Malta Marathon - Race Reviews

I would recommend this race, even though on the day it was blowing a gale, which just happened to be a head wind! On any other day it would have been a good P.B course.. but the wind was too much.. but nothing you can do about that! The transport to the start was well organised, and there were plenty of toilets!!! It was a beautiful course.. starting at one of the higher points of the islands, and had lots of downhills, but in the middle a few tricky 'hills'. Then with 15K to go, we joined up with the 1/2 marathon, which was good in a way to be running with more people, but then you did get held up a bit by the slower runners. The organisation was great for a small marathon, apart from the finish, which was incredibly crowded and nobody seemed to know where anything was. But overall a great experience, and I will be doing it again.

Excellent organisation. Great starting point but I sincerely don't like the stretch in Mriehel in between the Industrial Estate. Not pleasant for the locals let alone for foreigners. It would have been nicer if distance is gained by going down to Valletta and continue along the coast. Traffic needs to be controlled better. Please warn the ladies not to wear any perfume ... it was disgusting having to inhale perfume while running. Couldn't avoid her! Finishing line was great and atmosphere was an exciting one.

Breathtaking views. The course winds down from the center peak of the island of Malta to the coast. Well organized, well supplied stations and a great crowd at the end.

Was pleasantly suprised by this one. Course is a good challenge, especially at this stage of the season, with the first 16km pretty much downhill, then the next 10km rolling uphill and then remaining kms rolling down to the coast (although with the odd hill thrown in). Love that they start the half marathon later and then route the full marathon to join up with the half, giving the marathon runner a chance to finish in a big crowd. excellent organisation too and would recommend the bus transfer to the start.

I really enjoyed this race, although I overcooked it by getting carried away by the exhilarating downhills. There are a few uphills, including a long drag at about 18K, I think. This was into a stiff headwind too; running down to the coast meant you were into the wind for quite a lot of the race. I'm not sure why there were previous comments about the road surface. It was fine. Overall, it's a very quick race with good PB potential. Organization was excellent: lots of pre-race information on the website and by email, very efficient number pick up, bus transfer available, etc. Traffic was managed perfectly by the police en route and marked enthusiastically by scouts with flags. An excellent race. I just wish I'd had longer on Malta to enjoy the sunshine!

A lot of people here are complaining about exhaust fumes; but it's an island, and traffic is not very busy! I found the views going down from the top to be good, and towards the end there was a lot of history to observe. It's a pleasant run. It starts cool and then heats up, but the temperature is pleasant. I would recommend it again to anyone who wants a PB - especially if they are training in between the tropics

I have done a lot of marathons. There were not a great deal of supporters, but there were plenty of marshals who offered great help.

I participated in the half marathon, and on the whole, it was a brilliant experience. I raced with my best buddy and both of us ran PB's! We both slashed 7 minutes off of our best half-marathon times. And Margaret won her age group! It's not all downhill; we found the first hill in the first 2 minutes of running! The route was very good. Okay, the Maltese roads are not the best, but hey, we train on just as bad, in rush hour traffic, breathing in lorry fumes, etc., because we have to fit it around out working lives!! The scenery was beautiful and the few spectators that were along the route were all cheering and offering jelly babies! The 3 Brass Bands along route were a good boost just as you started to slow down. The water and PowerAde stations were plentiful, as well as the sponge stations. On the whole, I would recommend this race to others. Would you choose a nice, friendly, warm, sunny island to do a race, or a wet, dismal, cold, windy, snowy one (Inverness - Scotland)??? I know which one I would choose every time! We look forward to the 25th Malta Marathon.

I was looking forward to this half-marathon but was somewhat disappointed. The biggest part of the course was along the highway with cars being on the other side. Not only did I have to inhale exhaust fumes but the course was very dull. You would expect that on an island you would have a nice waterside course. The organization was mostly good but the communication around things wasn't the best. Where other organizers send out a mass email to all runners, I had to constantly go back to the Malta Marathon page to check for updates. I get great motivation out of cheers from spectators, but since the bulk of the run was along the highway there weren't many spectators around. The ones that were there did some cheering but e.g. the Dutch are a lot more fun.

The landscape of Malta is very nice, and the temperatures (for the taste of most northern Europeans) are very pleasant. Even the results tend to be better, as the race (apart from a few uphill portions) goes mostly downhill. However, I was very disappointed with the race track as we had to run on roads that must have been some of the busiest roads on the island. I will most likely not participate in the marathon again unless the organizers change the race track.

What can I say... I fell in love with stunning Malta and its people. What a great place to visit. I will certainly be back for a family holiday. I truly enjoyed the first 1/3 of the race but did not like the heavy traffic and traffic jams over 2/3 of the course. Runners had to put up with constantly inhaling exhaust fumes and trying to avoid being run over by cars, motorcycles and bikes. Power drinks should have been given earlier in the race and a couple of toilets along the route and at the registration point would have been welcomed by all the runners. ...And there you have it; of the all the marathons I've run, this one surely is at the bottom of my list, closely followed by Lisbon and Bruges. You definitely will see me back in Malta, but unfortunately not for another marathon.

Positive points: Downhill course; scenic; very well marshaled (as it is on open roads); nice and low-key; plenty of water staions (bottles also); nice finish area in Sliema; if doing the half marathon, good chance for a PB; buses to beautiful start at Medina; plenty of loos and space at the start area; friendly runners (Maltese are very welcoming); and tons of history to look at. Negative points: Road surfaces were awful; 1st part of the marathon was deceptively hard (up and down, and twisty); no pasta party; no expo; first use of chip timing this year and lots of problems due to this at number pick up; open roads (a bit close to cars at times); support sporadic; too many bikes on the route getting in the way; when the half joins the marathon, some runners lacked etiquette towards the slower marathon runners; check weather - if it's warm, the heat reflects off the road/walls fiercely, and if it's wet, the roads will be very slippery.

This is a good course, starting at about 600 feet above sea level at the old Malta capital, Mdina, and finishing at the tourist resort of Sliema, at sea level. Good organization, including well placed drinking stations. If you want to try and obtain a PB, I suggest you try this one out.

Having left Manchester with temperatures of -5, it was a delight to be running in shorts again. I only did the half marathon but it was mostly downhill with the wind behind us. The hills were short and sharp, the wind was cold when it was against us. Be warned, the roads aren't closed to other traffic and at one point we had to cross a slip road. However, the police and marshalls did a very good job. Lots of cracks and potholes in the roads although the surface was like glass and slippery at the drink stations. If it rains, I wouldn't recommend racing shoes. Good T-shirt, medal and transport to the start. Results and finish line photos available at the presentation in the evening. Lots more to see including the Stone Age temples.

There is a half as well as a full marathon. Last year I ran the half and i am doing the full this year. This is a very well run event which still has a friendly sort of homely feel to it. I would recomend this race I only remember one real climb, in fact the race drops a few hundred feet from start to finish. Malta itself is a lovely place to visit with lots to see and do for the non runners. So if you have the time i say go for it.