Żurrieq Wolves adopted smart tactics to successfully defend their title at the Athletics Malta Road Relay, held at Marsascala last Saturday.

This, their third road relay win on the trot, was so clinical that each runner on the four 5km sections posted times uncannily similar, with only six seconds separating their fastest, Joseph Saliba at 16 minutes eight seconds, from their slowest, Adrian Mifsud, on 16 minutes 14 seconds.

The other members of the team were Mario Grech at the start and Melvin Mifsud to bring up the rear. Both stopped the clock on 16 minutes nine seconds.

The first half of the race belonged to Pembroke Athleta, Mark Herrera getting them off to a brisk start and Drew Lang managing to keep their colours in front, albeit by a very narrow margin of two seconds at the end of the second leg.

Żurrieq only ‘lost’ the first leg to the fastest man of the afternoon, winning on time the following three to finish ahead at the end of the afternoon by an impressive 52 seconds, for a total time of one hour, four minutes and 40 seconds.

Pembroke were a comfortable second with Mellieħa Athletic Club coming in third, a position they held on to from the second leg onward.

Nine teams contested the men’s competition, with another four teams entering the women’s event. In this race, the St Patrick’s club dominated from start to finish with Joelle Cortis, the fastest woman on show, opening a 74-second lead after the first leg with her time of 18 minutes 41 seconds.

St Patrick’s went on to finish it off by registering a combined time of 1 hour, 15 minutes and 53 seconds. Second place was awarded to Żurrieq Wolves as unfortunately, both Mellieħa and the Ladies Running Club, mistakenly took wrong turnings and had to be disqualified.