Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/637230
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2016 Sport 54 ATHLETICS Malta International Challenge Marathon passes baton to Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club BIRKIRKARA St. Joseph Sports Club, which celebrated forty years of sport in 2015, has taken over the baton of the Malta In- ternational Challenge Marathon marking a new chapter since its inception back in 1991. For the past twenty-five years, the Malta International Chal- lenge Marathon, the brainchild of Barry Whitmore, has been Malta's only multiday race, a sta- ple event on the Maltese athletic calendar, attracting locals and foreigners alike. Spread over a period of three consecutive days, athletes cover a distance which measures exactly 42.195km. This race has attracted well known local athletes such as Keith Galea, Jonathan Balzan, Brian Magri, Andrew Grech, Charlton Debono, Joe Pace, Joe- lle Cortis, Josann Attard Pulis, Carol Walsh and Carmen Hili as well as David Mansbridge from England to mention a few. The introduction of relay teams saw a new inf lux of runners who wanted to be part of this event but not necessarily wanting to cover the marathon distance. The increase in interest and participation saw race founder Barry Whitmore feel the need to pass on the helm to Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club who have garnered years of experience in race organization and whose ex- perience could lead to this event becoming even more prominent on the map of world marathon running. The Club has announced some further changes to the structure of this race which will make the race accessible to wider spec- trum of athletes without the need of them taking part in the full marathon distance yet at the same time enabling them to compete in standard and offi- cially recognised distances. "We acknowledge the fact that running a marathon is not eve- ryone's cup of tea, however we appreciate the interest this race generates in the athletic com- munity thus we felt it appropri- ate to make changes which will encourage more athletes to be part of this event, the one of its kind in Malta" said Ray Grech, President of Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club. "Barry Whitmore has created an original event and has put in a lot of energy and effort into it since its inception and we at the Club feel a huge re- sponsibility to grow and develop this race further". As of 2016, the Malta Interna- tional Challenge Marathon will see a change in distances cov- ered per day as well as a global change in race venues. The Mar- athon will kick off on Friday 25th November with a 10 mile (16k) race to be held in Siggiewi, the next stage held on Saturday 26th November in Marsascala con- sisting of a 5k race and the third and final leg will be a 21km (half marathon) race on Sunday 27th November in Bugibba. Athletes can sign up for the full distance, or any of the three distances in- dividually or as a relay team of three with each member of the team undertaking one day each. "After careful consideration, I felt the need to pass on the baton to an organization that can help grow what was incepted twenty- five years ago. This race has a lot of potential for growth and I feel that Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club has the necessary expertise and structure to do this", said Barry Whitmore, Founder of the Malta International Challenge Marathon. "I am thoroughly grateful to all those who over the past twenty-five years have contributed toward the success of this Race from athletes, vol- unteers, officials and authori- ties." Barry Whitmore will be join- ing the organizing team which is currently finalizing details prior to the official launch of 2016 Malta International Challenge Marathon. Athletes line up for the start of Malta International Challenge Marathon Isinbayeva's comeback thwarted by injury DOUBLE Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isin- bayeva's return to competition was frustrated by a leg injury on Saturday when she had to drop out of the Russian Grand Prix in her home city of Volgograd. Isinbayeva, Olympic champion in 2004 and 2008, had been due to return to competition for the first time since the birth of her daughter in June 2014. "I really hate to disappoint people but today when I was warming up I felt a sharp pain while making a jump and I understood that if I continued to jump I could tear a muscle," Isinbayeva, 33, told the All Sport news agency. "It's an old injury in my Achilles tendon in my lead- off leg," she added. The Russian, who won gold at the Moscow world championships in her last appearance in August 2013, said she would now head to Munich for a scan. Isinbayeva's chances of competing in the Rio de Ja- neiro Olympics in August were hit when Russia was suspended from world athletics last November fol- lowing allegations of widespread and state-sponsored doping in a report by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The new head of Russia's Athletics Federation Dmit- ry Shlyakhtin said after his election last month that his top priority was to get the country's athletes to the Rio Games. Double Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva