Another victory in BSJ Triathlon Series

Hi Everyone

On the 14^th July I participated in the second race of the Birkirkara St. Joseph Triathlon Series. At the moment my training is focused on the race that I will be doing in Italy on the 4^th august so I wasn’t that sharp as I wished to be for this race but still wanted to well and win the race and extend my lead in the series’ overall classification.

I started the swim at a very strong pace. Went into the lead immediately and I managed to open a good gap on my closest rival covering the 750m in 11minutes which was the best swim split of the day As soon as I started the bike, I felt that my legs were still not in shape after the hard training I did during the week. It took me a bit of time to get into a good rhythm. My rivals were closing the gap behind and slipped to second place. However since I had someone in front to aim was beneficial as I got into a good pace

In the middle of the bike segment I ended up between two Arriva bendy buses. I lost a lot of time trying to overtake them and at one point the bus in front braked and was going to get smashed in between. It was a great risk. I kept calm and still kept on pushing. I came into transition area in first place. I wanted to do a fast transition as I was on time of a personal best. However I lost a lot of time trying to find my stuff. The athlete that had my bike near mine put his bag on my running shoes and I lost a lot of time. I covered the 20km in 29.41 which is a good time but I know I can do much better.

I started the run at a very fast pace. I wanted to do a personal best and wanted to gain back the time lost. There were a few runners of the relay teams in front of me so had a good target trying to catch them. Half way through, I fell and hit my knee badly. I still continued running as fast as I can but praying not to have any other mishap till the finishing line. I finished the race in first place in a time of 59.34, still a personal best time by 6 seconds. I managed to set the best running split of the day covering the 5km in 17.39

I am pleased with my performance but a bit disappointed as with such a good weather I could have gone much faster if I had strong legs and if I didnt had all those mishaps during the race. There are still two sprint races to go so I still have another chance to go faster. I would like to thank my coach Dermot Galea and my sponsors GARMIN MALTA, Starbene shop of Mosta and BBB for their constant support. I would like to say a big thank you to my wife Elizabeth for always coming to support me in every single race

That's all for now

Yours in Sport

Keith

First in opening race of Birkirkara St Joseph 5km Running Series

Hi Everyone

On the 25^th June I took part in the first 5km Race of the Birkirkara St Joseph Road Running Series. The race was part of my training programme. The race was my third session of the day so did not have the fresh legs I wished to have. The week before I managed to complete 27 hours of training and I was a bit tired. I wasn’t expecting much of the race however since I was on the start line of a race I will do my best as usual

As soon as the race started I stayed in the leading pack till the 2^nd Kilometre. After 2km I went in the lead and increased the pace to try and make selection. Legs were still good so I kept on pushing. Only Club team mate Steve Chetcuti managed to keep my pace until the last 200m where I opened a good sprint finish which gave the win in a Personal Best time of 16.17sec.

I also took part in the 2^nd and 3^rd Race of the Birkirkara st Joseph Swimming Series. Both races were of 2km held at Salina Bay. In the first race I had to start in the second wave as I missed the first race of the series due to international commitments in Turkey. It was going to be a 2km Time Trail as I was the fastest swimmer in the wave. I really had to push in order to do a fast time and to finish among the top swimmers. I managed in this attempt as I completed the 2km in 28.48, a new personal best time and finished third in the process.

In the third race, I was in the first wave. I tried to stay behind top Malta Swimmer Neil Agius but he was a class on his own. I ended up in a group of five swimmers. I stayed in front of the group setting up a fast pace. I tried to keep a high momentum to put a gap in between but did not manage. A sprint finish had to decide who will grab 2^nd Place. At 200m to go my opponents opened their sprint. I immediately responded and managed to grab 2^nd place in a new personal best time of 28.47. At the moment I am 3^rd overall in the general classification

I am very pleased with all my performances especially with the 5km as it’s the second win of the season. I am very pleased with my form and am looking forward for the forthcoming races. My next race is the 2^nd race of the birkirkara st Joseph triathlon series.

That’s all for now

Yours in Sport

Keith

Bronze Medal in the ETU European Triathlon Championships

Hi Everyone,

Recently I flew to turkey to participate in the European Triathlon Championships which took place in Alanya on the 14^th June. The level was very high but was still confident that I could achieve a great result. From the results obtained from recent races and tests, I knew that I am in a good shape and wanted to show that in this race as I peaked specifically for this event.

In the 1500m swim I stayed in leading pack. I covered the distance in 22minutes 40 seconds. I expected much better since my times in training are much faster. However I was only 1mins away from the leader so still was a positive result since usually I will be more that 2mins from the first swimmer. It strange that no one swam under 20mins which means that there is the possibility that the course was a bit long.

As soon as I started the bike I felt my legs strong and fresh. It was a positive sign. The only concern was the parts with cobblestones. 15km of the 40km was with cobblestones and that reduces a bit the pace. At first I was not feeling comfortable and couldn’t maintain the pace I wanted on this type of surface. I adapted my position a bit on the bike in order to be more stable than aerodynamic on the bike. The pace I was keeping was very fast and I knew I was going to do a good time. I covered the 40km in a personal best time of 57minutes 45 seconds. An impressive time.

With such a bike spilt, I knew I could break the 2 hour barrier If I ran well. The 10km was completely flat so the chances to run fast were high. I started the run fast but steady and increasing the pace each lap. My wife was there shouting and her support proved to be crucial as in the last lap I said to myself “It’s now or never”. I increased the pace and kept on pushing till the finish line. My Wife and MTF President were shouting as soon as I approached the finishing line.

I sprinted home in a new personal best time 1hr 57mins and winning the bronze Medal in the process.   I covered the 10km in 36minutes which is a fast running split. It was a great honour and very emotional moment when I received my medal on the podium with the Maltese flag around me.  Such a result gives me more motivation to keep on training harder and harder.

I would like to thank my sponsors GARMIN MALTA, STARBENE SHOP of Mosta and BBB for their constant support, my parents, the Malta triathlon Federation, my club Birkirkara St Joseph,  my brother coach Dermot for their support as well. A big thanks goes to my wife Elizabeth for here great support she gives me every single day.

That’s all for now

Yours in Sport - Keith