Relief... the concluding article

I make no secret of the fact that this is the article I most look forward to writing each year.

For many reasons; chief among them that I can go back to the quiet, anonymous, life I prefer, but mainly because I know that by the time I have reached this point the marathon will be over.

I also know that by the time I get to this stage, as organisers, we will have done all we could to make the event a successful and satisfying occasion for all participants.

Of course, by now it's common knowledge that the first four runners were led astray in the marathon, but before you go invoking the "only in Malta" complaint, a five-minute search on Google turns up a number of international marathons which all suffered the same fate... to name a few, Buffalo-Niagara Falls International Marathon 1985, 25th San Francisco Chronicle Marathon 2002, Post-News Colorado Colfax Marathon 2008, Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati 2008, St Jude Memphis Marathon 2009, Tucson Marathon 2009...

Even the famed New York Marathon in 1994 came close to catastrophe when (to quote the New York Times) "at the 25.5-mile mark - seven-tenths of a mile from the finish - the unimaginable happened."

With a police officer gesturing for him to continue west toward Columbus Circle, leading runner German Silva, of Mexico, veered instead into the park, apparently following vehicles carrying the race director, the official timer and photographers. The newspaper headline succinctly tells the whole tale... Silva: Detour, Stop, Reverse, Victory.

Now don't take the above brief list of events wrongly. I am not making light of the events of last Sunday. I am not implying that since this is a not-uncommon incident in marathon racing, we are somehow excused for what happened.

On the contrary, now that we have learnt the painful lesson of how easily such incidents can occur - and not only in Malta - we will redouble our efforts to do everything humanly possible to ensure it never happens in the Malta Marathon again.

Yet, even if such incidents do occur, I am confident that we will never shirk our responsibility, but do everything possible to address the issue head-on.

Since last Sunday we have had meetings with all four athletes concerned and all four of them have expressed themselves, "completely satisfied" with the manner in which the MMOC has dealt with the situation.

Popular walk

With close to 200 finishers out of over 1,400 total participants, the Walkathon has proved to be an extremely popular addition to the Half Marathon.

I have a feeling that it's going to explode next year and keenly look forward to that.

Meanwhile, some of this year's first-timers might now be wondering what to do next week.

Well, here's another saying of mine; it's much easier to stay rich than it was to get rich. Think about it. It's easier to stay a millionaire than it is to become one (not that I'd know!).

Which means that now you are fit enough to cover 21.1km, it will actually take less training to maintain that fitness than it did to attain it in the first place.

Few runners, even world-class, can train at maximal level all year round.

So don't be afraid to go onto a maintenance schedule for the coming weeks. Three or four walks/jogs per week will keep you in good shape.

These might be in a "wave" pattern, alternating longer and shorter. Like this: Tuesday 45 mins, Thursday 60 mins, Saturday 30 mins and Sunday 1hr 15 mins. All other days, no training.

Consider adding a couple of more tricks to keep it interesting.

There's nothing worse than covering the same ground every day. So, make one walk/jog (the shortest) on a hillier route than usual. This really gets the heart pumping and works the legs more than walking on the flat.

Another good idea we've always done is to make the Sunday extra-special. Coordinate with friends and, at dawn, drive to a more picturesque part of the country and do your longest walk/jog there. As well as being healthy, this is therapeutic; good for the soul and really helps you mentally unplug after a busy week.

Another good idea might be if we set up a link on the marathon website where we list walking/jogging routes around the country. With Google Maps this is simple to do.

The routes would include: a map, the distance, other pertinent info, like a brief description (e.g. "hilly", "offroad").

Anyone interested in coordinating this please write to me and we'll see how we can set it up with sponsorship funding, etc.

If you thought the Malta Marathon, Half-Marathon or Walkathon was the end of the journey, let me tell you; we've only just begun. To quote a Nike slogan from our Official Partner, Urban Jungle, "There is no finish line!"

A final word for all Warriors.

Here is what we learned out there. If a warrior cannot run, he/she will walk. If they cannot walk, they will crawl. Being a warrior means getting the job done.

For the warrior, failing to finish is not an option. Being a warrior has nothing to do with being first or even being fast. Being a warrior is purely and simply an attitude of mind.

Muscles are just rubber and can only do what they are told. Spirit is all that matters.

johnzwalsh@yahoo.com