The Express Trailers Malta International Triathlon 2017 this weekend

The Malta Triathlon Federation will be staging the 31st edition of the Malta National Triathlon Championship this Sunday at Salini Beach and along the Coast Road. This is, as per tradition, the grand final of the local triathlon and multisport season which has seen athletes racing in different formats of racing combining the three sports of swimming, cycling and running.

The Championship will be raced on a single triathlon on the Standard, or Olympic Distance. The race will start with a 1.5KM swim, followed by a 40KM cycling segment and concluded with a 10KM run. Around 70 athletes are expected to take part in the Championship, which include some of the big names in the local triathlon community who will be vying to become National Champion. A good number of international participation from Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, and other countries will be adding an extra dose of excitement to the race.

For the first time, the Malta Triathlon Federation changed the format of the races from a nondrafting to a draft-legal race and this will make the outcome of the race even more exciting and uncertain.

“We have moved towards a draft-legal races for two reasons” explains Cyprian Dalli, President of the Malta Triathlon Federation and Race Director. “The most important one was that our athletes are finding more opportunities for draft-legal triathlons on the international sphere and they will be required to race in this format if they aspire to compete at Elite Level. Secondly, it was felt that locally we were lacking draft-legal triathlons and so we started with this small but very important revolution. We are sure that all athletes will enjoy this race and will ask for more.”

The Championships are being supported by Express Trailers through the involvement of Mosta Cycling Club, one of three clubs that have secured a threeyear sponsorship from Express Trailers.

“Throughout these past years, Express Trailers has started building a close rapport with road running sports. Our company’s operations are mainly based on road transport and although we are doing a necessary job of transporting goods for the local market, we also acknowledge that our fleet of trucks and trailers put a burden on all the other road users, especially the more vulnerable ones such as runners and cyclists. Our support to these events on our roads, seeks to redress the balance,” said Franco Azzopardi, Chairman and CEO of Express Trailers.

Simultaneous with the Standard Championship race, the Federation will hold an ancillary Sprint Triathlon on the half distances. For this race, there will be around 30 athletes competing as well as 4 relay teams.

The races will start at 7:30am this Sunday from the Salini Beach while the cycling and running will be held on the Coast Road. Attendance is free of charge and the general public is encouraged to attend and support the athletes.