Kayaker Chris Camilleri this week smashed all national records by completing a trip around the island, covering 75 kilometres in just seven hours.
While Mr Camilleri had first taken up kayaking some 15 years ago and was an avid athlete, he only made up his mind to try the challenge in December, giving him just six months to train.
“I took on the challenge because I wanted to raise awareness about the importance of marine protected areas. The sea is all that we have and if we lose that, then the country will suffer a great loss,” Mr Camilleri told the Times of Malta.
The sea is all that we have and if we lose that, then the country will suffer a great loss
He started off the trip round Malta at around 6.30am from Spinola Bay, re-entering the St Julian’s Bay seven hours later.
On the training regime leading up to the feat, Mr Camilleri said that he trained three to four times a week, with an additional gruelling session every three weeks.
Of course I wanted to break the record but I never expected to break it by over an hour and a half.- Chris Camilleri
While the kayaker had set a tentative date for the challenge, monitoring the weather closely, he only decided on a fixed day a week ago. “I felt well-prepared for the last six weeks and so last week I decided that I would just get it done,” Mr Camilleri.
While his main reason for taking the challenge was to raise awareness about protecting marine areas, Mr Camilleri admitted that breaking the record was something he was extremely proud of.
“I was speechless. Of course I wanted to break the record but I never expected to break it by over an hour and a half,” he said. The previous record was eight hours and half.
He went on to add that he hoped the challenge would also help get his message to the authorities in order to ensure that the sea is adequately protected.
“As I kayaked around Malta I was mesmerised by the beauty of the sea and how clear and clean it was. I hope that this challenge will serve to help keep it this way,” Mr Camilleri said.
The feat in figures
Average speed: 9.9 km/h
Average moving speed: 10.1 km/h
Maximum speed: 17km/h
Total: 7 hours 40 seconds
Moving time: 6 hours 50 minutes 12 seconds
Elapsed time: 7 hours 1 minute 16 seconds
Calories burnt: 7,518