Carmen Hili and Bartosz Mazerski will start today’s decisive leg of the 2012 Nestle Malta International Challenge Marathon as the leading runners in their respective categories.

At the end of yesterday’s second leg of the three-day 42km race, both athletes did well enough to stay ahead of the pack in the overall timings.

Hili, who ran untroubled in the opening stage in Rabat on Friday, did a double in the short 6km run in Birżebbuġa.

The St Patrick’s AC veteran, five times winner of the Challenge Marathon, finished the race in 22 minutes 56 seconds.

She was well ahead of her nearest rivals in the overall classification, Marthese Mercieca (24.28) and Suzanne Holland (24.47).

Mazerski, of Poland, entered the gantry in Birżebbuġa in second place behind Vladimir Sementsov.

However, Russia’s Sementsov, the runner-up at Rabat’s 11.1km race, only managed to gain two seconds over the men’s marathon leader after coming home in 18 minutes 26 seconds.

Mazerski is now enjoying a 51-second lead in accumulated times.

His time yesterday was 18.28, more than two minutes faster than Brian Magri who made it to the finish line in 20.53.

The marathon, with an entry field of 111 runners, comes to a close in Valletta this morning.

Participants will be facing the most strenuous stage of the race as they leave St Paul’s Bay at 7 a.m. on their way to City Gate, a 25km run that includes a couple of demanding uphills along the way.

This is the 22nd edition of the Challenge Marathon. The founder and race director is Barry M. Whitmore.

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