Sicily and the other one in Cyprus. On the 13th May I had an outstanding performance in the San Vito Lo Capo Olympic Distance Triathlon in Sicily, winning the race in style. Following my success in the Sicilian Duathlon Championships and in the European Triathlon Championships a few weeks ago, the Birkirkara St. Joseph triathlete was the top favourite to win the race. However I still had to face some stiff opposition from Marco Cumbo, who won gold in the 2008 Sicily-Malta Friendship Games, and Fabio Pruiti Cariello. The swim was a 2.3km 2-lap course in San Vito Lo Capo’s main beach. I anchored myself in the leading pack, thus assuring myself of staying in a good group for the bike segment of the race since it was draft legal. However, after coming out of the water, I had a very fast swim-to-bike transition and went on to tackle the cycle with the rest in my wake. The cycle circuit was a 10-lap course around the village. Realising that it was not to my advantage to cycle on my own in rather windy conditions, I waited for the ensuing group, in order to work through this segment with the rest. However, this group could not get into any rhythm, so much so that we slowed down and got caught by other trailing triathletes. At this stage I decided to stay in the group and reserve all my energies for the final run. Following another fast transition, I surged immediately into the lead of the 11-kilometre run. By this time, temperatures were soaring. This, however, did not deter me from sustaining a fast pace throughout, which carried me to the finish line, leading the field. I finished in two hours, 13 minutes, a massive five minutes faster than second-placed Fabio Pruiti, while Marco Cumbo finished in third place. Few days after I flew to Cyprus to participate in the Volkswagen international Triathlon held in Limassol. This was the first time that I was going to compete in 2 olympic race in a week so I was a bit concerned about my recovery for this race since I was feeling a bit tired that usual. In fact I took training very light and focused more to recover my energies to produce another good performance. In Limassol I had to face the stiff challenge of a couple of Cypriot national team triathletes namely Marian Cosmos Costantin and Stavros Antoniou both of the Famagusta Nautical Club. Conscious of the fact that the Cypriots are capable of a good cycling segment, I surged into the lead from the very beginning of the race. My swim time of 19 minutes in the 1,500-metre course, was two minutes faster than that of his nearest rival.I further improved his gap with a very fast swim-to-bike transition, to face the undulating 40-kilometre bike segment of the race. Strong winds prevailed on the very technical bike course, which was set on four laps on a steep hill. I cycled at a relentless pace to sustain as wide a gap as possible over my rivals, in preparation for the final 10-kilometre run. I managed to cycle the distance in one hour, two minutes, 25 seconds, which reduced my lead to just over one minute by the time I started the final run. However, my performance in the run was second to none. I covered the 10 kilometres in 35 minutes 50 seconds, crashing all opposition, to win the race in a personal best time of one hour, 57 minutes and 17 seconds thus registering the second fastest time on the distance by a Maltese athlete. Second place was a close affair between the two Cypriot internationals. Marian Costantin managed to edge past his compatriot in the final stages to register a time of one hour, 58 minutes 25 seconds, 34 seconds ahead of Stavros Antoniou. I am very happy with both races. Finally all the hard work done in winter is paying off. I felt strong in both races and winning them both was something I was not expecting. Now my targets are shifted on the TCSSE Selection Race where the Association will choose the triathletes who are going to represent the country for the TCSSE in Luxemburg in the beginning of July. A week before the selection race will be participating in the first race of the Birkirkara st joseph triathlon series were I will try to defend my title won last year. Thats all for now Yours in sports Keith

Yo adrian, I am a Europen CHAMPION

Hi Everyone, I can’t still believe it. I am a European Champion. It was a great emotion when I crossed the finishing line and listening to the announcer saying “Here comes Keith Galea from MALTA”. I was expecting to place at least among the top three in my category but I was not expecting to win it. The trip to Israel was an adventure in itself. It was the first time that I travelled completely alone and it was not a very good idea especially in country like Israel

It was difficult to enter in the country with all those security checks and questions. In my passport there was the timbre of when I went to Tunisia to compete in the African Championships and had to answer very stupid questions. I spent a whole day traveling to Israel and flights were during the night. Fortunately I had time to recover in time for the race. I was very worried the day before the race as I felt very bad and tired. Fortunately on Race day legs responded well. Eilat is a nice place. It is an ideal place for a relaxing holiday however I don’t suggest Israel as your first preference for a holiday.

Two weeks before the race, a rocket was sent from Syria to Eilat, which are very close. When I arrived to Eilat, the airport and the streets were surrounded by soldiers with huge snipers and machine guns. At one point I thought why I came here to race. I wanted to go back as soon as possible. Going back to Malta was not an easy task. Had to go all through those security checks, answering those stupid questions and I don’t know how many times had to open my bike box. I was glad that I arrived to Malta safe and sound.

I was in the first wave. I started the swim at a very fast pace and tried to stay with the leaders. I kept the main group in sight. The sea was ideal for a good swim. In fact I covered the 1500m in 21minutes which I was very pleased. After the swim, we had to run at least 500m and that adds to the total time so had to forget personal bests. After a good transition I went to tackle the 40km bike. It was a 1 loop out and back course. I was expecting it was going to be hard to keep a high average speed in the first 20km but was not expecting to be that hard. I t was so windy that I could not keep 30km/hr. I covered the first 20km in 40minutes. It was hard for everyone. I was very frustrated that I could increase the speed. So I decided to ride high gears in order to save my legs for the next half of the race. In the next 20km wind was behind us and it was very fun riding so fast. I covered the next 20km in 23mins. That was very fast,

The scenery of the bike segment was fantastic. Riding in the desert was a great experience. At one point we have to cross the border from Eilat to Jerusalem. I covered the bike in 1.03 minutes. I Could have been a little faster if I did not lost the road before entering in transition area. I started the run at a good pace. I noticed that I was gaining ground on my rivals. At one point I got a bit excited as the possibility to become a European champion was becoming a reality. I was feeling great and was running very good. I covered the 10km in 36minutes to finish in 2hrs 5mins. I finished 3rd in my wave and 6th in all Europe and most of all I became EUROPEAN CHAMPION OF MY CATEGORY.

The last 200me were fantastic. I was over the moon crossing the finish line and hearing my name from the announcer. I felt a great emotion when I went on to the podium and receiving my gold medal. I am proud to be the first Maltese to achieve such a feat. I would like to dedicate this medal to an important person in my life, my girlfriend Elizabeth. I missed here so much when I was in Eilat. Although I was alone, I knew that she was with me in the spirit. Here support leading up to the race was incredible and I hope she is proud of me. I would like to thank my parents, my brother and great coach Dermot and my Nutritionist Johanna Calleja. Their help was fundamental in order to be crowned European Champion That’s all for know Yours in Sports Keith Galea Age group 20-24 European Champion

2nd Overall and first Age group in Sicily Duathlon Champonships

Hi Everyone,

After winning the National Duathlon Championships for the first time in my career, I participated in the Sicily Duathlon Championships a week later. I knew that I was in a good shape after a great victory but I was not expecting such a good result in Sicily however it was not that easy either. Had a lot of challenges to face however I had the right support in order to overcome these challenges and produce a great performance.

I arrived at the hotel at around 2am in the morning and race started at 12.30 so did not had an ideal pre-race good night sleep and had problems when setting up the bike. The race had to start at 11.30 but started an hour late and this proved to be crucial for weather conditions. It rained a bit during the night however roads dried but as soon as the race started its started really raining heavily.

I started the first 5km at a very fast pace to test my legs which responded well and also my rivals. I was leading the main group and set a fast pace in order to make selection. It was raining a lot and was not really looking forward for the bike as the roads looked slippery and dangerous. Came into T1 in first place and then set off to tackle the 20km technical course.



At this stage it was still raining but not so heavy. Was caught but Stefano Foti, current Sicily champion and we started pacing together. The course was very hilly and it was very technical and with those very dangerous conditions it came too technical for my tastes. Foti noticed that I was suffering in those conditions and attacked. I tried to keep up with him but it was difficult riding hard in those conditions.

On the 3rd lap and last lap of the bike It started raining so heaving that the visibility was not so good. I could not see properly and lost a lot of time. Came into T2 in 3rd place and I started the last 2.5km run trying to gain the lost ground. After 1km I was in 2nd place and had the leader in sight. I really pushed had to win the race but Foti gained sufficient time on the bike to win the race by 15seconds



I am happy with my performance. I was not expecting such a great performance. I am happy with my second place and also with the win in my age group. If weather conditions were not so bad I could have a great chance to win the race but never mind, am still happy with the race. I could not have done such a great performance without the great support of my girlfriend Elizabeth. She gave me the right support and calmed me down when things were not going the right way.

That’s all for now

Yours in sports

Keith

At Last Malta Duathlon Champion

Finally the 2012 triathlon season started with the national Duathlon championships. I was waiting impatiently for this race. After a difficult 2011 season, I promised to myself that 2012 will be my year. My coach Dermot did not peaked me for the race but still we wanted the championship back to where it belongs, to the club and to the Galea family. With very encouraging results in running and cycling races, I was looking forward to do a great performance and to make it clear that I am the man to beat this year.

When the race started, I sprinted in front of the pack. I wanted to lead and settle the pace myself. Legs were responding well. When someone tried to skip me I immediately increased the pace to lead the pack. I wanted to open a gap before T1. I managed to do so and covered the first 5km in 17.10, 35seconds in front of 2nd and 3rd placed athletes. After a good transition, I felt that my legs were having a good day, so I immediately started pushing.



After the first lap I noticed that I was gaining ground on my nearest rival. After the first lap I increased my advantage to 50seconds. I was feeling great. It was a bit windy on the bike. The winds were a bit strong on both sides so one had to dig in all the way. I continued to increase my advantage in every lap and the chances to be crowned national champion where increasing. I kept a reasonable good average speed of 39km/hr covering the 27km in 40minutes 40 seconds. Coming back to transition area I increased my advantage to 2minutes 30seconds. A very good advantage but still I was not satisfied.



When I started the 2nd run, my legs were still fresh after the strong bike I had. I was afraid that will feel some cramps as I felt a couple of cramps in the last lap of the bike. However everything was fine and I kept on pushing and pushing till I could not push no more. I did not want to relax. I wanted to push till the end and shoe my dominance. Was not happy to win by 2 mins, I wanted more.



Seeing I was way in front, the last 200m were awesome. When you win a championship for the first time, the last 200m are the most beautiful thing you remember from the whole race. When I crossed the finish line, I shouted CHAMPION CHAMPION!!!!. After a difficult 2011 season where everyone thought that I am finished. Well I am back, faster stronger and quicker. I won the race by 4mins advantage from my next rival, winning the race in 1hr 08. 52. The first thing I did after I crossed the finish line, was to hug my girlfriend Elizabeth. Before the championship I was going through a difficult period and she helped me a lot to go through it. The support she gave me before and during the race was incredible; she gave the extra energy needed to produce this wonderful win.

This time I did not want to win for myself. I wanted to win this race for 2 persons who were fundamental in the build-up for this race. I would like to thanks the best triathlon coach on the island Dermot Galea. His hard training regime, 25-30hrs a week and his fundamental advices helped me to enter in the history of Malta Triathlon by becoming the 6th athlete to win triathlon and Duathlon championships and Triathlete of the year award. I would like to thank my nutritionist Johanna Calleja. Thanks to her nutrition plans I am in the best shape of my life. In October I was weighing 65km with 14% body fat. Now I am 57kg with only 5% body fat. I followed her nutrition plans to the letter and now I am extremely happy to see all these results.



I am satisfied with this championship win but I still want to keep on winning. I am training 3 times a day making lots of sacrifices to improve. I want to win. This is only the beginning…..

Podium Places in Attard 10km and Team Time Trail

Hi Everyone,

Training is going really well at the moment. Thanks to the 20/20 KMS Scheme I am training a lot. At the moment I am training 3 times daily and 1 day rest a week. This means that I am training between 25 to 30hrs of training a week. I am still in the Base phase of my training. No speed work at all. With the results I got in the races I took part recently, I am very surprised but happy because everything is working fine including my nutrition.



On the 12th February, I took part in the Attard 10km. I was not expecting much as I continued training normally. The day before the race at 8.30pm I was still on my turbo trainer doing my session. I started the race trying to keep with the top guys till I could hang on. After 4km I was surprised that I was still in the leading pack. At half way point, I was in 5th place, 50m away from the leaders. Then at 2km to go, I increased the pace a lot and climbed up to 4th and at 1km to go I’ve put out all my energy I had in my body to earn 3rd Place and a new personal best time of 33minutes 50 seconds, just 5 seconds away from winner.



A week after I took part in the Zebbug Cycling 100km Road Race. I tried to go into some breakaways but the main group didn’t let me go. Unfortunately I was not part of the decisive breakaway at 60km to go. My coach Dermot Galea told me not to do anything until half of the race as we had to take the race as a training session. Seeing that I was not part of the breakaway I stayed in the main group working for others and keeping a good pace. Eventually finished with the main group in 12th place



On the 4th March I took part in the Annual Team Time Trial organised by Greens C.C. The Birkirkara St Joseph Team was composed of Rudolph Agius, Steve Chetcuti, Guest Rider Patrick Scicluna and I. Unfortunately I was not on top form as I had gastric flu during the week but fortunately I recovered a bit in time for the race. It was a great race. We were really cycling well and strong against very strong winds. We came 2nd and covered the 40km route at Salina Bay in a time of 58.55. The Greens A team were in a class of their own so the real battle was between us and The Cyclist C.C. for 2nd Place. Few seconds divided us till half way but we put in the highest gear and managed to get what we wanted.



The results were highly positive. I am very happy with my new PB on 10km. I was not expecting that time especially at this stage. I am so happy that managed to run with the top Maltese runners. The Team Time Trail was a great experience. What made it so wonderful was that all of us were cycling in a team for a common goal and not to show who is the strongest from all of us. It was a great pleasure to ride so fast among such friends and also with a good rider of the experience of Patrick Scicluna. Good Effort Guys, we did great. Was a pleasure riding with you!!!

Yours,

Keith