A positive experience for Carmel Vella

Carmel Vella (Agones SFC), a local trail runner, last week participated in the coveted Transvulcania Ultramarathon (74Km 4000mD+) at La Palma, Canary Islands (Spain), with an excellent time of 12hours and 3 minutes.

The ultra jubilant runner had recently been training hard and clocking many kilometres towards this achievement thanks to his coach Carlos Mantero (Spanish) who also participated in the same event clocking 10 hours and 17minutes.

The Transvulcania Ultramarathon - in its 8th edition - is a long distance race that takes place in the island of La Palma, Canary Islands (Atlantic Ocean) and is considered as the hardest mountain-ultramarathon in the Canary Islands.

This edition was won by Spaniard Luis Alberto Hernando - for the third time in a row - with a time of 7hrs 4 minutes while in the women's category it was won by Swedish Ida Nilsson (a former track and field athlete) with a time of 8hrs 14mins.

Vella (Agones SFC) had these words on his return to Malta after this feat: “It was a hard race but an exceptional atmosphere by the locals that cheer the thousands of participants, egg you on and on until their cheers and shouts welcome you at the finish line.”

His next participation will see him and other local trail runners put their legs to the test at the Cortina Trail (47km 2650mD+) at the end of June in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy.