Hili retains her Challenge title

Carmen Hili ran to Valletta’s City Gate unrivalled yesterday to claim a second successive Nestle Malta International Challenge Marathon title and the sixth in her long-distance running career.

The St Patrick’s AC veteran won the women’s third leg of the three-day marathon, a 25-kilometre race that started early in the morning from St Paul’s Bay, in 1:46.00 ahead of Roberta Schembri (1:54.19 – 3:09.56 overall) and Dutch Suzanne Holland (1:56.59 – 3.10.24).

Hili finished on an accumulated 2:53.14 to better her own personal best time from last year’s Challenge which was almost two minutes slower – 2:55.09.

Bartosz Mazerski was the winner of the 2012 men’s title after staving off the challenge coming from Russian Vladimir Sementsov.

Mazerski, of Poland, started the day with a 51-second advantage over Sementsov who tried hard to break free from his direct rival but to no avail.

At the finish line in Freedom Square, it was Mazerski who outsprinted the Russian after both having run the entire distance neck and neck.

Mazerski won the opening leg in Rabat and was second behind Sementsov in the short six-kilometre stage in Birżebbuġa on Saturday.

Mazerski’s time yesterday was 1:25.37, a mere second ahead of Sementsov.

The overall timing over three days for Mazerski was 2:20.16 with Sementsov not far behind on 2:21.08.

Third place overall in the men’s race went to Brian Magri (2:36.05).

Yesterday, the established Athleta Pembroke runner made the gantry in fourth place behind veteran David Mansbridge, winner of the inaugural Malta Challenge Marathon way back in 1991.

The Englishman’s 1:34.53 was just two seconds quicker than Magri’s time with Alex Schembri coming home fifth in 1:36.46.

This year’s Malta Challenge Marathon, the 22nd edition in the history of an event incepted by Barry M. Whitmore, had an entry of 111 runners.