The popularity of the Malta Marathon has increased steadily over the years.

It is no understatement to define the Malta Marathon as the country’s top sporting event in terms of mass participation.

The annual race again hit record numbers last weekend with over 3,700 athletes taking part in either the marathon, half marathon or the walkathon.

Hundreds thronged the Sliema Ferries last Sunday to cheer the participants towards the finish line, creating an unrivalled celebration of sporting activity.

Joe Micallef, the chairman of the Malta Marathon Organising Committee (MMOC), is the man behind this successful event which has come a long way since a meagre 109 runners competed in the first edition of the Malta Marathon way back in 1986.

“There is a huge sense of pride for the MMOC at seeing the Malta Marathon develop into such a popular race since it came into existence almost 30 years ago,” Micallef told The Sunday Times of Malta.

“The main concept behind the creation of the Malta Marathon was to try and encourage Maltese people to start running as there were very few athletes who practised long-distance running in those days.

“We started with just over 100 participants but since then, the event’s transformation has been nothing short of sensational. We have now reached over 3,000 participants... an unthinkable feat for us in 1986.”

Micallef said that building a solid reputation over the years has been crucial in luring more participants to the race.

“Establishing a very good reputation over the years has been the main reason why so many people have chosen to take part in our races,” Micallef added.

“Throughout the year, our marketing is very limited. Other than the weekly articles in The Times of Malta, which attract a lot of interest, we don’t do much promotional work.

“I firmly believe that people keep registering for our races because they know that they are taking part in a very well-run event.

“We’re the only organisation that provides chip timing, has a huge number of policemen and marshals along the route and also award commemorative medals that have a bit of value.

“Last year, we took over the organisation of the Żurrieq Half Marathon and there was a boom in the number of entries as from the traditional 100 athletes competing we had over 600 and that says a lot about the respect the MMOC enjoys.

“Our reputation has grown steadily over the years and it’s imperative that we keep the levels of organisation high. Now that the race is over, we will analyse every aspect of the event and try to improve for next year’s edition.”

Micallef admitted that there are always aspects of the race that need improving and this year was no exception.

“This year we received complaints from half marathon athletes who claimed to have been held back by slow-moving walkathon participants at the start of the race near the Roman Villa.

“The route is a bit narrow, so this is one area we will try to address for next year,” Micallef said.

“We also acknowledge the problems faced by full marathon athletes who were blocked by the walkathon participants at the final juncture of their run.

“That will be more difficult to solve as even if we begin the walk 10 minutes later than 9.20am, it will not make much of a difference as others would still be affected.

“So we have to see how we can at least make the situation better for the full marathon participants.”

Micallef concedes that controlling traffic and providing a safety course for the participants is his biggest headache.

“Ensuring a safety route for our participants is of paramount importance,” Micallef said.

“Ideally, given the growth in the participation figures, a traffic-free race would be ideal but it’s an impossible task at the moment. This year, we had over 220 policemen at different locations to control traffic.

“We also slightly changed the race course to try and limit the traffic in certain areas such as Attard.

“Athletes are now passing through the Mrieħel industrial estate and, although not everybody was in favour of this change, they have to understand that it was necessary to ensure that traffic congestion in certain areas, such as Attard, is reduced to the bare mininum.”

In 2015, the Malta Marathon marks its 30th edition and Micallef has set his sights on celebrating this milestone with a record entry of over 4,000 participants.

“Next year we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the race,” Micallef said.

“We have nothing extraordinary planned but my goal is to pass the 4,000th mark in terms of participation. It’s attainable, given the increase in participation over the years.

“I’m optimistic that we can reach this objective and hopefully we can achieve it with an increase in Maltese runners.

“As I said, it is the philosophy of the Malta Marathon to attract local participation and it would be the best way to celebrate our 30th anniversary if we could have the biggest local field for a Malta Marathon.”

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