1st in the opening race of the B’Kara SJ Tri Series

Hi Everyone

On the 8^th June I took part in the opening race of the Birkirkara St Joseph Triathlon Series series which I won for six times in my career. Being the Defending champion of this series, I wanted to start a series on a good note. However I got sick two weeks before the race. The day after I returned from Avola, I got sick. I had gastro enteritis and it took me around two weeks to get back to normal. I not only lost a lot of training but I had to miss the Glasgow Test Race of the Commonwealth Games as I was not fit to compete.

I knew that it was going to be a difficult race from the start as I was not 100% of my form. The race was held near the Freeport at B’bugia. At the beginning of the week of the race, my legs were still tired and I was not feeling the usual strength. I started the race at a very fast pace in the swim. I pushed a lot in order to open a good gap. I was feeling strong at the moment and fast. In fact I covered the 750m swim in 10mins which is a very good time and setting the fastest swim of the day.

The cycle route was very different from the usual coast road route. The 20km bike segment was an up and down hill to repeat for 4 times. I was feeling strong still but I did not started all out as we had to repeat the hill 4 times and wanted to save the legs. I started really pushing from the second lap and was increasing my advantage after every lap. I covered the 20km in 32.27.

The 5km running route was completely flat. I was looking for a fast time especially after a good swim and bike. I started well but by time my energy levels were decreasing. The 2 weeks of sickness were taking their toll. I tried to hang on and tried to increase my lead. Still managed to set the fastest run of the day and went on to win the race in 1.02.25, with 90sec advantage from 2^nd placed athlete and 2mins in front of 3^rd placed athlete.

I am pleased with my performance, especially the swim and the bike. Not so happy with the run but considering I was coming from 2 weeks of sickness, and my body was still in his recovery period I think it was a good race. I would like to thank my brother coach Dermot Galea, my swimming coach Catalin Stan, my parents and my wife’s parents for their support. Thanks so much to my sponsors Garmin Malta, BBB bike Parts Malta, Jaycee Malta, Malta Challenge Marathon, and Starbene Shop of Mosta for their support, my club Birkirkara St Joseph for their support.

Last but not least, big thanks goes to my wife Elizabeth for being by my side all the time leading up to such an important event for me. Here support is fundamental for me and without her I cannot produce such a great performance as I did. Here presence during races gives me so much comfort and strength that I will be able to express myself to the best of my abilities in races.

That’s all for now

Yours in Sport  

Keith

I’m IN. Selected for Glasgow Commonwealth Games

Hi Everyone,

Finally I made it. I am selected for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games which will start on the 23^rd July. I am so happy that after 3 years of hard training I made it to represent Malta in such a high level event.  I started training for this selection since November 2011 and from then on I never looked back. The training I started doing was very different and harder than I used to do before. Thanks to the KMS 20/20 Elite Scheme I started training 3 times a day reaching a training load of 30 hours per week.

During these years I improved a lot and established myself as the top Maltese triathlete by winning  2 Triathlon titles, 2 Duathlon title, 2 Birkirkara St Joseph Triathlon Series, a Triathlete of the year award, 1 MOC Bronze Award and 1 MOC Special Merit Award. I also managed to establish myself as one of the top Maltese long Distance Runners, Cyclists and also in open water swimming.

Thanks to the training I have been, My Results abroad improved a lot. I was crowned Under 25 European Triathlon Champion in 2012, Bronze Medallist in the European Triathlon Championships in 2013 (AG 25-29 CATEGORY), 2^ND overall Sicily Duathlon Championships (1^st under 25 category), 1^st in San Vito lo capo Triathlon, 1^st in Cyprus International Triathlon, 8^th in Ecternach Luxembourg TCSSE, 22^nd in Gamrin Cernobbio Triathlon, 35^th in World Triathlon Championships (130^th overall out of 1500) and 5^th in Mediterranean Cup triathlon 1 Series in Avola

During these last three years I also managed to break numerous records. I set a new National Record of an Olympic Distance Triathlon of 1hr 57mins, I broke the Course Record of the Club’s Sprint Distance Triathlon which was set by my brother in 2006 and also broke the Course Record of the National Triathlon Championships which was set by my brother way back in 2002

Now am focused on the Commonwealth Race which will be on Thursday 24^th July. The Race venue is Strathclyde Country Park. I am really looking forward for this race as it’s a dream come true being on the same starting line of Olympic Champion Alistair Brownlee and His brother Jonny who is a bronze medallist at the 2012 Olympics. I promise that I will train much harder than before in order to produce a great performance in Glasgow.

This Target was achieved thanks to my brother coach Dermot Galea, my swimming coach Catalin Stan, my parents and my wife’s parents for their support. Thanks so much to my sponsors Garmin Malta, BBB bike Parts Malta, Jaycee Malta, Malta Challenge Marathon, and Starbene Shop of Mosta for their support, my club Birkirkara St Joseph. Thanks a lot to the Malta Triathlon Federation who played an important role to get Malta Triathlon in these Games. A Big thanks to the Malt Olympic Committee for believing in my abilities. Last but not least a big thanks goes to my wife Elizabeth for being by my side throughout these years helping me to achieve this lifelong target.  . Here support is fundamental for me and without I am not the good athlete that I am today and without here I would not have achieved this qualification.

The Journey was long and tough. I had to go through many challenges but I never lost faith. I never gave up and never stop believing in my abilities. As Rocky Balboa says “It isn’t how hard you hit, it’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forwards, it’s how much you can take and keep moving forwards, that’s how winning is done”

That’s all for now

Yours in Sport

Keith

5th overall in first edition of Triathlon1 Series

Hi Everyone

On the 18^th May I was on the starting line of the first edition of the Triathlon1 Series organized by the Mediterranean Triathlon Federation in conjunction with the European Triathlon Union. The first Race of this series was organized in the Small town of Avola in Sicily. I was very looking forward to this race as I really like racing in Sicily

Unfortunately the weather was not that ideal for us athletes. Weather was awful. It rained all morning which made the technical bike course very slippery and dangerous. This fact was a major drawback as I did not know the course so well compared to the other athletes who raced in Avola in the previous editions. I was very frustrated and nervous before the race as I knew I could not give everything on the bike due to the slippery roads. It was a very high profile race as this race attracted a lot of professional athletes who race regularly for the Italian Triathlon Team. I knew that it was going to be a difficult and a very fast race. I started well in the swim covering the 1.2km swim in 15minutes, coming out from the water in 7^th place just a few seconds behind the main group

On the bike I did my best to try and get in the group but the roads were too slippery. We had 4 laps round the town of Avola with some sharp corners. I managed to enter in the main group in the last lap and attacked  immediately to come in T2 in front of the group.The pace they set in the beginning of the running segment was amazing. So fast. They opened a 20m gap. I really pushed hard to get into the group. I managed to finish the race in 5^th Place just 30seconds behind 2^nd place. I was very surprised with my running time as I covered the 5km segment in a good time of 16.55 which is my fastest run ever in a sprint triathlon.

I am very pleased with my result. If it was not raining I could have done much better and could have fought for the whole race for a podium race. The times in both swimming and running are personal bests which means that all the hours of training are paying off. This is the best result I achieved in an Elite men's race with a strong professional field. I hope in the future will have other opportunities to race with such athletes to continue to improve my level

I would like to thank my brother coach Dermot Galea, my swimming coach Catalin Stan, my parents and my wife’s parents for their support. Thanks so much to my sponsors Garmin Malta, BBB bike Parts Malta, Jaycee Malta, Malta Challenge Marathon, and Starbene Shop of Mosta for their support, and my club Birkirkara St Joseph  for their support. Last but not least, big thanks go to my wife Elizabeth for being by my side all the time leading up to such an important event for me. Here support is fundamental for me and without her I cannot produce such a great performance as I did. Here presence during races gives me so much comfort and strength that I will be able to express myself to the best of my abilities in races.

That’s all for now

Yours in Sport

Keith

Mission Accomplished - AT LAST

Hi Everyone

I have been waiting for a whole year for this re-match at the National Duathlon Championships. At last year’s Duathlon championship I did not had a good race due to an injury in my hamstring. I was very disappointed but this year I knew it was going to be a different story. After winning by a good margin at the Mellieha AC’s Sprint Duathlon, I was very confident that I will be in good shape for this year’s championships compared to last year. I had no injuries. I was ready to fight till the end to win back the Duathlon Crown. I waited for too long for this race. I really wanted this win 

The National Duathlon Championships were held at Haz Zebbug by pass for the second year running. The Race consisted of 8.5km run- 39km bike and 4.25km run. I went immediately into the lead setting a very fast pace. Spiteri tried to react but after 1km only he started to lose ground. Keeping in mind that Spiteri has a strong bike, I kept on pushing to open a good gap before starting the bike.

I covered the first running leg in 29.35, 20seconds in front of Brain Magri and 30seconds from Spiteri. I was expecting a much more comfortable lead so I knew that I had to give everything I had in the bike if I wanted the title. In the bike segment Spiteri moved up to second place and tried to reduce his gap. I was suffering a lot of cramps in my calves after half of the bike. I was afraid. The demons of last year were coming to my mind as last year I suffered a lot from cramps that I could nt cycle not even running. At one point Spiteri was closing a bit the gap but in the last 2 laps I managed to increase a bit the lead to come into T2 with a 45seconds lead.

I could not run fast as I wished in the second run because all the cramps I had but I kept pushing and pushing till I could not push no more. After 2km my legs were back to normal and I could push to my normal race pace. However, by then it was game over for Spiteri as I went on to win my second Duathlon Title of my career in a time of 1.45.40 which is a new course record by 2mins. Fabio Spiteri came in a minute later.

I am really happy with this championship win and claim back the title to the club where it belongs. The race was a tough one and a close one, more so as duathlons are not my forte but I wanted to win the title at all costs. I waited for a whole year for this championship and am delighted to have won the title with a new course record. I want to dedicate this title win to the most important person of my life, my wife Elizabeth because she is the only one who knows  what I had to endure after last year’s result and its thanks to her that I am much stronger than ever because her faith in me never wained.

I would like to thank my coach Dermot Galea for his constant support and his advises and faith that I can be someone in the sport, my swimming coach Catalin Stan for spending hours with me at the pool, my sponsors Garmin Malta, BBB Bike Parts Malta, Malta Challenge Marathon, Jaycee Malta and Starbene Shop of Mosta, my parents, my wife’s parents and my Club Birkirkara St Joseph for their constant support. Thanks to all.

That’s all for know

Yours in Sports

Keith

1st in Mellieha AC Sprint Duathlon

Hi Everyone,

On the 19^th April I was on the starting line of The Sprint Duathlon which was organised by Mellieha AC at Dingli cliffs and consisted of a 5km run, 20km bike and a 2.5km Run. I was looking for a strong performance as I wanted to make my intentions of challenging for honours very clear victory, particularly in the quest to win back the forthcoming National Duathlon Championships

I went immediately into the lead by setting a very fast pace. Nobody could match my pace. I wanted to open a good gap which I managed to do so however I was closely followed by a British triathlete Richard Backstorm. I came in first in T1 covering the 5km in 16.50 with only 10seconds lead on Richard Backstorm. I did not know anything about Backstorm but kept calm. I wanted to test him to see what his potential was on the day. I went to tackle the 20km at a very high pace trying to open a gap between us. I managed to do so as I was increasing my lead. However it was being threatened by club team mate Wayne Spiteri who was having a storming Bike segment.

I came in T2 with 20seconds lead on Wayne Spiteri and 1mins on Backstrom.   However none of the two could match my fast running pace as he covered the last 2.5km in 8mins to win my 3^rd Race of the season in 58.31 which is a new course record by 7mins. Wayne Spiteri managed to hold on to 2^nd position to finish the race in 59.13 to complete a one –two for Birkirkara SJ. Backstrom came home in third place in 59.40

I am really satisfied with my performance. Duathlons are not my forte but this result shows that I am in a very good shape and am looking forward for the Duathlon Championships and get back the title I  lost last year due to an injury . The fast pace I managed to sustain throughout the whole race and the 7mins course record make my intention of challenging for the honours very clear.

A big well done goes to my athlete Anatoly Gatt for setting a new personal best on this course by a massive 12mins. Well done mate. So happy for you. Keep them coming!!!!! For this race I had a new running racer shoes. I used the Scott Rocker Racer for this race. I found it very light and comfortable. Although its a racer shoes it has a good cushioning to avoid the impact which is very rare in racer shoes. Although it has a good cushioning it is still very very light. I am pleased to have bought such a good running shoes and in fact found it so good that managed to set the fastest running splits in both runs.

I would like to thank my brother coach Dermot Galea, my swimming coach Catalin Stan, my parents and my wife’s parents for their support. Thanks so much to my sponsors Garmin Malta, BBB bike Parts Malta, Jaycee Malta, Malta Challenge Marathon, and Starbene Shop of Mosta for their support, and my club Birkirkara St Joseph for their support. Last but not least, big thanks go to my wife Elizabeth for being by my side all the time leading up to such an important event for me. Here support is fundamental for me and without her I cannot produce such a great performance as I did. Here presence during races gives me so much comfort and strength that I will be able to express myself to the best of my abilities in races.

That’s all for now

Yours in Sport

Keith

Strong performance in the Tour of Malta

Hi Everyone

Recently I took part in the tour of Malta. The tour was held from the 3^rd April till the 6^th April. I was not expecting anything from this tour. The main reason why I participated was that I wanted to use it as a hard training session to boost my bike performance for the rest of the season. Since the tour attracts many foreign cyclists it was a good opportunity to push myself to the limit by trying to keep up with the best cyclists

The tour kicked off on Thursday 3^rd April with an 18.2km Time Trail held at the Mellieha by pass. Although the tour was a training session for me still I treated it as an important race so I did everything I do normally when I do a race with a proper warm up for each stage and with a good nutrition targeted to have sufficient energy over the four days. Still it was an international event where I was representing my club and my sponsors so I still wanted to perform well to the best of my cycling abilities.

The weather on Thursday was really windy. My start was very late and was getting nervous by time as I was very early as usual. I was not very happy with the wind. I knew I was going to suffer. However I started the tour on a high note. The Time Trail went really well. Felt powerful and was able to ride strong against the wind. I covered the 18.2km in 30.54 to finish in 20^th place and 5^th Maltese from 65 cyclists, a very positive performance.

On Friday 4^th April we had a 100km Road race. We had to do 10 laps around San Martin Circuit. My aim was to stay with the leading group and with the top Maltese Cyclist as much as possible. I managed to stay with the main group for most of the race. Sometimes I lost some ground on the main pack but managed to re-enter in the main bunch. However at 2 laps to go I could not cover an attack and lost the main group. My legs were getting tiered with all those attack as they are not used to such a thing. I ended up alone at one point. Again it was very windy, thus I lost a lot of time. At the end of the race I was simply drained. I gave everything I had, and cycling alone against that wind really tired me and was only hoping to recover for the next stage. I finished the race in 21^st overall and 5^th Maltese. In the overall classification I was 21^st overall and 6^th Maltese

Luckily on Saturday I woke up well. The massage I took the day before soon after the race worked. We had another hilly road race, this time we had to cycle 12 laps around Nadur circuit which is situated on Gozo. Again it was another windy day but I was determined to get some of the time lost at San Martin. I had a very strong race. I attacked from the very first lap, however none of the foreign teams wanted a breakaway. I tried to go on the attack several times but did not manage. However this time I managed to stay in the main pack and in the general classification I gained a few positions to 19^th overall and 5^th Maltese.

On Sunday was the last stage. A short 12km Time Trail at Zebbug By Pass. I was strong during the race but it was very windy and this time was not that strong against the winds and lost valuable seconds. At Nadur I pushed a lot that in this TT I did not had the legs I wished for to improve my position in the GC. However I finished my 6^th Tour of Malta in 19^th overall and 6^th Maltese. Not bad for a triathlete and for someone who did not prepare specifically for such a race. In the end I achieved my target, that to push beyond my limits on the bike. Now I hope to recover well from the tour and see the benefits I am wishing for.

I would like to thank my coach Dermot Galea, my swimming coach Stan Ioan Catalin my sponsors Garmin Malta, Starbene Shop of Mosta, BBB Bike Parts – Malta, challenge Malta Marathon and Jaycee Malta, my club Birkirkara St Joseph especially our general secretary Euchar Camilleri, the Malta Triathlon Federation for the constant support and my wife’s parents. A big thanks goes to my parents who followed me really close during this tour. Thanks to my masseur Owen Attard because thanks to his massages I was able to recover well between the stages.

Thanks to my dear wife Elizabeth for her constant support and her patience. My wife is very important to me. She could not come to see me in the first 2 stages due to work commitments. I felt a bit strange without her. I want her close to me in every single race. In fact when she came to see me in Nadur , I immediately had a strong performance. Although she could not come to see me, she still prepared me the food after each stage and also she prepared wonderful dinners in the evening. Thanks qalbi xxxxx

That’s all for now

Yours in Sports

Keith.

Great Performance in Smart City Triathlon

Hi Everyone,

On the 30^th of March I was on the starting line of the Smart City Olympic Triathlon which was held in Kalkara. The purpose of this race was to assess us National Team members and select the athletes who will make it to the Commonwealth Games. In fact the bike course was very technical in order to be similar as much as possible to Glasgow’s Route. My training was targeted to this race. A week before this race I took part in a 50km road race held at the Mellieha By Pass. It was the last pure test before this important event

 The cycling race was very hard. The Mellieha By pass is very hilly and to repeat it eight times is tough. In the first 3 laps I tried various times to attack but the group did not let me go. Then I just calmed down a bit and stayed with the top Maltese Cyclists. There were several attacks from the main contenders. We ended up only 4 fighting for the win until at two laps to go where there was another attack which I could not respond and ended up in 4^th place. I tried hard to get back but my legs could not give me more. I was feeling the effects of the attacks I did in the beginning as legs were getting tired. Then I kept a constant pace and settled to 4^th Place till the finish with less than a minute from the winner.

I went for the Kalkara race with one target, to win, but not only to just win. I want to win with wide gap. I wanted to show everyone that this year I am on top shape. From the word go I went immediately in the lead. For the first time in my life I had a very fast start in the swim. I immediately settled in a very fast pace and tried to keep the paced till the end of the swim. The sea was a bit choppy and my sighting was not very good. In fact I ended up swimming more than 1.5km. I went out of the water in 20.30 which was the best swim split of the day

The bike was very hard. The course was hilly and technical and the strong winds made it more difficult. In certain parts of the course the winds were so strong that it was difficult to control the bike. I was gaining ground on everyone but not on the 2^nd placed athlete. I had around 1 minute lead, so I just settled in a good pace in the end and save my legs for the run. Still I managed to register the best bike of the day.

In the run I immediately settled into a fast pace. Again it was windy and I could run the usual pace but it was the last chance to increase the gap. I pushed a lot. I noticed that my advantage was increasing so I kept on pushing till the very end as my legs were fine and still fresh. I won the race in a time of 2hrs 9mins registering also the best run of the day as well. I won the race with a good margin, 5.30 from 2^nd place and 8.30 from 3^rd place athlete.

I am very happy with the performance. The way I felt throughout the whole race was fantastic and this means that I am on the right track. I had a storming swim and run. The bike was good but I suffered a lot because of the strong winds and the wheels I used were not good for such conditions which made things even harder. I am also very satisfied with my performance in the cycling race. Being there among the top Maltese cyclists is very encouraging. If I used my energy more sensibly I could have done better but it was a good training race

I would like to thank my brother coach Dermot Galea, my swimming coach Catalin Stan, my parents and my wife’s parents for their support. Thanks so much to my sponsors Garmin Malta, BBB bike Parts Malta, Jaycee Malta, Malta Challenge Marathon, and Starbene Shop of Mosta for their support, my club Birkirkara St Joseph and the Malta Triathlon Federation for their support. Last but not least, big thanks go to my wife Elizabeth for being by my side all the time leading up to such an important event for me. Here support is fundamental for me and without her I cannot produce such a great performance as I did. Here presence during races gives me so much comfort and strength that I will be able to express myself to the best of my abilities in races.

That’s all for now

Another post will be uploaded soon so stay tuned.

Yours in Sport

Keith