2005 event could have been the last, says race chief Micallef

Those with a keen eye for such things will, in recent weeks, have noticed the increasing number of runners taking to our streets. And that, just as new leaves on trees herald the arrival of spring, is a sure sign that the Malta Marathon is upon us.

Each year over 400 local athletes take part in the marathon and half marathon which, in the words of Race Director Joe Micallef, means that "there is no other international event in which so many adult Maltese participate in and this does not solely apply to athletics".

Now in its 21st edition, for many of the regulars who take part it has become a matter of when, rather then if, it will be held. Such conviction, however, is misplaced.

Asked if he ever thought of calling it a day, Micallef's reply is frank and straightforward.

"Readers will probably expect me to say yes because it is a hard job to organise a marathon," he said. "So, I am not going to disappoint them: yes I did. The first time was after the 10th edition, and the second was after the 15th.

"John Walsh can vouch for this as, like me, he wanted to quit but due to the success of previous years and some convincing from Mario Chetcuti the show continued."

Last year's 20th edition also threatened to be the last.

"I was ever so determined to quit that during the prize-giving instead of advising everyone of the date of the next marathon, like I do each year, I advised the foreign travel agents and journalists that there will not be another year," Micallef reveals.

"On hearing this, the Malta Tourism Authority contacted me and because of their enthusiasm and belief in the Marathon, we're still here."

Looking back at the success story which the marathon has undoubtedly been, it is hard to believe that initially there were many sceptics, including Micallef himself.

"Way back in 1985 there would be only 15 to 20 runners at the road races organised by the MAAA, which races ranged from one mile to six.

"The Allcomers Athletic Club also organised a couple of others but these had more or less the same number of entrants. There is a photo taken in 1983 of the line-up for the Mdina-Spinola Race... if I am not mistaken there were 11 of us there.

"So at that time I asked myself: 'who is going to run 26 miles when so few run six miles?'. To my great surprise there were 60 Maltese participants together with another 50 foreigners. What surprised me also was the great interest there was from the public and the press at the finish in Sliema."

From then on, matters evolved rapidly even if Micallef still never thought it would last this long. As he colourfully puts it: "it's like having a date with someone that leads on to marriage."

The local athletics scene has also made gigantic strides forward, undoubtedly aided by the attraction of the marathon. Local participation of the marathon, and half marathon, is increasing. Micallef agrees, stating that "since the inaugural Malta Marathon, athletic clubs have increased and grown and the number of road races has shot up from about seven to a packed calendar".

Despite the success, there are a couple of sticking points with the athletes. The first, and most common coming from the athletes is that of running on roads where there is some traffic, even if controlled. Whilst not agreeing with the statement that this is a major problem, Micallef confirms that he is working hard to settle this issue.

"Generally, I have heard praise for the police as to how they control traffic and this even from foreigners who are used to running marathons in totally traffic-free routes," he said.

"I have tried to lobby for a traffic-free marathon. My belief is that if ever the marathon had to grow to its full potential, then we must have a traffic-free marathon. The question is will we ever see that day with two or three thousand athletes running the Marathon/Half Marathon?

"This year I am putting in greater effort into the control of traffic, we should be seeing more police and a good number of wardens along the route. Through some intervention from the MTA, the police are showing greater assistance towards the way traffic will be controlled."

The second issue is the lack of any prize money for the half marathon winners. Again, Micallef replies with admirable candour.

"Even though there are less than half the amount of participants in the marathon than the half, it is still the main event," he noted.

"The half marathon is only a spin-off, which was added to the event to encourage greater participation. If we were to allocate half of the prize money for the half marathon, then the amounts available to each race would not be very significant and would not attract any athletes capable of finishing in times that give the event some prominence."

New ideas

For a man who last year dallied with the thought of quitting, he now seems full of ideas.

"This year I intended to introduce chip timing but this depended on a substantial increase in participation because of the high costs required.

"I do not rule it out in the coming years. I have sourced providers and costs and would be able to implement the system if we had at least 850 to 900 runners. In recent years we have hovered around the 700-plus figure," he said.

"This year the route has once again been changed, the last nine miles from Zebbug to the finish in Sliema has been included again after the resurfacing of many of the roads.

"This is a reasonably fast bit of the route. Some changes introduced last year will be retained. My belief is that this year we have the fastest marathon route ever. As for the half marathon, it's always been fast."

And long may both continue.