Victory in the Custonaci Cornino Triathlon

Hi Everyone

A week after I won my third National Duathlon Title, I took part in the 2^nd Edition of the Olympic Triathlon of Custonaci in Sicily last Sunday organised by Team Triathlon Trapani. The race consisted of a 1.5km Swim, 40km bike and a 10km Run. The weather was not that ideal for the triathletes as it was very windy. At one point, the race was going to be change to a Duathlon, however the organisation decided the keep the swim. I was really looking forward to test myself among the best Sicilian triathletes but was a bit concerned about the sea

The Sea was very rough which does not suit my skills at all. I was leading the race but was feeling sea sick. I was getting dizzy and my stomach was not well. Conscious of the drafting rule I decided to slow down and stay in the main group. I came out of the water in 2^nd place together with teammate Graham Borg in 3^rd, few seconds behind leader Enrico Schiavino. We both took advantage of the Drafting rule and we really worked well together as a team during the entire hilly bike route. In fact we caught Schiavino after only 2 laps.

 Race Favourite Emiliano Cucci caught us and attacked immediately. I reacted to Cucci’s attack whilst Borg managed to hang on. Cucci tried several other attacks but was feeling strong and manage to neutralize all his attack and we came in together in T2. I came out first from transition setting my usual fast pace. Cucci was feeling the efforts done during the bike as he could not keep up with me. I realized that nobody was behind and I was increasing my lead with every stride. In the end I went on to win the race in 1hr 43mins 40sec. Enrico Schiavino finished second 1minute 40sec behind me whilst Cucci finished in third place 3 minutes behind. My teammate Graham Borg finished in 4^th place and 1^st in his age group.

I am very pleased with my win. It gives me a great boost for my morale as I used this race as part of my preparations for Baku. I could not swim at my usual speed due to the rough sea which made me sick so I decided to slow down and stay with Borg. This tactic proved fruitful in the end as we really worked well on the bike and could save my legs more for the run

I would like to thanks my brother/coach Dermot Galea, my swimming coach Catalin Stan, my masseur Owen Attard, my nutritionist Johanna Calleja, my parents and my wife’s parents, my brother in law Neil Galea and his wife Alin Subba Galea, my sponsors Garmin Malta, BBB Bike Parts Malta, Mochika Outdoor life, Jaycee Malta, Starbene 24/7 and Challenge Malta Marathon, my club Birkirkara St Joseph, the Malta Triathlon Federation, the Kunsill Malti ghall-isport and the Maltese Olympic Committee for the constant support. I would like to thank the owners of Cala Buguto Hotel for their kindness and for making my stay at their hotel a one to remember. Thanks a lot also to Mr Leonardo Vona and his son Mr Alessandro Vona for their great help during my stay in Sicily and a big well done for a high level of organisation. Most of all a big big thanks goes to my wife Elizabeth for her constant support and patience.

That’s all for now

Yours in Sports 

Keith

Third Duathlon title

Hi Everyone,

Last Friday first May I was on the starting line of the National Duathlon Championships. This race was one of my main targets of the season so I really wanted to defend my title and win it for the third time. Also I was looking for a strong performance and see where I stand as a week later I will be flying to Sicily for the Custonaci-Cornino Olympic Triathlon in Trapani.

Although I was the favourite to win the race, It was still a hard and difficult race especially the route.  The race was held at Imtarfa with a 7.5km run, 27km bike on the by-pass and a 4km run. I started the race by going in front with my usual fast pace. I started really fast as I did the first kilometre in just 3minutes. However I was not afraid. It was part of my tactic. I pushed a lot especially in the hilly parts to open a wide gap as much as possible before starting the bike. I covered the 7.5km in around 25minutes 17sec

I started the bike steady. The course was very challenging so I wanted to save my legs for the last run. I had an advantage of nearly a minute so tried to master my advantage till the end of the bike. However at half way point I started to have cramps in both calves. I could not push well and had to slow down a bit. My nearest athlete was closing the gap as well to 38seconds. I was spinning on the hilly part which was making my cramps worse so I decided to keep on pushing hard gears. I found again my pace and managed to increase my lead to nearly a minute as it was before. I covered the 27km in 43minutes 17sec which was the best 3^rd bike split of the day just 20sec from the fastest one.

Luckily enough the cramps did not affected me in the last run. I was really running well and felt my legs very light. I managed to set the best 2^nd run of the day in 13minutes 34sec to increase my lead to 2minutes. The last few metres of each championship is always the best moment of the whole race and am so happy to win my third title in 1hour 23minutes 9seconds. I am very pleased with my performance. I felt strong all the way and managed to handle the pressure really well. I am noticing that my experience is really helping me in these types of races to keep calm in the difficult moments and managing to produce a great performance. This race proves that I am in fine form for my future challenges however there is still were to improve.

I would like to thanks my brother/coach Dermot Galea who won this title seven times, my swimming coach Catalin Stan, my masseur Owen Attard, my nutritionist Johanna Calleja, my parents and my wife’s parents, my brother in law Neil Galea and his wife Alin Subba Galea, my sponsors Garmin Malta, BBB Bike Parts Malta, Mochika Outdoor life, Jaycee Malta, Starbene 24/7 and Challenge Malta Marathon, my club Birkirkara St Joseph, the Malta Triathlon Federation, the Kunsill Malti ghall-isport and the Maltese Olympic Committee for the constant support. Thanks a lot to Wally Galea and Capture ME Photography for the great pictures. Most of all a big big thanks goes to my wife Elizabeth for her constant support and patience.

That’s all for now

Yours in Sports

Keith