Keith Galea runs during the Garmin Trio Triathlon in Como.

Birkirkara St Joseph triathlete Keith Galea recently took part in the Garmin Trio Triathlon, in Cernobbio, Como.

The race, part of the Italian ranking calendar, attracted the best triathletes from the region but the conditions were not ideal for competition with tempe-ratures hovering around the 40 degrees Celsius mark.

Battling against the currents of Lake Como, Galea covered the 1.5km swim in 23 minutes 22 seconds.

The 40km bike course was rather hilly with the route passing from Cernobbio to the village of Menaggio and back.

The Malta champion com-pleted the cycling segment in 62 minutes.

Galea, who benefits from the 20/20 Elite KMS Scheme, started the 10km run at a steady pace despite the heat.

He ran 10 kilometres in 40 minutes and 20 seconds to finish the race in an overall 2 hours 8 minutes and a creditable 22nd placing from the 800 participants involved. He was classified second in his category.

“I am very happy with my performance. I wanted to test myself against the Italian guys,” Galea said.

“This was a useful experience and I would like to thank my sponsors Garmin Malta for assisting me in this trip.

“I think I spent too much time alone on the bike and this was a major drawback. The run was very demanding and the heat took its toll. I could not run at my usual pace.”

Galea’s sponsors are Garmin Malta, Starbene and BBB Bike Parts.