(From left) Charles Cilia (left), Ivan Rozhnov and Carmen Hili hold the Maltese flag with the Zermatt mountain in the background.

A group of long-distance runners recently represented Malta in the 14th European Mountain Championship in Porto Moniz, Madeira and the 12th World Long Distance Mountain Running Champion-ships in Switzerland.

At the European Champion-ships in Madeira, the senior men’s race consisted of a scenic ascent of 1,250m – from a sandy beach up to the peak of a nearby mountain – covering a total distance of 11.85kms.

For promising athlete Matthew Rota (AS Libertas), third in the National Championships, this was his first ever international experience competing against a very strong field of established runners from various countries.

Rota completed the course in 1:36.08 to finish 66th overall, a fine showing in his first international mountain race.

In the women’s event, participants had to run up a continuous ascent of 850 metres for a total distance of 8.25kms.

Angele Sammut (Mellieħa AC), Malta mountain running champion in 2013, produced a gutsy performance to place 47th in 66:52, beating four athletes from Turkey, Ireland and Russia.

Tara Abdilla (La Salle), the current national champion, was just two seconds behind Sammut, securing a creditable 48th position overall.

On the same day, Malta was represented for the very first time at the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships (42.2km).

Charles Cilia (Agones) and Carmen Hili (St Patrick’s AC) lived up to the challenge as they con-quered the Zermatt mountain, covering a full marathon distance of 42.2km in hot temperatures, starting at an elevation of 1,000m and finishing at 2,560m with a dislevelling of 2,500m.

Cilia finished the gruelling race in 4 hours 8 minutes to place 44th overall while Hili completed hers in 4 hours 48 mins.

Hili was classified 52nd in the overall standings and third in her age category.

The two Maltese athletes beat competitors from no fewer than 15 other countries, including established mountain running nations such as Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia and also Austria.

The Maltese team in Madeira was spearheaded by chef-de-mission Gerald Grech, chairman of the Malta Mountain Running Sub-Committee, while Ivan Rozhnov, Athletics Malta’s long distance and cross-country co-ordinator, accompanied the athletes in Zermatt.

The Maltese athletes were supported by the Perskindol Malta (NM Arrigo) sponsorship.

Meanwhile, a time-trial uphill race will be held at Binġemma on August 11, starting at 7pm.

The event doubles up as selection for the next World Mountain Running Championships in Wales.