Marathon runners protest as lead car goes astray

adriana zahra

Mar 2nd 2010, 15:50

Still i keep on saying that it is not fair on Mr. Balzan the result. He makes a big effort for such events. Always running in our village streets were we live at Safi,every body see him. You are a Champion Mr.Balzan ! Halsafi is proud of you! :)

d briffa

Mar 2nd 2010, 15:14

Well.. its not enough being ridiculed in international football events.. now its also the turn of Athletics..

Now this is getting serious..!!..

To whom it may concern.. isn't it about time that we invest more in motorsports... atleast from there we are getting home some very positive and encouraging results!!

RGatt

Mar 2nd 2010, 15:11

Only in Malta - Maltese gemgem about anything. This, apart from trying to daylight burgle others must be our favourite passtime. We surely must be on top of the list when it comes to moaning about anything. If it's not 100% to our liking, then none of it is right. It's these kind of people that make a mockery and a Mickey Mouse country of Malta. As Nathan Farrugia remarked, if you had to wait 15, 20 or even 30 mins. for the road to reopen, why didn't you get out of your vehicle and support and applaud the contestants for their efforts. Surely they deserved them. Well done all participants and pity about the lead car incident, which I'm sure we'll learn a lesson from for the future.

@ Kevin Galea - It-triq b'ohra il-PL jaqbada, meta jaghmel dawk il-U turns kollha. Il-vat, EU, iz-zwieg mal-GWU u hafna ohrajn. Il-PN qabad it-triq li hass li hija l-ahjar ghalina i.e. EU, u qatt ma zvija.

Adrian Farrugia

Mar 2nd 2010, 12:53

First of all, a well deserved well done to all those who participated. Its a disappointment for the front runners for this incident to have happened to them. i understand their anger 100% after all the preparation and peaking for that special day. Hope that the organizers learn from the mishap and make sure this will not happen again. But overall for the recreational runner I can confirm that it was fun doing it. :>)
AS FOR V.Brown...if he had some common sense he would have arrived earlier if he got out of the seat of his vehicle and ran the distance.

Shirley A Brincat

Mar 2nd 2010, 11:46

Veru ONLY IN MALTA ! I agree with Mario Aquilina ... KIF TRIDNI INKUN KBURI LI JIEN MALTIJA. Isiru hmerijiet minn kull qasam. Ahna ahna jew mahniex !

RGatt

Mar 2nd 2010, 10:51

@ Kevin Galea - It-triq b'ohra il-PL jaqbada meta jaghmel dawk il-U turns kollha. Il-vat, EU, iz-zwieg mal-GWU u hafna ohrajn. Il-PN qabad it-triq li hass li hija l-ahjar ghalina i.e. EU, u qatt ma zvija.

victor sammut

Mar 2nd 2010, 10:33

Ghal dawk is sewwieqa li ma jafux xi ihnu sports u gergru habba it-traffic,issa fit 2 ta april IL GIMGHA IL KBIRA malta kollha tista tajt bejn it 3.00pm u 8.00pm ikun maghluq,SE TAMEL????.toqod iddoq il horn????u taddi il kummentti li min hu ahjar minnek ghax kapaci jigri 21kms jew 42kms,ghax ahna kwazi nofs il-poplu hu baxx u injorant, NEW YORK & BERLIN MARATHONER.. KEEP IT UP RUNNERS,..NEVER GIVE UP

robert micallef

Mar 1st 2010, 22:25

@ v brown

if you had a bicycle it would have take you 10 minutes to get to B'kara, you could also have had fun doing it.

check this video out
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=457458370312&ref=ts

and yes after 5 hours of cycling up and down Mellieha i was wondering if i need an ambulance to get home.
but some people will never understand this as the bus driver of the double decker said when i asked him if he knew that he nearly ran over me.
"and so ? what would have happend ?"

Kevin Zammit

Mar 1st 2010, 21:19

Well, first of all i must start by saying that i admire the dedication of Johnathan. I must also add that i feel sorry that this had to happen. He certainly deserves much better. What i dont understand is why he wants the result to be null ?! It would not be fair on the runners who also trained hard to be able to present themselves on the start line. Two wrongs don't make one right.

With regards to the organisation I feel that in general the marathon is well organised . In fact the atmosphere was very enjoyable (Yesterday I ran and really enjoyed the run). Yesterday's mistake is unacceptable but let's remember that at the current WINTER OLYMPIC Games in Vancouver similar mistakes happened. In the male and female biathlon pursuit events, athletes were allowed to start their races in different time frames! certain athletes had to leave let's say after 2 min and were mistakenly allowed to leave after 15 sec and some others the other way round!! And this is the Olympic Games!

Kevin Galea- Time to grow up my friend.

Simone Magri

Mar 1st 2010, 18:04

@V. Brown ...whoever you are ... stop complaining and try run a marathon !! Athletes train hard for this event. It s not about elite athletes taking part it s about ppl who enjoy running , who are sport minded and healthy and who no thanks to you face traffic everyday or several times a week to train hard for this event. As marika said we athletes do this country a big favour , we hardly get sick, we are not overweight so we suffer less diseases . To all the other writers who are complaining about being stuck in traffic ...how about cheering athletes on ? or that would never cross your mind ? How about some respect for the athletes and some collaboration too. If you dont want to cheer us how about for once ...just for once ...going out later in the day ? The marathon happens just once a year ! It promotes a healthier lifestyle ! Maybe one day we ll have less obese children on our little rock !

Andre' Camenzuli

Mar 1st 2010, 17:29

Ghandu ragun Jonathan, flimkien mal-atleta/i ohra li gew zvijjati ikun irrabjat....dan zball gravissimu u t-tort u r-responsabbilita' ghandu jintrefa' kollu kemm hu mill-organizazzjoni.

mario aquilina

Mar 1st 2010, 17:18

Kif tridnhi nkun kburi li jien Malti!

Mario Hammett

Mar 1st 2010, 15:16

@ R. Vella Bamber. Four runners were running immediately behind the car when it left the designated course. Two of them, both Moroccans, stayed with the car until it eventually rejoined the course but another two dropped out in confusion.

If the sequence of events is correct why didn't Jonathan Balzan and the Dutch runner continue with the Moroccans behind the lead car? They too would have rejoined the course. Were the four runners all bunched up together? Or were the two drop outs quite a way back from the Moroccans? Because if they were, how could the lead car guide two different sets of runners? If someone might have suggested that the organizers could have sent help for the lost runners, it would have already been game-over by the time it would have taken them to arrive there.
So again this was nothing but a great misfortune for the two drop out athletes due to a very stupid mistake. I also think these two runners are owed a serious appology.

E. Darmanin

Mar 1st 2010, 14:01

Prosit!!! A case in point for this saying - 'Min hu l-ahhar jigi l-ewwel u min hu l-ewwel jigi l-ahhar'

STEPHEN ZAMMIT

Mar 1st 2010, 13:48

WOW...Thank god I did'nt go out yesterday...Although I see a number of local newspaper websites including this one, I was not aware that the Marathon was on yesterday. Perhaps better marketing on maltese websites would help. To remember this activity from the previous year is like wishing for rain in July.
Although roads are closed abroad especially in cities like London New York etc for this type of activities, they have other means of transport (like underground , overhead trains etc). In Malta these do not exist and hence one is blocked in the car in traffic.
Well done to all the partecipants and organisers for their sacrifices and efforts. One bug by the driver does not remove all this goodwill. However in my opinion he should not drive the lead car again. For me the official results for the first three places of this activity should be null and void.

Andrew Mifsud

Mar 1st 2010, 13:19

1 - living in rabat, i would like to show my disgust to the wy traffic was managed. one policeman told me ''there s no way out, you MUST wait here for 30mins''. i was in nigret at that time. if the organisers want to do something similar to abroad they must ensure proper traffic management. from rabat to the end of mrihel bypass,was all 1 lane ON A SUNDAY..when all the people go out.

2 - at aaround 11.45am there was this blue van, moving, with a person having half of his body out of the van, ccollecting the orange cones used for marking the path. this started from where the cemetry in attard is, presumably till the end of the mrihel bypass (coz i managed to overtake). then someone gets hurt, and everyone says , ''ooo pity, he was doing his job'' WITH THE VAN MOVING AND CARS DRIVING BY....u leeee

N. Borg

Mar 1st 2010, 12:54

@ M. Cristiano

There were quite a few notices in the papers in the run up to this event and you should start getting up to date with what is happening around you.

Moreover, so now you know and in a year's time you don't have any excuses, note that
this event is held on the last Sunday in February for the past 25 years.

jFarr

Mar 1st 2010, 12:00

@John Dingli. I'd like to see your reaction if you trainer all year and someone messed up so badly that you had to quit, And if they do happen abrad as well they i suggest the organisers should take up a different job, like removing mines in Aghanistan.
@ Frustrated drivers, get off your bums and do some excercise instead of maoning, it was a lovely day and a walk run jog would have done you a lot of good.

Last point, its not the country that has issues its the people so insetad of only in Malta and pajjiz tal mickey mouse, change the tape to Nies tal mickey mouse and only by the people of malta. pls

Joe Fenech

Mar 1st 2010, 11:40

Lawrence Bonello:

Iva, nahseb qabdet it-triq lejn il-Highlands!!!

Joe Fenech

Mar 1st 2010, 11:32

Don't GPS exist in Malta???????

ONLY IN MALTA brand!

R. Vella Bamber

Mar 1st 2010, 11:19

@Mario Hammett
'In my opinion injustice is the result of personal egoism for the sake of personal gain and at the expense of others'


TOM- 'Four runners were running immediately behind the car when it left the designated course. Two of them, both Moroccans, stayed with the car until it eventually rejoined the course but another two dropped out in confusion.'


The organizers did there best to help the first two back in the race and save there reputation so WHY didn't they help Jonathan Balzan and the Dutchman also by sending someone to help. They were left helpless and confused lagging behind the first two which by that time had kept a good pace behind the lead car thus forcing these dedicated athletes out of the race.

clearly this is INJUSTICE

John Dingli

Mar 1st 2010, 11:01

I don't know who mMs. Maria Borg is referring to, sorry, but the trouble or problems that arise from all rpt all these marathon runs local and international are never solved and I repeat they don't always happen in Malta, yesterday's must have been a one-off out here but being a good sportsman I don't expect to hear any more remarks as similar as the one by Ms. Borg - however, I still wish her good luck and good training for next year and let's be sports and take things in a better vein. Whether it is The Great North Run or the London Marathon where thousands take part, beware at the start of tripping over black plastic bags at 4/5a.m. &c.,

Maria Vella

Mar 1st 2010, 09:44

@ V. Brown

Perhaps next year you should take part and see if you are capable of even starting the race. The training takes commitment and guts and considering the weather conditions yesterday even courage.

But then again you obviously were sitting comfortable, albeit for 1 hour 20mins. If you read the papers you would have seen notices advising drivers to try to avoid those roads as much as possible.

This is an annual event (ie once a year) , there are far more annoying events throughout the year that frustrate drivers to higher degrees.

Perhaps next year we will see you on the start line, and who knows you might not need an ambulance!

What cheek!

Jason Borg

Mar 1st 2010, 09:06

Tuh/a Gieh ir-Repubblika lis-sewwieq/a tal-waqgha ghac-cajt li thammar wicc il-Maltin.

John Dingli

Mar 1st 2010, 09:02

I cannot understand what the fuss is all about, these matters yes happen everywhere also in London, Newyork, Palermo &c., it is just a one-off but after all where is the sportsmanship? Ask the 'lead car' driver what could have gone wrong and get satisfied it must have been necessary. Good luck and keep on running.

M Scerri

Mar 1st 2010, 07:20

Din veru tal-misthija!!! Min baghta? ovvja li l-atleti li min jaf kemm ikunu ilhom jippreparaw u jaghmlu sagrificcji kbar! U ma joghqodux igibu l-iskuzi li zball jista jsir....LE MA JISTAX ISIR ZBALL B'DAN IL-MOD SORRY!!!!

Marica Micallef

Mar 1st 2010, 07:18

I can't understand why comments regarding how the marathon is annoying to the public due to traffic jams are written here to something bad which happened to our Maltese Athletic Champion and a foreigner? Are some Maltese this selfish? Do you know that we athletes keep health taxes at bay since we keep our health optimum? Why don't you show solidarity to these two athletes, and cheer us on while we are running? It keeps us going.Why doesn't the mentality ever change here? Unbelievable!!!Whenever I am training on the road, whether I am running or cycling, I am made to feel unwanted on the roads, and I always thank God that I arrive back home safe and sound, apart from carrying a baggage of nasty comments!Something is wrong with this country...and no matter how many years of progress pass by, the mentality will always remain behind.

Marica Scerri

Mar 1st 2010, 07:11

Din veru tal-misthija!!! Min baghta? ovvja li l-atleti li min jaf kemm ikunu ilhom jippreparaw u jaghmlu sagrificcji kbar! U ma joghqodux igibu l-iskuzi li zball jista jsir....LE MA JISTAX ISIR ZBALL B'DAN IL-MOD SORRY!!!!

J.Borg

Mar 1st 2010, 06:56

What gross disorganisation. Driving down from Rabat I tried to get into Attard where I live. Was directed to Zebbug! drove all the way round hoping to get into Attard over the bridge near the petrol station. Sure enough was stopped again and made to go up to Rabat again. Went to Mosta and got into Attard after 1 1/2 hours. How's that for a 10 min journey. Unbelievable!
Is this called organisation? Is everybody expected to know that central Malta is blocked to traffic?

Michael Sammut

Mar 1st 2010, 05:55

basta issemmu 'only in malta'.....qishom zbalji jew traskuragni jsiru biss malta.
Forsi id driver tal karozza kellu jmur il protesta tal GWU ux (la ha ssemmu il politika!!) Jekk allahares qatt (u nerga nirrepeti alla hares qatt) jigri terremot bhal Haiti u c Chile....ovvjament bhal only in malta jkun TORT TA GONZI.

Andrew Paris

Mar 1st 2010, 05:41

The lead car driver should be given a promotion to the bus 8 route.

Joseph Schembri

Mar 1st 2010, 04:57

Most people commenting here clearly have no idea what it's like "out there" .... regarding traffic; outside "in the real world " roads are closed t run marathons - after all the runners race fee in part goes towards this traffic management. In malta roads are partially open to traffic; besides youhad to be living in a bubble not to know about the marathon. Just as an FYI for everyone - it takes place on the last Sunday of February of EVERY YEAR.

As for the lead car - the rules clearly state that they should follow "a thin yellow line shall mark junctions along the route, always follow this line. Only take a turn in order to follow this line". No mention of the lead car. This is what "mid-packers" like me do .... no cars, no first aid van near-by - just a yellow line and a drive to finish. My bet is that most people calling for resignations are the typical "couch potatoes" ...

Denis Catania

Mar 1st 2010, 01:14

Only in Malta. Next time they should use a navigator.

Mario Hammett

Feb 28th 2010, 23:26

@ Jonathan. As a runner myself ofcourse I can understand how hurt you must be about today's mistake but i cannot see your point. What are you implying? That this was a mediated plan to put you out of the race? Surely not. "Injustice"? In my opinion injustice is the result of personal egoism for the sake of personal gain and at the expense of others. I don't think that i saw anything egoistic today. To the contrary. Today's event was an event of human solidarity at its best and wherever you turned your head you could see people helping and encouraging all the participants involved. As for the committee as everybody could see they worked their guts out to make this a memorable event for all those hundred of runners.
What i would say is, yes, it was a cardinal mistake from the lead car and add, a very stupid one for all i know but calls for the resignation of the committee does not make any sense.

A.zahra

Feb 28th 2010, 22:43

I live near Mr.Balzan and i know the effort he does always training.the organizers should be ashamed for such thing ! The result must be cancelled ! keep it up Mr.Balzan you are a champion !

V.Brown

Feb 28th 2010, 22:38

Next time start the marathon at 6am . It took 1hr.20min to get to Rabat from Bkara waiting for the runners to pass and a lot of them looked hopeless and in need of an ambulance anyway

Saviour Cauchi

Feb 28th 2010, 22:35

ONLY IN MALTA!!!!!!

Mario Aquilina

Feb 28th 2010, 21:32

Jonathan, I can only imagine your dejection and sense of injustice. You have been training hard for years and there are many who admire your attitude and hard work. Do not let this episode mar your love for the sport even if it was so unfair on you.

To the organisers: these athletes train for hours a day for such an event. Such mistakes are not only very serious but completely avoidable if the right measures are taken. A statement from you or, as a very minimum, an apology is a pressing need at this stage.

C Chircop

Feb 28th 2010, 21:21

I feel gutted for the two runners who dropped out. Those who know Jonathan or have followed his performances over the last yrs know how much was geared up to win this silvery anniversary edition.

The results for the first 4 places (at least) in the Full Marathon should not stand.

Mishaps like these may happen, and I disagree with the assertion that the organisers should resign their posts. The mistake was committed by the lead car driver and not by all and sundry.

Jonathan Balzan

Feb 28th 2010, 21:21

"ruth. you should put yourself in my shoes and feel what i feel that due to a negligence/cardinal mistake from the lead(lead) car i suffered this injustice. This is an unperdonable mistake..and to rub salt into the wounds the 2 frontrunners were redirected in the race wheras the dutch and i were left astray..and a route was specifically created on race day!!25yrs of organisation should be professional enough not to commit such costly mistakes!

Kevin Mark

Feb 28th 2010, 21:16

Nixtieq inkun naf jien kif organizzazjoni tajba (!) bhall dik ma tahsibx ghall xi tip ta bins fejn jarmu l fliexken ta l ilma l atleti, mhux kull minn fejn ghaddew qisu ghadda l marc ta San Gejtanu bil fliexken! Hallas poplu malti ha nzommu ambjent nadif.

Stephen Baldacchino

Feb 28th 2010, 20:44

I will say again And Again : PAJJIZ TAL- MIKY MOUSE "Incredible"

Bronwyn Hunter

Feb 28th 2010, 20:29

I cannot believe how many people complained about the inconvenience the marathon caused for the traffic. I am a South African who ran my first marathon today, the Malta Half Marathon. I really enjoyed it and I sympathise for the runners who trained so hard and were led astray by the lead vehicle. That was the main reason for this blog, yet people take the opportunity to complain about the inconvenience they endured because the traffic was a bit slow. Back in South Africa we have an annual event know as the Comrades Marathon. It is an 89km run and the main roads are all closed on the day. If you happen to live along the route you cannot leave your home from the evening before and can use your vehicle for the first time only the following evening. Instead all South Africans line the route and cheer the runners on!!!! It has become a huge International event. Looking at the statistics of todays event of the 1400 runners 700 were Maltese? I personal live here but the man I happened to run with flew all the way from Germany to partake!

Carmen Calleja

Feb 28th 2010, 19:18

The best part of this is, how could the lead car go astry when they had 3 practice runs the day before ?. Maybe its time to take a long hard look at the organization. Jonathan to me you still won the Marathon.

J. Ciantar

Feb 28th 2010, 19:12

What a shame! Such mishaps happen only in Malta. The organizers must recognize the athletes' efforts in preparing for the marathon and the result must be annulled.

K mifsud

Feb 28th 2010, 19:09

Biex hrigna mill imtarfa domna 30 mins ax kull fej naddu bdejna insibu lil pulizija jalqu it toroq kull ma kin baqa triq wahda miftuha u kif wasalna fin nofs spiccajna kellna niqfu ax bdew gejjin latleti!!! skuzawni imma andkom organizzazzjoni hazina hafna hafna!!!!!!

M Cristiano

Feb 28th 2010, 18:38

who cares about the lead car and the marathon?? all i know is that the road from Rabat to Marsa was mostly single lane, and after arriving near Flamingo, we were told that the road to Marsa is closed, with no sign of a detour! And the policeman standing opposite Cambros wasn';t very helpful.. just shut up and find an alternative! and they expect respect!

After so many years, haven;t the organisers (and police) learnt that there exist signs marking 'Possible Delays' and 'Detour'?

And No i dont read the papers every single day just in case there is an advert...

N Farrugia

Feb 28th 2010, 18:36

What daft comments! London, New York, Berlin, Rome - leading cities in the world are CLOSED DOWN COMPLETELY for their annual city marathon... So you can't get lost. It's BECAUSE Malta is so sport un-friendly that these things happen. Instead of moaning about being stuck in traffic, why not get out - on foot - and cheer people on, like the spectators at the above-mentioned city marathons... At least runners won't get fumigated by your exhaust!

Eric Gahn

Feb 28th 2010, 18:31

@ Clifford Spiteri

Are you serious?

a) Though we might argue on the state of our roads, there is ALWAYS more than one route bewteen any two points.

b) Other Marathons that cause hardships to drivers around the world
1) London
2) New York
3) Sidney

l grech

Feb 28th 2010, 18:27

Such marathons should not take place in the so called Maltese roads; there simply is no space. ridiculous

A.Zammit

Feb 28th 2010, 18:25

Tal-misthija u xejn aktar!

Matthew Agius

Feb 28th 2010, 18:19

@kevin galea

X GHANDU X JAQSAM GONZI MAL MARATONA?!?!?

bla sens!

J Farrugia

Feb 28th 2010, 18:17

Kevin Galea - kif ma tisthix? Anke f'Maratona sportiva deffist lill-PM? Kemm ghandek ghalih?

J Farrugia

Feb 28th 2010, 18:16

marathom organisers RESIGN IN SHAME. Disorganised organisation. Shame on you for letting Malta down. RESIGN.

David Jones

Feb 28th 2010, 17:54

It's a shame that this happened. With all the training and all the effort done by the athletes for the preparation of the Malta Marathon it has been a nightmare for them ! This year I did not apply for the Marathon and it seems that it was the best decision after what happened this morning. I was still there running with them this morning when Jonathan Balzan told me that he was mislead by the lead car.
When are the Maltese people going to learn ?
This also applies to Kevin Galea who also needs to learn not to mention any political issues in any sports !!!

Marica Micallef

Feb 28th 2010, 17:41

@ Mr. G Scerri and Mr. C Spiteri:Yes I totally agree that prior notice should be issued when roads are closed for whatever reason!However, you might like to learn that whole major city centres(ex. London, Rome, New York) are shut down for hours on end when marathons are held abroad!If roads are closed for feasts & to let dignitaries through,I don't understand why they shouldn't be closed when a major sport event is held!During the Malta Marathon the roads are not even closed and unlike marathons abroad, very few people cheer us on when we athletes work so hard for it!

Manfred Borda

Feb 28th 2010, 17:36

We feel very sorry for Jonathon Balzan and the others - i can understand how he's feeling however I do not agree that race results should not count because of the efforts of all the finishers participating during the race. Very surprised about comments made by such coaches and runners that the results should be null. Is this the way that we should move our sports forward!!!!!!!!!! Well done to all athletes

Ruth Spiteri Bezzina

Feb 28th 2010, 17:33

Li jigri dan l-izball hu ikrah hafna - specjalment meta din is sena huwa is-'silver anniversary tal maratona imma:
Zbalji jigru. niftakru meta Jonthan gie skolifikat fil maratona ta Palermo (kien l-ewwel) ghax marshall urih it triq hazina? Incident bhal dan sar fil maratona ta l-Olympics ukoll! Dejjem stajna nippruvaw ir rotta qabel. Possibli li atleti prominenti maltin qatt ma ipprovawha ir rotta? il barranin pacenzja! Nerga nghid li mhux fl=ebda mument qed nghid li dan tal lum kien tajjeb! Li dejqitni kien kif tista tghajjar mhux professjonali lin nies li hadu zball. mela hawn mhux professjonali! Imma basta inkunu l-ewwel li nghidu li din issir biss 'only in Malta' ! Kemm inkunu pronti!

Qatt xi hadd kiteb li illum l-organizzaturi qajmu 700 malti(numru rekord) minn fuq is siggu u bdew jigru jew jimxu? Li f' malta kien hawn nies li forsi thajru li jaghmlu xi haga ghal gid ghal sahhithom, xi zaghzugh/a li thajjar/ret (ghat triq u mhux ghal labra/terra)?

M. N. Calleja

Feb 28th 2010, 17:15

But why do we have to look amateurish in most things we do?

How can one get lost in this tiny island?

Unbelievable but true. What happened today really shames us all. Hope we learn from this great mistake.

John Bezzina

Feb 28th 2010, 17:13

Tajba din Clifford.... You have no idea what you are talking about. Imagine running 26 miles on a track and with all those runners. OK.. you did not say track but where do you propose to run 26 miles in a traffic free space in Malta?

Anyway, as the race director of the Zurrieq Half Marathon I do not even want to think about experiencing such an incident and I do empathise with Jonathan and the other runners that suffered due to the mistake. BUT COME ON GUYS!! - Unless I am very much mistaken this is the first ever major error that the Malta Marathon experienced over the past 25 years. I also happen to know the people behind the event and to call them unprofessional after all these years of service to athletics in Malta is a bit harsh. Again, I am in not way trying to brush off what happened today and I repeat. I am sorry for the athletes. But I do ask everyone who is going to bombard the organizers to stop for a moment and reflect on the great races we had over the past years.

amifsud

Feb 28th 2010, 17:08

G. Scerri....you have to be living in a cocoon to be "blissfully unaware of this marathon".
Clifford Spiteri....c'mon....1 sunday when a huge event like this is held and you're going to complain. hmm...a marathon run in "specified sports grounds"...now that would be fun! There has always been problems with marshalling and traffic control. In my experience I had to wait for cars to drive past while running the marathon.

Kirill Micallef Stafrace

Feb 28th 2010, 16:52

@ spiteri and @ scerri
you obviously do not know what you are talking about
try to run 42 km in a sports ground!!!!!!!
obviously roads will have to be closed, as safety should always come first , same as happens in carnival, village festa etc. After all our track record when it comes to drivers respecting runners/cyclists leaves much to be desired.
this event, which generates a lot of interest overseas with the resultant influx of tourists, happens once a year. This years mishap is extremely unfortunate, because it reflects badly on our organisational skills, which in this particular marathon are usually exceptional. pity. I really feel for the runners who were misled

Lawrence Bonello

Feb 28th 2010, 16:47

L-aqwa li hemm il-bagpipes fl-isfond!!

Eric Gahn

Feb 28th 2010, 16:36

Shame! Shame! Shame! Don't they know they can set a route on a car satnav. The lead car would never have gone astray. Shame!!

SImone Ellul

Feb 28th 2010, 16:34

My sympathy goes to the runners who dedicated so much of their time to this occasion only to have it ruined by inefficient organisers.

MAin sponsors should back out of this event if it happens next year unless the organisers make an official apology

Clifford Spiteri

Feb 28th 2010, 16:23

Lead car or no lead car, although embarrassing as this incident was, it is even more embarrassing for having more policemen on the road diverting traffic and causing chaos than if the Queen of England had to come to Malta! it took me 30 mins to drive into Attard from Zebbug hill! Couldn't this marathon been held in specified sports grounds or is there a law in Malta that I don't know of that for every event we have to close roads?? without and pre-advise? now THAT'S only in Malta!

g. scerri

Feb 28th 2010, 16:13

Has anybody tried, blissfully unaware of this marathon, to go up to Rabat and Mdina? I couldn't understand why cars and runners were pouring out of every route I tried to take. Where I live too was cordoned off and I was informed, not to gently by the policeman on duty, that I would have to wait another 15 mins if I wanted to go home. Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

Antoine Attard

Feb 28th 2010, 16:06

How could this ever happen? The LEAD car going astray. Who will bear the brunt? Only athletes who have worked incessantly for months. Will anyone realise the physical and emotional efforts, the hours of training, the tension, the sponsors, the credibility ... all up in air? I'm simply doubfounded!

clive borg

Feb 28th 2010, 15:52

Hahaha nice one lost in Malta... thats why i never brought a land rover cos i might get lost too easy in malta!

mistakes do happen but how can we attract better athletes and get more professionals in Malta, with this type of cases! it is a big mistake!

Silvana Ungaro

Feb 28th 2010, 15:50

This episode is unbelievable yet true. There was a total lack of good organisation especially in the FULL MARATHON. I wonder why only such a small number of Maltese athletes opt to run the full marathon in Malta?

Matthew Grech

Feb 28th 2010, 15:45

What a shame . . . hope that the the Half Marathon result would have not been effected because of this accident . . . not a very good advert for foreigners and the locals . . . shows unprofessionality! :(

steven borg

Feb 28th 2010, 15:40

next year i will give them my GPS with Malta maps on it. good one guys this brought a BIG smile to my face, felt sorry for the runners, but as they say OIM. One day just may be one day . . . . . . .

kevin galea

Feb 28th 2010, 15:36

TAL- MISTHIJA
HEQQ IS SEWWIEQ IMITA LIL GONZI U MAR TRIQ B' OHRA

ASpiteri

Feb 28th 2010, 15:27

ONLY IN MALTA!

we should apply for the next Olympic Games!

Mario Bonnici

Feb 28th 2010, 15:21

What a way to commemorate the 25th edition of the Malta Marathon!!!!
Shame.

victor vella

Feb 28th 2010, 15:16

Only in Malta. don't they try to lead the way in a safari lol