Mansbridge, Hili face stiff opposition

Defending champions David Mansbridge and Carmen Hili face a tough task to keep hold of their Malta International Challenge Marathon titles when the 14th edition of this popular three-stage running event is held between November 26 and 28.

Both Mansbridge and Hili boast an impressive record in this challenge. England's Mansbridge has been one of the main protagonists of this race, winning it four times besides finishing as runner-up on four other occasions.

This year, the English veteran athlete is expected to be given a hard time by the 2002 winner, Morocco's Aitbahmad Abdelghani and compatriot Brahin Kabbou.

Jonathan Balzan is Malta's best hope for success as the St Patrick runner looks to improve on last season's third-place finish.

In the women's category, Hili, who has a personal best of 2:59.23 in the Challenge, has been the top runner for the past two years. The participation of Scottish runner Aileen Brown, whose personal best stands at two hours 51 minutes and one second, ensures strong competition for Hili's bid to retain her status as the no.1 female in the Challenge.

Vibeke Hansen, of Denmark, Malta's Catherine Bonnici and England's Sarah Williams should also be ranked among the frontrunners.

The race routes for this year's event have remained virtually unchanged with the first stage, an 11.195km race from Mdina to Rabat and back, getting the event underway today week at 3 p.m.

The second stage will be staged on Saturday, November 27, when athletes tackle a 6km stage in Birzebbuga. The Challenge will wrap up the following day with the most gruelling stage, a 25km run from St Paul's Bay to Valletta with the finish line set at Republic Street.

Race organiser Barry Whitmore, speaking during the event's launching at the New Dolmen Hotel yesterday, said that 130 athletes have registered to take part in this annual event.

Until a few years ago, the Malta Challenge Marathon used to attract hundreds of international athletes from all over the world. However, the past three editions have seen a significant decrease in the number of foreign entries which the organisers attribute to the worldwide instability caused by the threat of terrorist attacks.

For this year's race, the number of foreign athletes totals 82 with the biggest contingent of 36 coming from England. Netherlands will be the second most represented country in the Challenge with 28 athletes.

A significant boost for the race organisers has been the increasing number of Maltese participants and for this year's Challenge, 48 local runners have registered to take part.

"We are a bit disappointed that we have not managed to entice more overseas athletes," Whitmore said.

"Many people are still reluctant to travel these days and a country like Malta is in a slight disadvantage in this regard as the primary way to reach our island is by air.

"Nonetheless, there are other positives to take from this year's edition. Maltese participation is growing steadily year after year and I just hope that more local runners will come to regard the Challenge Marathon as one of the highlights of their racing calendar."

Whitmore said that police have been forewarned about runners who may take part in this year's race without official registration. He warned that unregistered athletes will be immediately removed from the race by the police.

Also present for yesterday's conference was Minister for Tourism, Francis Zammit Dimech.

Dr Zammit Dimech said the hard work of Whitmore and his volunteers has also helped to boost the country's sports tourism.

The Minister for Tourism said the government is committed to supporting such sport events and augured that the Malta Challenge Marathon will continue to be held for many years to come.