Moroccan runners dominated the Malta Marathon with Marhoum Bilal and Mosaab Hadout taking the top two positions in the full marathon, while their compatriot Hicham Laqouahi won the half marathon in record time.
The annual race attracted a record participation of over 7,000 athletes who took the starting line in beautiful weather, although the windy conditions made it tricky for the runners in various sections of the race.
Laqouahi stole the headlines when he set a new course record on his way to victory, clocking a time of one hour, two minutes, and eight seconds. The previous best was 1:02.50.
His fellow compatriot Abdelkarim Ben Enzahra was second in 1:02.34, while Briton Charlie Brisley completed the podium in 1:02.38.
Dillon Cassar speaking to the Times of Malta. Video: Chris Sant Fournier
Dillon Cassar was the first Maltese runner home when completing the distance in 1:04.56.
“This is a great result for me,” Cassar said.
“This race forms part of my preparation for many upcoming races. I am very happy with my race time, particularly given the fact that I was running alone for long stretches of the race, and the windy conditions made it even more difficult.
“These are normal conditions for us, sometimes we find ourselves in worse conditions, but the most important thing is that you keep pushing till the end.”
Women’s marathon winner Jemima Farley gives her first reaction.
The women’s race saw another Moroccan runner securing overall honours as Saoud Oumaima stroll home in 1:11.24 ahead of fellow compatriot Asmid Fathia (1:12.35) while Romania’s Mihaela Robu was third in 1:21.11.
The Moroccan duo dominated the race from start to finish, as right from the starting line at the Mdina Gate in Rabat, they were at the head of the pack.
A delighted Roderick Cilia speaks after his fine performance in the full marathon.
Once leaving Ta’ Qali, Hadout and Bilal started to move clear of the pack, and from then on, they were running together until the finish line.
As the finish line approached, Hadout and Bilal held hands to cover the distance in 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 3 seconds.
Hadout and Bilal were visibly delighted with their result.
“I am very happy with the race today, it’s a beautiful course and I am really grateful to be here,” Bilal said.
“The weather was very nice, even though the race made it a bit difficult for us particular in the final kilometres where the win made it tough for us. But I am really grateful for the result in my first participation here at the Malta Marathon.”
On his part, Hadout said that their preparations for the race was not easy, particularly since they had started Ramadan, which puts a lot of restrictions on their nutrition.
“I am very pleased with our performance,” Hadout said.
“Me and Marhoum Bilal race the race together, continuously helping each other and I am so pleased we could finish the race together.
“Preparation was tough given that we have started Ramadan, but we managed to overcome all the problems during the race, and we are pleased.”
Simon Spiteri crossed the finish line in third place with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 26 seconds, which is the fastest time ever run by a Maltese athlete in the race.
Spiteri suffered an issue during the race when he was given incorrect directions by race officials, but still finished third overall. However, after the race, he revealed that he asked the race organisers to be disqualified as he had run a shorter distance.
“I’m proud of the effort and performance delivered today, especially one week after another full marathon,” Spiteri wrote on his social media.
“It was a tough race and I gave everything from start to finish.
“During the race, however, I was unfortunately directed off route by a race marshal/local warden. I specifically asked which way to go and was instructed accordingly. A few metres later, another marshal also confirmed that direction, believing I was on the correct course.
“After a few kilometres, I began to realise something wasn’t right as my GPS was no longer aligning with official kilometre markers. By that point, valuiable time and distance had already been affected.
“At the finish, I spoke directly with the race organisers to explain what had happened, as I felt it was important to clarify the situation.
“I asked Joe Micallef to disqualify me from the race. These situations are unfortunate and part of sport, but I remain proud of today’s performance.”
Roderick Cilia placed fifth overall in the race and the Żurrieq Wolves runner could not hide his emotions.
“It’s a dream come true for me,” Cilia said.
“To be able to complete a marathon is already a great achievement and to achieve a great result is the cherry on the cake.
“At the moment, I am not looking much at the results; I am so pleased with my final time. Last year, I completed the distance in 2:38.06; this year I made 2:35.46. To lower the time by more than two minutes is a fantastic result.”
In the women’s race, Jemima Farley was the overall winner when she completed the race in a time in 2:40.16.
For Farley, this was her third successive victory in the race, and the Malta-based runner was very pleased with her performance.
“This was the fourth time I won the race but definitely this was the hardest,” Farley told the Times of Malta.
“There were many instances during the race were I struggled and thought to drop out but I kept fighting and I am so pleased with the final result.
“The wind made it life difficult for us today so I am very pleased with the result.”
