Luke Micallef of AC Pembroke continued his dominance in the National Mountain Running Championships, securing his seventh consecutive title with a new course record time of 18 minutes and 23 seconds. The championships, now in their 12th edition, were held in Bingemma and organised by Athletics Malta in collaboration with the Mġarr Local Council.
The challenging 5.6km course featured a 139-metre continuous climb and a 35-metre descent, starting from Binġemma in Mġarr and finishing at Kunċizzjoni in Rabat, one of the highest points in Malta at 240 metres above sea level.
Micallef shaved seven seconds off his own course record set last year. Aidan Tanti of Evolve AC, currently enjoying a strong road running season, placed second in 19:27. Tommy Wallbank of Mellieha AC followed in third with a time of 19:47.
In the women’s race, Isaura Camilleri of Żurrieq claimed her first national title with a time of 24:32. Francesca Arrigo from the Ladies Running Club came second in 27:06, while Alexia Zammit of AS Libertas completed the podium in 28:15.
This race also served as a selection event for the World Mountain Running Championships, which will take place in Canfranc, Catalonia this September.
