Amputee Noel Cacciottolo was yesterday among the 850 participants in an annual Christmas race from Mdina to Spinola, wheeling himself some of the way and walking past the finish line.

Spinola Bay burst into loud cheering yesterday as amputee Noel Cacciottolo and his brother-in-law Raniero Borg appeared around the corner wearing their Santa Claus gear.

The duo – Mr Cacciottolo wheeling himself and pushed at intervals by a running Mr Borg – made it from Mdina in 90 minutes during Malta’s second largest athletic event.

The men were two of the 850 participants in the 2015 Urban Jungle Mdina 2 Spinola Christmas Road Race. The athletes were all cheered on by a crowd waiting for them at the bay.

But Mr Cacciottolo, 58, and Mr Borg, 56, received a special welcome as by­standers broke into applause and took out their mobile phones to record a picture of their arrival.

Getting up from his wheelchair and using his prosthetic leg about 150 metres from the finish line, Mr Cacciottolo walked the rest of the course.

He told this newspaper he has been preparing for the race, with the help of his physiotherapists, for the past two months… and it will not be his last.

His brother-in-law Mr Borg said Mr Cacciottolo had already hinted that he would like to take part in the half marathon in February. Mr Borg, a diver for more than 30 years, started taking part in marathons after doing a race with his daughter Martina in 2011. Feeling he was “still fit, despite aged over 50”, he has been participating in races since then, including the Malta Marathon.

After walking with Mr Cacciottolo from Mellieħa to Senglea for the Good Friday Night Walk in aid of Puttinu Cares Foundation, and participating in the President's Solidarity Fun Run, Mr Borg urged Mr Cacciottolo to enrol in yesterday’s event.

Do not be discouraged. With a push here and a cheer there, you’ll make it

After they made it to the finish line, the two encouraged people in a similar situation as Mr Cacciottolo – an amputee for three years, who lost his leg to an illness – to take part in similar events.

“Do not be discouraged. With a push here and a cheer there, you’ll make it,” Mr Cacciottolo said when asked whether he had ever come close to giving up.

The result of the 10.8 mile Mdina-to-Spinola race was first recorded in 1979, with around 15 participants. The race between the two localities had been held before that but probably on a different route.

Joe Micallef, former runner and an organiser since 1982, said participation started picking up with the introduction of the Malta Marathon in 1986. A total of 43 people took part that year, and the numbers have kept growing ever since.

The challenge for athletes is to make it in under an hour – and seven did manage to beat that limit this year.