Charlton Debono and Roberta Schembri emerged victorious from the recently-held Urban Jungle House of Sport 10k Road Running Series race.

Held in Kalkara, the 10k saw approximately 300 athletes running two loops of 5kms each in adverse weather conditions with low temperatures, strong headwinds and an intermittent drizzle.

In the men’s race it was unlikely that Debono would halt his winning   streak though there was no doubt that the likes of Mario Grech, Luke Micallef and Jonathan Balzan were not going to let him off lightly.

Debono led the group in the first 5kms. Picking up pace, he then pulled ahead to finish 39 seconds faster than Grech who pipped Micallef to second place.

Balzan came in fourth place.

“I am happy with my progress and recent results,” Debono said.

“I’ve been racing a lot lately and I’m happy with the results achieved. This race, in cold and windy weather, was very challenging.

“Now, I hope to keep the momentum going for the rest of the season.”

Schembri was making a return to the running fold, having taken a short break from racing due to pregnancy.

Hannah Pace and Gianella Bugeja charged in front but the women’s 10k soon developed into a three-horse race with Schembri coming from behind to win in 38 minutes, 24 seconds.

Pace had to settle for second place in 39:08 and Bugeja third in 39:21.

“My baby girl was born three months ago, and although I kept training during pregnancy I never thought I’d come back and run this fast,” an enthused Schembri said.

The race also saw the participation of a large number of regular runners including foreigners who gauged their potential on a fairly new, albeit testing, route.

Electronic timing was provided by ARRTS Race Systems.

The next Urban Jungle House of Sport 10k Series race is scheduled for January 15. The series is also supported by emvigee pr, Garmin Malta, Starmax and Pro Action.