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…..