Running in Malta

Malta is a small island nation situated exactly in the middle of the Mediterranean - so, literally, it's in the middle of the middle of the earth, although it's only we Maltese who consider it to be that way... :-) It's not very large, and that's putting it mildly. The main island is about 40 km long by 20 wide, so if you're an average long distance runner you could easily run from one end to the other.

But what Malta lacks in size, it makes up for it in quality! To begin with, it's a fun place to stay, with long warm and dry summers, and mild winters. There are lots of beaches, a spectacular coastline, diving, a beautiful smaller 'sister' island called Gozo, churches, museums, palaces, fortifications, country walks, night entertainment spots, culture and a history going back thousands of years. And you could run there the whole year round.

Malta has a lively running community, with about 8 very active running clubs and 20 annual road running events, including a full marathon, three half marathons, and various 10km events and other fun runs spread out over the whole year.

If you haven't ever been there it would be a good idea try it out for your next holiday. If you're a runner you have a good probability of chancing upon one of the many road races dotted all over the island throughout the year. You would certainly be most welcome to join the many local enthusiasts on any of these events.

When would be the best time to visit? How about...

January

We are at the peak of the Maltese winter, but you could easily run at any time of the day. Temperatures range from 5 degrees Celsius at night to 16 degrees in the afternoon. You could get magnificent days of sunny weather, but we also have our fair share of stormy weather. This could mean a maximum of nine degrees at the worst, rain, wind, but never any snow. Not too bad for January!

Main running event: MAAA Bugibba 10K – mid-January, flat course The race starts at a seaside tourist resort in the north of Malta, and is an out-and-back rather flat loop along the north-eastern Maltese coastline.

February

As in January, you could easily run at any time of the day. Temperatures range from seven degrees celsius at night to eighteen degrees in the afternoon.  the first signs of spring may start to show.  You could get magnificent days of sunny weather, but February is also notorious for its wintry spells.
 
For Maltese runners, February is when we have our big day – Marathon Day close to the end of the month. This is the biggest event of Maltese athletics. It has been held annually since 1986, attracts about 1000 runners in total between the half and the full marathon.

Both events are held on the same day. The full marathon starts at 8 am, and the half starts 2 hours later. Both races start at the western town of Rabat, run through a number of towns and villages, and finish at Sliema, which is at sea level on the other side of Malta. In this country we think nothing of running all the way from one end to the other!

The first 3 km of the marathon are slightly uphill, but the general atmosphere of enthusiasm makes one tend to disregard this fact. From then on it’s mainly downhill, with just an easy uphill at 19 km and another rather tough patch at 37 km. There is an overall descent of 200 metres from start to finish. This and the fact that the field is not too crowded make this marathon quite a fast one.

The half marathon has the same amount of descent, and is really fast! It goes downhill all the way from the start to 13 km, and stays flat until the finish except for a slight hump starting at the 16 km mark.

A word about the weather. Except for 1987, all editions of the Malta Marathon/Half Marathon were carried out in near-perfect conditions – maybe a fresh breeze sometimes, but nothing really annoying, and a temperature of about 18 degrees. Every year we expect an end to this lucky streak, but each time we are able to enjoy a great day of good running in fine weather!
 
March - April - May
 
Spring is definitely the best time for running in Malta. The temperatures are still cool (maximum generally in the 20s), the hours of daylight are long, and rain is quite rare. March also heralds the beginning of a series of races with one common characteristic: hills.
 
Dingli 10 - 19th March - 16 km hilly loop - Dingli is the village situated at the highest spot in Malta (250 metres above sea level). The race starts with a loop around the village and then descends for some 6 km. From here on it’s only through country roads which go uphill most of the way. If you can spare the effort, you may admire typical Maltese countryside up to the 12th km, and then take in the spectacular view at Dingli Cliffs for the final 3 km. But it might be a better idea to admire the view after the race...
 
Pembroke 10 km – end March or early April – hilly too - Another Sunday morning race. This goes up and down, and up and down, and up and down. You have to be good at hills to do well in this one.
 
Gozo Half Marathon – last Sunday in April - so hilly! This is held in conjunction with the Gozo 8 miles (13 km).
 
Gozo is Malta’s ‘sister’ island, situated to the north and boasting all of 10 km by 6 km across. It’s a gem of a place; I love going there, I really do!
 
You have to take a ferryboat to get to Gozo. It’s not expensive, and the trip is part of the fun. Starting at 9:30 am, the race takes you down a sharp incline for the first 2 km, and then the hills start. The route is a loop, and therefore net change in altitude is zero. However, you waste all the advantage of the ‘high’ altitude start during those first 2 km. From then onwards, it’s one hill after another. The maxim that enables me to get through this challenge is “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. There’s a long downhill stretch after the 16th km, in preparation for the final sting – a 1.5 km hill ending at the finish. I only ever manage to keep going up this final stretch precisely because the finish is within close reach.

This half marathon runs through some of the island’s most scenic spots, but is definitely not for the faint hearted. I love it!

A shorter version of this race starts from the same spot at the same time. It’s a smaller loop, and avoids some of the toughest parts of the half marathon route, except for the inevitable final ‘sting’ – perhaps more tolerable after just 11 km.
 
Mellieħa 10km - on a Sunday morning early in May - Mellieħa is the northernmost town of the main island of Malta. It's situated on top of a hill, and is surrounded by wonderful views of countryside, coastline, and the island of Gozo towards the north. It's a beautiful town, and the views may be appreciated from many spots along the route, that is, if you have any energy left to appreciate them, as this one's another undulating, hilly affair.
 
June

The days are heating up in earnest. Hours of daylight are from 5 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and the maximum now hovers around the 30 degree mark. From now on the best time to run is before 10 a.m. or after 5 p.m. The hours in between are too hot, and the best way to spend these hours is at the seaside (with repeated and generous spreads of high factor sun block), visiting some of Malta’s many interesting historical places, or aboard a cruise boat.

Qormi 10K – undulating loop – 7 June - this race has the added attraction of a pasta party included in the price. Qormi is a bustling low-lying town in the centre of Malta. The course rises steadily but not too steeply for a good 5 km, then dips down a small valley and rises sharply up a rather tough hill. The last 2 km are downhill, providing what is probably the fastest finish of all road races in Malta.The rest of the year will be uploaded soon. It's time to go to bed!

Olympic Day Run - approx 10km - late June - this informal run celebrates the Olympic movement, and is held in conjunction with many other countries around the world. The route of this run, which traditionally heralds the beginning of our long, hot summer, is about 8 to 10km long, and is hardly ever the same. More than anything else it's a fun event, with participants acquiring a commemorative tee-shirt and a certificate signed by the President of the International Olympic Committee.

July - August

The Maltese summer is hot and humid. It’s OK if you’re on holiday and can afford to stay up late at night and sleep it off during the day; but those who have to work through these torrid months are not so keen about it! The evenings are very pleasant, however. Early evening walks, dining ‘al fresco’ and late-night partying are among the favourite pastimes of the season. These, in addition to the daytime activities suggested for June, make Malta very popular for summer holidays.

As regards running, this has to be done either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Any time in between is a no-no, otherwise you'll risk getting heat stroke. A good idea is to go out for a 45-minute run and follow it up with a dip in the sea.

Marsascala 10K  – rather hilly loop – an early Sunday morning in mid-July. Marsascala is a seaside resort with a sandy beach in the south of Malta. The race starts next to the beach, goes inland through country roads amid agricultural land, and undulates back down to the beach. It's hot at this time of the year, and apart from drinking lots of water before, during and after the race, the best idea would be to jump into the sea right after the end of the run!

St Julian’s 10K – one sharp hill – last Tuesday in August. A bus takes all runners from St Julian’s to the start at Kennedy Grove. At 7 p.m. we start running back along the eastern panoramic coast road. It’s a pleasant run during which you can watch holidaymakers enjoying themselves on the beach, with the holidaymakers staring back. It’s hard to avoid hills in Malta, and this race has got its very own one at the 7th km. After this rather tough rise it’s downhill to the finish. Drink lots of water before, during and after this run.

September

Summer is still far from over, except that we get the occasional downpour, the daylight hours are a bit shorter, and the beaches become a bit less crowded. Otherwise, conditions are not very much different from July and August.

Ladies Running Club 6 Miles (9.6K) – Friday mid-September – undulating loop. You don’t need to be a lady to run this one! This race traditionally marks the start of the autumn season as far as running is concerned. The race, starting at 6 p.m. (“sharp” the Ladies like to stress), is run in a large loop around an old disused airfield. It goes down for the first 5 km, and up for most of the second part. The gradients are not steep, but you had better be careful not to waste all your energy in the fast first half. I like this race, but I like all the others too... :-)

October

It’s starting to cool down, but we’re still far from pulling out the winter clothes yet! In fact, I consider this month to be part of Malta's long drawn out summer. The sea is still warm and so is the air. The crowds have gone home, the beaches have been cleaned by the first autumn storms and are gloriously empty! It is definitely the best time to have a relaxing time at the beach in Malta. Moreover, running times are no longer restricted to early morning and late afternoon, but beware of running at peak sunshine hours, as these can still be quite hot.

St Patrick's AC Gudja 8K - Saturday afternoon, early October - flat loop. Being a flat course, this makes for a very fast race, hosted by a small quiet village that also hosts the St Patrick's AC club house.

Ghajn Tuffieha 10K – Saturday afternoon late October. The race starts and ends close to a popular sandy beach at the NW of Malta. The runners cross over to the other coast 5 km away and run back. It’s very hard to avoid some hill or other over a 10 km stretch of road in Malta, and this race is no exception!
 
November
 
Malta's very own Indian summer is called Is-sajf ta' San Martin (St Martin’s summer). The temperatures are in the lower twenties, and the weather alternates between stormy and heavenly. The days of fine weather are perfect for a dip in the still warm sea. Running in Malta during November is a most pleasurable experience at any time of the day.

International Malta Challenge Marathon - a marathon spread over 3 days in late November

I consider this to be more than a simple race – it’s more like a road running festival. This is definitely one of the main attractions of the Maltese running calendar. It’s very well organised and consists of three races held on 3 consecutive days, Friday to Sunday, with distances adding up to a full marathon, 42.2 km.

The Friday event starts at 3 p.m. from Rabat. This is an 11.2-km loop going out to Dingli Cliffs and back to Rabat. Of course, one has to tackle a couple of hills along the way!
On Saturday morning there is the shortest stage of 6 km at the southern beach resort of Birzebbuga. It’s a 3-km rise into the countryside followed by a downhill return. The short distance tempts one to go fast, but be careful to reserve a lot of energy for the big run which comes the following day.
Sunday’s run starts early, and goes 25 km from the tourist resort of Qawra in the NE, all along the eastern coast road up to and skirting the Maltese capital, Valletta. This is a tough run, with three nasty hills at10 km, 22 km, and (the final sting) at 24 km.
Train well for this event. It’s tough, but all successful finishers will feel like real heroes!

Zurrieq Half Marathon – Sunday morning mid-November – undulating loop


A tour of several country villages which surround the southern town of Zurrieq. Most of this route undulates easily through various country roads, with a couple of sharp inclines and a particularly challenging finish. On the whole this is a pleasant and scenic race, containing a strong international element and a pasta night thrown in for good measure.

December

Malta usually slides into winter very gradually. The transition occurs during this month. The days are colder, but it’s still very tolerable, with the maximum generally between 15 and 19 degrees. There's the occasional storm in between days of good weather, and, unless it’s raining heavily, it’s PERFECT for running.


Mdina-Spinola – 17.4 km, mostly downhill – 8 a.m. last Sunday before Christmas

Casual and informal, this qualifies as one of my very favourite races in Malta. It starts at Rabat, from exactly the same spot as the February Malta Marathon and the November Challenge. It’s downhill for most of the first 12 km, and flattish until the end. This very fast run goes through a number of main roads, but traffic is very well controlled by the Police.

Maqluba 10K – undulating loop – Saturday afternoon in early December
This race is organised by the Malta Amateur Athletics Association. It runs mostly through rural areas in the South, undulating quite sharply in the first 4 km, flattening out for 3 km, followed by a longish uphill stretch and ending in a very fast downhill sprint. This race is quite tough because of all the undulations and the competitive spirit which makes the athletes run as fast as their legs (and lungs) can take them!

Birkirkara 5K – 13 December in Malta is a holiday - Republic Day. Many of us take this morning race as a ‘quality’ training session while preparing for the upcoming February marathon. It’s a fast flat run out and back along one of Malta's main arterial roads - completely cleared of traffic for the occasion.