With a nagging calf injury sidelining Fabio Spiteri for most of the season, completing the Ironman 70.3 Rugen, in Germany, was a modest target the veteran endurance athlete had set himself earlier this month.

In the end, Spiteri, who switched to long-distance triathlons in 2008, not only attained his goal but also achieved a time fast enough to earn him qualification for the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee, US.

National pride... Triathlete Fabio Spiteri waves the Maltese flag as he crosses the finish line in Rugen, Germany.

This year injury  disrupted Spiteri’s plans. In fact, he barely trained adequately for 14 weeks.

When one considers that an Ironman 70.3 consists of a 1.9km swim, a 90km cycle and a 21km run, laying off running for that long is not conducive to achieving satisfactory results.

However, convinced he could do well in the swim and cycling segments in Rugen, Spiteri reckoned the Baltic Sea island provided a perfect venue for him to get back on track.

Racing in the 40-44 age group, one of the most competitive brackets in the sport, Spiteri had to contend with 87 other participants in his class.

He produced a fast swim, emerging from the waters in 10th place, and then moving up to sixth position after a very fast cycling portion.

The hilly run route saw most of the competitors slow their pace as a fully-focused Spiteri settled for a consistent tempo in his bid to retain his position.

In the end, the strategy worked perfectly as Spiteri beat the pain barrier and raced home fifth in his category. It was his best result ever over the distance.

Participation in the 70.3 Worlds will be the first for Spiteri.

He will be joined by Michelle Vella Wood for the trip to the US as she had already booked her place in the prestigious race earlier this season.

“This World Championships qualification came as a huge surprise as I was injured for several weeks,” Spiteri said.

“I went to Rugen with a big question mark but I was lucky to find the conditions that suited my race, especially the mid-morning start as I do not relish racing too early in the day.”

Spiteri’s next race abroad will be the Challenge Sardegna which is over the same distances.

“I will be aiming for a podium place in my category,” Spiteri said optimistically.

Double mission

Meanwhile, in Rugen, Spiteri was on a double mission as a few athletes who train under his guidance also took up the challenge.

These included Josef Bonavia, Kenneth Camilleri, Pio Vassallo and Glen Zammit.

They all registered fast times along with Jason Debono who was making his first showing over the distance.

Spiteri’s participation was made possible thanks to the assistance of Garmin Malta, Wheel Wizard, Go&Fun, Mochika, Festina, Specialeyes and Kinetika.