Winner of the first Edition of the Sicily Triathlon Series

Hi Everyone

After winning my 6^th National Triathlon title, I took part in the grand final of the Sicily Triathlon Series a week later in Catania. This race was the last race of the season and I was determined to end the season on a positive note. The Series consisted of 6 races around Sicily and it was the main target for the 2016 Season.

The race in Catania was a Sprint Distance Triathlon which consisted of a 750m Swim 20km Bike and a 5km Run. After my brilliant performance in the previous race where I managed to regain the leading jersey, I had a good advantage in the general Classification before this final and my intentions were to administer well the advantage and plan this last race on the athletes who were following him.

I came out of the choppy water in 7^th place and after a good transition I managed to be in a good group were we all did our part and worked really well together. This was of a great advantage for me as in less than 15km, we managed to catch the front runners. At this stage I tried to save energy for the run. In fact, I started the 5km in 4^th place but thanks to a very good run I managed to get third place which was sufficient enough to be crowned champion of Sicily

I am overjoyed with my performance and with the overall victory as it was my main target of the 2016 season. It’s an honour for me to be the first winner of this series and it was not an easy win at all as I had to challenge himself with professional triathletes like Ennio Salerno whom a week before won the Italian National Team Triathlon Championships, Enrico Schiavino and Gabriele Grimaldi. The race was very tactical and the fact that I found collaboration of the bike helped me to catch the front runners and save his legs for the run, In fact I ran well and from 7^th managed to place myself in 3^rd. 

In my opinion my consistency was the main factor of this win. In the first race he placed 2^nd overall in pergursa and won the following race in Marzamemi. In the 3^rd race I placed 4^th overall in Augusta and in the 4^th race which was in Ali Terme Galea finished in 9^th place but he lost time on the bike as he suffered a puncture. At this stage I was 2^nd overall in the general Classification but then in August I had a brilliant performance in the Etna Duathlon as he finished 3^rd overall and regained the leading spot.

My performance in the Etna Duathlon was the crucial part of this win as I not only managed to regain the leading jersey but opened a very good gap on my nearest rivals. However I think that I won the series in the 4^th race were I had the puncture because I still kept on going till the end in order to get as much points as possible as I always believed that I could win it. Thanks to this victory, Galea was named as the Sicilian Triathlete of the year.

In the end I would like to thank Sportmalta and my club Birkirkara St Joseph for their financial help in order to participate in this series and the Malta Triathlon Federation for the constant support throughout this season. I also would like to thanks my coach Ivan Rozhnov and my brother Dermot Galea, my masseur Owen Attard , his family and my wife’s family and my sponsors www.garminmalta.com, BBB cycling Malta, Jaycee Malta, Team Barry Malta International Challenge Marathon, Lucida Laundry and Starbene 24/7.

 Most of all I would like to thanks my wife for her great support throughout the season. It was a difficult year for both of us full of pressure, tension and misfortune and her great support really help me to go through the tough moments I had to face. I want to dedicate this victory to my Wife Elizabeth and our new born daughter Elise

That’s all for now. 

Yours in Sports 

Keith

National Triathlon Champion for the 6th time - 5 years in a row

Hi Everyone

Last Sunday the 2016 Multisport Season came to an end with the most important race of the the seasion - the big one - the National Triathlon Championships. The most important race of the season  as it's a special race for me and all of my family. A week before the race I won the last race of the Birkirkara st Joseph Triathlon Sprint Series in a time of 1.00.49 just 18 seconds away from the own course record done in June.

In the 750m Swim I came out of the water in 3rd place but on the bike i managed  to get the lead of the race. I was feeling really good on the bike, however I knew that i had to leave everything for the run in order to win the race and the other athletes were hot on my heels. In fact I started the 5km run at a very hard pace and i managed to open a good gap and went on to win the race with a minute lead. I was pleased with my performance and everything was looking good for the championship a week later.

On the day of the big race the weather was very humid. It was very hot and that meant that the run was going to be very hard. The week of the race was full of emotions and tension as my wife gave birth to our daughter Elise on Wednesday 28th September, coincidentally it was also my mum's birthday. From that day the sleepless night's started. Physically I was feeling strong but was feeling tired and did not had much time to rest. However mentally I was feeling great. I was feeling confident and i knew what i had to do.

I started the 1500m swim really well and went immediately in the leading group. The pace was not that demanding so I just stayed behind and leave all my energy for later. Was feeling strong and felt my stroke was very efficient. All good positive things. I was really looking forward for the bike segment as I was going to race for the first time with my new Time Trial Bike - The Scott Plasma. I only road the bike the day before the race and i immediately felt great and comfortable.


Had a very bad transition as i did not had time to practice transitions on my new bike and lost a lot of time. I was third and had to catch up the time lost but i stayed calm. From the first pedal i noticed that i was going to do a great bike segment. I was feeling great on the bike. I could use all my strength and i was reducing their lead immediately. In fact after only two laps i took the lead of the race and from then on there was no looking back. I was feeling so confident and strong on my new bike that this time no one managed to keep up with my pace like the previous races. I was increasing my advantage in every single lap and came into T2 with more than 1.30 lead

I was really happy with performance on my bike and in fact I registered the best bike split of the day of 1.02.30. Seems that my new scott tt bike and I are going to have a lot of satisfying results and that we are going to enjoy the races alot. I started the 10km at a good pace. My legs were not tired and that was another good sign. They were still fresh. Although i pushed a lot on the bike, I still reserved energy for the run. It was very hot but I hydrated myself well. I was happy that i still kept on increasing my advantage in that heat and went on to win my 6th title of my career in a time of 2.05.26

I am very happy  with my performance. It was a very difficult week but it turned out that I had the best race of the season. Was strong and confident all the way. It was a great day for all my family as my brother Dermot won the sprint Triathlon as well and with this victory we have a total of 16 national titles together. I would like to thank all my family, my wife's family and of course my wife for the gift of MY new bike scott plasma TT. I was going through a very hard period. I was not enjoying the sport anymore and even more racing and i was seriously considering to retire at the end of the season and just focus on my wife and on my daughter. But my family did not accept my decision as now triathlon is part of my life and that there is still more for me so they gave me my new bike to boost my moral and it worked. Thanks a lot. Now I am really looking forward for next season

I would like to tank my coach Ivan Rozhnov, my brother Dermot, my parents and my wife’s family, my masseur Owen Attard,  my sponsors Garmin Malta BBB Cycling Malta, Jaycee Malta, Mochika Outdoor Life, Lucida Laundry, Starbene 24/7, Team Barry Malta International Challenge Marathon, my Club Birkirakara St Joseph, the Malta Triathlon Federation, the Maltese Olympic Committee and Sportmalta for the constant support.

Most of all a big thanks goes to my wife Elizabeth who is the most important person of my life as her support is fundamental for me. Her help and believe in my abilities even during the tough moments helps me to keep going and believe in my talent in order to achieve my targets. Also a big thanks for giving birth to our daughter Elise

(Photo courtesy Angie conti and Mark Borg)

That's all for know

Yours in sports

Keith

Regaining Leading Jersey on Mount Etna

Hi Everyone

Recently i took part in the 5th Race of the Sicily Triathlon Series. The Race was a duathlon which consisited of a 4.5km Trail run starting from Belpasso, a 16.5km cycle climbing through to Etna and finishing with another trail run of 1.5km through the lava to finish on to the top of the mountain near the Crateri Silvestri

My previous race in Ali Terme in June was  a bit disappointing as I suffered a puncture on the bike segment and this caused me to lose my place in the leading group. Although I managed to finish 9th overall I lost precious points thus moving down to 2nd place in the overall Series Classification

                           

With the possibility of claiming the title at stake, I had to give the race my best shot. With little familiarity in trail running and rough mountain terrains it was my determination and controlling the pressure and different emotions I was going though rather than experience that was the determining factor for this race.

I started the race with the leading group and surprisingly i quickly settled into the environment and steadily climbed to third position after changing to the bike segment, where I starting to gain ground on the other athletes. Ikept this momentum until the very end and secured a valuble third place which enabled me to regain the lead in the series classification

                                

I am very satisfied with my performance in this race, especially since this was my real first experience on this kind of terrain My expertise in the hilly terrain definately was an asset and contributed towards regaining the lead after my inluckt and disappointing last race. After such a great performance I am rally looking forward to the next races and finsh the season on a high note. September and October are month packed with important races and my season will come to an end with the Sicily's Series Final in Catania

                                                   

I would like to thanks the support of SportMalta, the Maltese Olympic Commitee the Malta Triathlon Federation, my club Birkirkara St Joseph, my coach Ivan Rozhnov and my brother Dermot Galea, my family, my masseur Owen Attard and my sponsors Garmin Malta, BBB Cycling Malya, Jaycee Malta , Mochika Outdoor Life, Team Barry Malta International Challenge Marathon and Starbene 24/7

Most of all I would like to thank my wife Elizabeth for he support and the believe she has in my abilities. Her support is fundamental for me and am so lucky to have her by my side

That's all for now

Yours in Sports

Keith

Winner of the Birkirkara St Joseph 5km Series for the 2nd year in a row

Hi Everyone

Recently I won the Birkirkara St Joseph 5km Running Series for the 2nd year in a row. I am pleased that I manged to retain my title i won last year even though i am not on a good form at the moment. This is the first time that the series was won by the same athlete for the 2nd year in a row. An achievement that i am very pleased with especially when one considers that i am not a pure runner.

The series consisted of 3 5km races and were all held in the mtarfa by-pass. Consistency was the main factor that helped me to win the series as my times were very close to each other. In the first race I came 2nd in a time of 16.38. In the 2nd race I came 5th in 16.50 and in the third and final race I came 5th again in 16.46 but managed to open a good gap on my closest rivals and secure the title I won in 2015

I am very pleased that i won the series as I was not expecting it being that i am not in a good shape at the moment due to several factors. Although I am pleased with this win, looking at my times I still have a lot of work to do as I want to be much faster than that. However i am confident that I can improve my times by a big margin in the future with the right training and taking care of every detail.

I would like to tank my coach Ivan Rozhnov, my brother Dermot, my parents and my wife’s family, my masseur Owen Attard,  my sponsors Garmin Malta BBB Cycling Malta, Jaycee Malta, Mochika Outdoor Life, Lucida Laundry, Starbene 24/7, Team Barry Malta International Challenge Marathon, his Club Birkirakara St Joseph, the Malta Triathlon Federation, the Maltese Olympic Committee and Sportmalta for the constant support.

Most of all a big thanks goes to my wife Elizabeth who is the most important person of my life as her support is fundamental for me. Her help and believe in my abilities even during the tough moments helps me to keep going and believe in my talent in order to achieve my targets

That's all for know

Yours in sports

Keith

COURSE RECORD

Hi Everyone

Last month i took part in the 2nd race of the Birkirkara St Joseph Triathlon Series. I was looking for a good time as last race i was slowed down by a crash on the bike but luckily i managed to continue the race. The weather was good so i could go for the course record again.

I had a pretty good swim coming out of the water in 10.07. After a good transition i started the bike at a steady strong pace trying to increase the speed later on during the race. I was feeling good. I was keeping a good average speed so i focused in maintaining the pace and save legs for the run in order to have more strength till the end of the race.

I entered in T2 in first place covering the 20km in 30mins at average speed of 40km/hr which was the best bike split of the day. I am very pleased with my bike. I knew that i could have gone faster but i had another 5km running left.

I started the run at a good pace. At that moment it was very hot but tried to focus on the pace as I was on target for a very good time. I covered the 5km in 18.17 to win the race in a course record time of 1.00.31, so close to go under the hour.

I am pleased with my performance as I did a very good time and since I am not still in my top shape I know i can go under the hour next time. Now I will revise my performance and see where I can lower my time. There is still some time left for the next race so with good training my form will improve and can go for a faster time

I would like to say a big well done to my athletes Joseph Debono Bernard Sant and Charlene Bonello for positing new personal best times. Also well done to my atheltes Luke Camilleri Cuschieri and Pierre Borg who were part on the winning Relay team together with Mellieha AC runner Shaun Pullicino. Well done also to all participants and to my club Birkirkara St Joseph for the great organisation.

I would like to thank my coaches  Dermot Galea, Catalin Stan and Ivan Rozhnov, my parents and my wife’s family, my masseur Owen Attard, my sponsors Garmin Malta BBB Cycling Malta, Jaycee Malta, Mochika Outdoor Life, Lucida Laundry, dgtri.com, Starbene 24/7, Team Barry Malta International Challenge Marathon, my Club Birkirakara St Joseph, the Malta Triathlon Federation, the Maltese Olympic Committee and Sportmalta for the constant support.Special Thanks also goes to my wife Elizabeth for her great support and patience with me

That's all for now

Yours in Sports

Keith

(Photo courtesy: Ryan Bonello)

Victory in St Patrick's Aquathlon

Hi Everyone

On the 29th June i participated in an aquathlon organised by St Patrick's AC at Marsaxlokk. The race consisted of 2.5km Run, 1km Swim and 2.5km Run. Although it was a very short race, it was very demanding as the run consisted of  2 very steep hills

I did my best to stay with Mark Herrera who is one of the top runners in Malta, in the first run. We started at a really fast pace as we covered the first kilometre in 3.03. .I entered in T1 in second place. We were a group of three who entered together in the sea. My legs were blocked at first and I could not kick. I was feeling the huge effort done in the run and I think i started too fast.

Although I went immediately in the lead I took the swim at a steady pace at first as I could not find a good rhythm. I was closely followed by another athlete  but by time I was feeling better in the sea and my legs were getting better so I decided that it was the time to attack. I increased my pace and managed to open a gap. I really pushed in the swim to increase my lead as much as I could.

After the swim i focused to do a fast transition in order to gain other seconds. I managed to do so and started the second and last run with a good gap. I mastered  the advantage till the end to win the race in a time of 33minutes 37 seconds, 15 seconds better than last year which is a new course record

I am very pleased with my performance especially with the swim as thanks for posting the best swimming time I won this aquathlon. It was a hard race to win as I had very tough opposition but thanks to good tactics and experience I managed to master my strength well to win the race in a course record time. I am very pleased also with my athletes Bernard Sant who came 5th overall and 1st Under 23 and  Joseph Debono for posting a personal best by 2 minutes. A great well done goes to St Patrick's AC for te good organization

I would like to thank my coaches  Dermot Galea, Catalin Stan and Iva Rozhnov, my parents and my wife’s family, my masseur Owen Attard and my nutritionist Johanna Galea,  my sponsors Garmin Malta BBB Cycling Malta, Jaycee Malta, Mochika Outdoor Life, Lucida Laundry, dgtri.com, Starbene 24/7, Team Barry Malta International Challenge Marathon, his Club Birkirakara St Joseph, the Malta Triathlon Federation, the Maltese Olympic Committee and Sportmalta for the constant support. Special Thanks also goes to my wife Elizabeth for her great support and patience with me

That's all for now

Yours in Sports

Keith

Never give up and Never stop believing

Hi Everyone

Last Sunday the Birkirkara St Joseph Sprint Traithlon Series took off at Salina Bay. After an absence of 3 years the triathlons are back to salina. I was really looking forward to this race as I really wanted to do a very good time. I had a pretty good swim coming out of the water with the top swimmers. I tried to stay as much as i could with the relay swimmer to push myself more but at the same time not wasting so much energy

When i arrived in front of my bike for some reason i did not find my helmet and sunglasses, It was very  strange as it was not that windy. I panicked a bit but managed to find them but lost precious seconds. Whilst running with my bike to  the mount line trying to recover the time lost I noticed that there was not the rubber band on my shoes and had a very bad crash with my bike whilst mounting and damaged badly the rear changer

My back wheel was blocked as well. I thought that my race was over. I stayed calm and tried to arrange them as i could in order to continue the race. I managed to do so  but i could not push as much as i could as I was afraid to brake the rear changer. I was 2nd overall and had a disadvantage of nearly 2mins.

I was a bit confused after what happened so i slowed down and tried to settle my mind. After I got a bit into my normal race pace I was reducing my disadvantage and by the end of the bike segment i managed to get my opponent and I immediately attacked the last hill before transition area. I managed to open a gap and entered in transition area in first place and thanks to a very fast transition I increased my gap,

In the 5km Run I managed to increase more my lead to secure my 55th multi-sport win in Malta of my career. I am pleased with my performance after all what happened. Managing to win the race with a 2 minutes deficit means that I am in a very good form. I know that everyone thought that finally I am going to loose a race but I believe that nothing is impossible and one has to fight till the end.

I still believed that I could  win the race. I stayed calm and used my experience. I really wished to post a very good time but I am still satisfied by the way I managed to win the race, coming from behind and still win by a margin.

I would like to thank my coach Dermot Galea, my swimming coach Catalin Stan, my parents and my wife’s family, my masseur Owen Attard and my nutritionist Johanna Galea,  my sponsors Garmin Malta BBB Cycling Malta, Jaycee Malta, Mochika Outdoor Life, Lucida Laundry, dgtri.com, Starbene 24/7, Team Barry Malta International Challenge Marathon, his Club Birkirakara St Joseph, the Malta Triathlon Federation, the Maltese Olympic Committee and Sportmalta for the constant support. Most of all a  big thanks goes to my wife Elizabeth for her great support and patience

That's all for now

Yours in Sport

Keith