Marhoum and Hadout cross the line together, Farley makes it four in a row, Laqouahi and Soud set new Half Marathon records
The 41st LifeStar Malta Marathon turned into a true celebration of sport for Malta, as 7,000 registered runners from 85 nations took part in the largest edition ever staged, transforming the route from Mdina to Sliema into an international showcase of road running. Broadcast live on TVM and, for the first time, also in Italy on TRM – TeleRadio del Mediterraneo with over three hours of dedicated coverage, the event delivered excitement, high-level performances and memorable moments.
“It has been an extraordinary edition,” said LifeStar Malta Marathon Race Director Joe Micallef. “Not only because of the record numbers, but also for the technical standard and the atmosphere along the entire course. Malta has once again demonstrated its ability to host an event of genuine international stature.”
The men’s marathon produced one of the most striking finishes in the history of the race, as Moroccan runners Bilal Marhoum and Mousaab Hadout crossed the finish line hand in hand, both officially credited with the same time of 2:17:04, with victory awarded to Marhoum. “Bilal and I train together,” Hadout explained after the race. “We supported each other throughout and decided to finish together. There is no first or second today, we are both winners.” Maltese runner Simon Spiteri secured third place in 2:24:28 in front of the home crowd, while course record holder Redouan Nouini, who set the mark of 2:13:18 in 2023, finished fourth in 2:27:31, leaving the record intact.
Among the notable finishers was British Paralympic champion Richard Whitehead, gold medallist at London 2012 and Rio 2016, who completed the race in 2:39:50, placing 31st overall and once again confirming his strength over the marathon distance.
In the women’s marathon, Scotland-born Malta resident Jemima Farley secured her fourth consecutive victory, crossing the line in 2:40:18. “I started strongly aiming for the course record, but it didn’t go as I had hoped,” Farley said. “I’m still very happy to have achieved a fourth straight win.” Morocco’s Sana Achahbar finished second in 2:42:22, followed by Germany’s Rebecca Robisch in 2:48:15. Poland’s Dominika Stelmach, one of the pre-race favourites, lost valuable time after taking a wrong turn and extending her race by several kilometres, eventually finishing fourth in 2:55:39. The first Maltese woman home was Jsann Attard Pulis, 11th overall in 3:06:53.
The most significant performances of the day came in the Half Marathon, where both course records were broken. In the men’s race, Morocco’s Hicham Laqouahi set a new course record of 1:02:10, improving on the long-standing mark of 1:02:50 set by Britain’s Mark Hudspith in 1995 and also establishing a new personal best. “It’s a beautiful but tough course,” Laqouahi said. “I want to thank the crowd for their great support. Congratulations to the organisers for the excellent organisation.” He was followed by Ben Enzahra Abdelkarim in 1:02:35 and 24-year-old British runner Charlie Brisley, who clocked a personal best of 1:02:39. Malta’s Dillon Cassar finished fourth in 1:04:57.
The women’s Half Marathon also produced a new record, with Morocco’s Oumaina Soud winning in 1:11:25 ahead of compatriot Fathia Asmid (1:12:36) and Romania’s Mihaela Robu (1:21:13).
The first Maltese finisher was Isaura Camilleri, sixth overall in 1:22:42, followed by Kimberley Formosa in seventh place in 1:24:10.
In the 5K race, Britain’s Alistair Steele claimed victory in 17:41 ahead of Christopher Steven (18:00), while Malta’s Zoen Muscat finished third in 18:49. In the women’s 5K, Hungary’s Edit Fil took first place in 18:34, followed by Grace Aurora Mostajo Deatkinson (21:44) and Malta’s Emma Grech (22:54).
Paolo Catalfamo, Chairman of LifeStar Holdings, highlighted the growth of the event: “Once again this has been an extraordinary edition. When we first decided to associate our name with the Malta Marathon there were just over 3,000 participants; today there are 7,000. It represents a significant growth journey that demonstrates the strength of the project and the race’s ability to establish itself on the international stage.”
Here below is the link with all the official results: https://maltamarathon.com/malta-marathon/malta-marathon-results/2026-lifestar-malta-marathon-results/
