Unfavourable weather conditions failed to impact the BRND WGN & University Ring Road Races, held last Sunday 13th March, with various course records being smashed. Over 370 people of all ages and abilities gathered at the University Athletics Track for the 5th Edition of what has become an annual event, making this a record number of participants. Individuals ranged from top competitive runners including the likes of Chartlon Debono and Josann Attard Pulis, as well as the less serious groups of families and friends just out to enjoy it and keep fit. Despite the various levels of runners, each was out to focus on one of the main aims of the event – that of running for a cause in order to raise funds for Hospice Malta.
The 5km saw Gozo Athletix’s Debono take the win, fresh from his win at the Malta Half Marathon. He crossed the line in 15:28 breaking the previous course record by nearly a minute. The French duo Benjamin Rouillon and Maxime Robaire took 2nd and 3rd place respectively. The female race saw a similar fate with Josann Attard Pulis of Starmax dominating in a new course record of 18:30, knocking an impressive 1-minute 50 off the previous time. She was followed by Tara Abdilla (La Salle AC) and Amanda Rapa (Starmax).
In the 2km race, Jean Claude Randon was successful in defending his title, finishing in a time of 6:30, seconds short of the course record he had set in the previous edition. Starmax’s Thomas Farrugia took second place overall, closely followed by youngster Thomas Woods from the Malta Youth Triathlon Academy who ran an impressive race considering he is only 11 years old. Starmax furthered their winning ways in the female section with Nicole Gatt taking the win in a time of 7:35, breaking the course record by a minute. Two young triathletes, Emilia Vella and Maria Schembri, placed 2nd and 3rd respectively.
The 5km relay event was also one for the books with Team XG, a group of runners all coached by Xandru Grech, winning the event unchallenged in a time of 15:03. Made up of Simon Spiteri, Dario Mangion, Mark Pace and Luke Mizzi, the team broke the previous record of 15:32. PwC Advisory were the first corporate team to cross the finish line.
An 800m children’s fun run was also held on the day with children as young as three determined to complete the 2 laps around the athletics track and get their finisher medal.
Apart from overall prizes, age group winners were awarded in the various races. A prize for the best fancy dress costume for both adult and child were also given out. This year also saw the first three corporate teams being presented with hampers in the relay races.
Murphy Runs for Hospice Malta – Target Reached
One of the main scopes of this event is to raise money for Hospice Malta. This year an online campaign was set up to encourage people to donate with the focus on running for a cause. MURPHY, the mysterious guy in the pink morph suit, built quite a reputation for himself by participating in both the Malta Half Marathon and the BRND WGN & University Ring Road Races. His efforts didn't go unnoticed and a total of €1,061 was raised this year for Hospice Malta through the online campaign. The actual amount which will be donated to Hospice Malta will be higher than this as it will also include half the proceeds from the races as well as the money collected on Sunday. The total amount to be donated will be announced shortly.
This year, the races were given a bit of a facelift having secured title sponsorship from BRND WGN. Johanna Galea, the face behind these races stated, “They are a crazy bunch of the most creative people you could imagine. We would like to thank them for their support throughout the entire race planning process. We would also like to thank Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club, Emergency Fire & Rescue Unit, San Gwann Scouts Group and the Hospice Malta volunteers for their support on the day as well as the numerous sponsors who all helped to make this possible. Everyone seemed to have a blast and we are already looking forward to the next edition of these races to be held on Sunday 12th March 2017.”