Subway Malta is sponsoring the 2013 Land Rover Malta Marathon for the first time with an innovative idea.

Once participants pass through the finish line today, they will be met by Subway staff who will be handing out some 3,000 sandwiches, prepared especially for this event by the franchise.

“Our idea is to promote healthy eating, which is why we thought it would be ideal to be associated with the marathon, which is probably Malta’s biggest sport event. Most of our sandwiches contain less than six grammes of fat,” said Subway’s operations manager Jonathan Grima.

The Subway franchise has been in Malta for one-and-a-half years, with outlets in Gżira, Paceville and Valletta.

With more than 38,000 locations in 100 countries, the Subway brand is the world’s largest submarine sandwich franchise, and has become a leader in the international development of the quick-service restaurant industry.

The trademark concept of a foot-long submarine sandwich with various types of fillings began in the US, with franchises opening worldwide over the past 20 years.

It has been estimated that 10 hours of intense preparation would be required for today’s distribution, for which the bread was baked in two shops, with four people in each.

Six staff members are involved in distributing the sandwiches to the participants.