Fabio Spiteri is renowned for embarking on what many people see as impossible ultramarathon races.
Last year, the veteran athlete reconfirmed his status as Malta’s finest ultra-marathon athlete when completing two Deca races, one in France and the other in Taiwan.
This year, Spiteri is bidding to go well beyond the imagination when, on May 1, he embarks on the biggest challenge of his career when he competes in a Double Deca in Brazil.
Only eight athletes have registered to take part in this demanding race and Spiteri is bidding to become the 33rd person to finish this race in the history of the sport.
That goes a long way to show how difficult a Double Deca is.
In practice, the participants will be asked to swim 76 kilometres which is equivalent to swimming around Malta.
Then they will embark on a 3,600km bike segment, which is equal to cycling around Sicily four times.
If that is not enough, they will then put on their running shoes and go on an 844-kilometre run, which is equivalent to one loop around Sicily.
Spiteri described this latest challenge as an unknown trajectory, but is relishing the challenge.
“This challenge is a bit on an unknown trajectory,” Spiteri told Times of Malta.
“I am facing the prospect of competing for 20-21 days in a row, during which I will be swimming the longest distance in any race of 74 kilometres, cycling for 3,600km and run 24km, one leg after each other.
“It’s a daunting challenge but I have trained really well for it and we will be only eight athletes from around the world to compete in it, and hopefully everyone will manage to reach the finish line.”
Spiteri said his main goal was to finish the race.
“The main goal has to be to finish the race; if I manage to do a good time, it will be a bonus,” he said.
“Given the long distances I will be on, it’s natural that there will be some issues cropping up, and I will have to see how I can manage them and keep going.
“I have been in sport for 30 years and in 2024 I did my first deca race, while last year I did two in the space of two months to see if my body is capable of surviving two races of that kind.
“I have always loved to embark on endurance challenges; it has become my profession. I don’t take my health for granted, and I know that time will come when I will be too old and fragile to take on these challenges. But until that time comes, I will continue to go through my limits.”
Looking closely at the challenge, Spiteri admitted he will have to take many precautions to safeguard his body throughout his Double Deca challenge.
“It’s going to be a big challenge from the start,” he said.
“Swimming 76km in a 50m pool is tough, and if the water is cold during the night, I might have to move out of the pool and take some hot showers and eat soup to keep my body temperature in good shape.
“I expect two days of swimming and I will have to see if I will have some issues with my shoulder and then I will have ten days of continuous running on a very long distance.
“Another area of concern is whether my body will be able to digest the food well and the lack of sleep as I’m planning to rest for only four hours every day… so it’s just to wait and see.”
Spiteri said his main objective for this challenge is to once again raise funds for animal shelters.
Last year, he managed to collect a record €110,500 and this time around he is hoping to break that mark and is appealing to the public for their generosity for this noble cause.
“I have two big passions in my life, sports and raising funds for animals,” Spiteri said.
“I have launched Project 100, and everyone who wishes to donate can go on my facebook page and look out for the numbers to see where to send their donations.
“From 2017 till today I managed to collect over €400,000, and last year I managed to raise a record sum of €110,500.
“My main goal is to raise a bigger sum so that I can surpass the half-a-million-euro sum. All the proceeds will go to all the animal shelters and sanctuaries around Malta and Gozo and I hope everyone will help me reach this very important goal.”
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