John will always be with us

It is with great regret that I put pen to paper for this column as John Walsh should have done this, just as he had done for many years.

We know that many established and prospective athletes looked forward to his write-ups and many found them to be inspirational. His words must have been the spark for many to commit themselves to participate in the marathon, the massive growth in local participation is witness to this.

John cannot be replaced, we don’t know of anyone who is as complete as he was.

John was an athlete and a coach. He read and studied to become extremely knowledgeable about the sport that he loved so much.

He was also a competent writer.

His wife, Carol, recounts how only two days before his article was meant to be published, he would tell her that he still had no topic for the week. But, he would then simply scribble some notes at breakfast and give them to her to read.

The next Saturday morning we would all be sharing his expert thoughts in The Times.

If John cannot be replaced why am I filling his space then?

If he can no longer inspire athletes to get to the start line, should we end here?

Certainly not, we shall endeavour to continue his work in the best way possible by trying to use what we learned from him. I am sure that this is what he would have wanted.

So, we needed someone else to write these articles.

Astrid Fleri Soler is one person that came to mind and the question was put to her. After given time to consider the proposal, she came back with a positive answer.

So, from next week you will be reading her views.

Fleri Soler, who was coached by John, has been running for many years and probably completed more marathons than most of her peers. She has also run the last two editions of the Comrades ultra-distance marathon in South Africa.

Meanwhile, it was decided that the 2011 Mdina-Spinola and the 2012 Malta Marathon will be dedicated to John’s memory. The medals given out to finishers in both events will be the last from the many that he had designed himself over many years.

Some may think why go through the sacrifices to be fit when someone like John, who did all that, still passed away at a relatively young age of 56.

You should all know that John had a hereditary health problem which, unfortunately, he may have overlooked. This was probably the cause of his untimely passing away.

We have heard of many people passing away of the same cause at younger ages when not even doing any strenuous activity. John kept healthy for this life and that is what we should all be doing no matter how long we are here for.

Having said this, I strongly urge all runners to take regular medical tests.

Registration

If you haven’t yet applied for the Malta Marathon, Half Marathon and Walkathon or the M2S, in particular, you had better do so now.

We already have well over 300 applicants for the M2S alone. As happens each year there will be a rush just before the closing date, so don’t risk being left out

Apply on-line now by going to www.maltamarathon.com.

The M2S is by far the most popular event after the Malta Marathon. So, see you on December 18 at the starting line in Rabat.

From entries already received, the Malta Marathon again promises to once again top 2,000 participants.

As John used to sign off... be safe out there and enjoy your running.