Scout, 18, beats 40-year-old walking record by five hours

Matthew Catania, an 18-year-old scout, has managed to knock five whole hours off a 40-year-old record by walking round Malta in 15 hours and 30 minutes.

The previous record was set in 1966 by 17-year-old scouts Paul Farrugia and Victor Bezzina, who had covered the 60-mile distance in 20 hours and 30 minutes.

Mr Catania was one of seven scouts, from the St Aloysius College Scout Group, that set off from the Qawra police station on the December 19 walk in aid of L-Istrina, the annual Christmas-time marathon in aid of charity. He was the only one to make it to the finish line.

"It was a wonderful experience even though it was really tiring," he said of his feat. "All of us had trained over the weekends for a month or two before the attempt, increasing the distance each week. The last stretch was really tough but I had support with me, which kept me going. I felt honoured to be the only one to finish, even though this attempt was a team effort."

He called at numerous police stations along the route and had the policeman on duty sign his log card. Support staff walked the last part of the route with Mr Catania to ensure his safety and encourage him.