This year, the advent of a new season for Athletics Malta has taken on a very sad turn.

The sudden passing away of John Walsh, which shocked so many of us, has left a void the direct effects of which will be getting pronounced the more the weeks roll on and reach the Malta Marathon.

With three organised road races already over, the focus now turns to the Road Running League, due to commence with the 5km route at Siġġiewi on October 22.

Jonathan Balzan, winner of the LRC 10km and the current MAAA champion, looks set to continue with his dominance.

Meanwhile, Aaron Mifsud, a relative newcomer with loads of promise, bagged the Attard 10km while Jason Martin won the St Vincent de Paule Running Group event.

Both look forward to a successful season, their promise auguring an interesting league.

Reference to these three athletes should not demean other valid runners, however, particularly the ones of champion club Żurrieq Wolves. Last season, they demonstrated to all their in-depth strength when landing no fewer than a strong foursome in the top ten in the final classification.

In fact, this season should prove to be an even bigger challenge for the team honours, with Mellieħa AC, Pembroke Athleta and the largest club in this sector, St Patrick’s AC, all capable of making the team title their own.

Among the women, Lisa Marie Bezzina can be expected to continue with her excellent performances, on the tail of her champion-ship success and her best ever results in the GSSE.

In teams, it will be difficult ousting St Patrick’s, who have a lot of talent in their fold.

However, this should all be speculation because the five encounters of the league span over five months, with the Żurrieq Half, the Challenge, the M2S and the Malta Marathon all wedged in between and likely to have a direct effect on the final outcome.