Characters of the Marathon

“It’s never too late to be who might you have been.”

They are George Eliot’s words rather than mine. Ten years ago, being then a police officer, the marathon for him would have meant waking up early to close off certain roads. This year, at 48 years of age, he will be waking up to run those closed roads. From the pavement, his wife and son will be cheering him. The luxuries of the five star Excelsior Hotel where he works as Security and Health & Safety Manager will be forgotten. His passion for Inter FC and country music will be put on hold, and it would be all about himself and his quest to call himself a marathoner.

Sam, I assume that you started running rather late in life. How did running enter your life?

I only started running 8 years ago when I was already 40. I took up this sport by chance. It’s funny really, I recall doing roadblocks with my police colleagues. At one point a suspect started running and I chased after him. I was able to run for a few meters but I had to stop as I ran out of breath. It was then that I realised that I had to do some form of physical activity, and here I am, from a 20 minutes slow jog to a full marathon.

Do you remember your first race and how you felt about it?

My first race was on 2nd October 2004 when I did the 5KM St Vincent De Paul race. Obviously I was so excited before the race. I remember that in the last kilometre, I had to stop walking for a minute as I was out of breath. The uphill was too much for me. I managed to finish the race in 23m18s.

How many half marathons have you done, and what is your pb?

So far I did five half marathons in Malta and two abroad, one in Rotterdam in 2005 and one in Edinburgh last year. My personal best was achieved in Edinburgh. I finished the race in 1hr27m45s.

Any particular one of these half marathons (or any other race) that is still etched in your mind?

The first half marathon is always exciting. It was held way back in 2005. I used to train alone taking tips from marathon articles from magazines. I finished this race in 1hr35m58s. Another race which is still etched in my mind is the MAAA 10km race which was held at Marsascala on the 17th April, 2011. I was in good shape and my personal best before this race was 40m32s. I was aiming to finish the race in sub 40m. I ran the last KM in 3m37s to reach my goal however I managed to finish the race in 40m3s!

Do you see the marathon as a natural progression? How did you come to the decision to do the full marathon?

It is a challenge for me. I am not getting younger and now was the time to decide. After finishing seven half marthons in 3 different countries, I wanted at all cost to prepare myself for the full marathon. Why not? I was encouraged by most of the Mellieha athletes. Finally, I had the green light from our coach Has Kesra

Preparing for the marathon must be at least half the battle. What has been the best thing during your training?

Yes I have been preparing for the full marathon for months now. You have to be concentrated even during training sessions especially the long runs. I also give importance to what I eat. I try to eat healthy as much as possible. My best thing during my training sessions were my colleagues. Thier encouregment and advice kept me going.

And the hardest?

The hardest thing is the weather. I hate running in the rain and lately it was almost raining all the time. I find it hard to wake up early before work to go running. I usually run after work at 18.30hrs.

How much is the word ‘marathon’ is dominating your thoughts? Psychologically how are you coping?

I am thinking about it all the time. Am I going to finish the race? In what time? Psychologically I am coping very well. When I am running with the Mellieha athletes, we try to encourage each other and that makes me look forward for the race. I cannot wait for the big day. Right now I am imagining myself at the finish line with my hands in the air.

Any persons you would like to thank for support during this journey of yours?

First of all I would like to thank my wife for her support. She patiently waits for me to eat, to talk and takes on all our family needs. I am really greatful for that. I also like to thank all Mellieha athletes especially Joe Farrugia. We train together twice a week and he was very influential in my decision to do the full marathon. Last but not least, a big thanks goes to our coach Has Kesra. In the last 18 months , under his guidance, I managed to do no less then 9 PB in all competions.