The three race series hosted by Birkirkara St. Joseph between the months of July and August came to a finale on Tuesday evening on the Mtarfa by Pass. The annual summer race, which returned after an absence of a year, provided some tactical racing by the three top runners in contention for top billing.
As one was expecting James Sciriha, Aaron Mifsud, Mario Grech were vying for the win on the day though the presence of Matthew Xuereb did not go unnoticed and was not to be underestimated.
After the first turnaround, Mifsud and Sciriha were almost neck to neck, with Xuereb and Grech trailing behind. The positions changed slightly after the first lap when Sciriha led the way with a narrow gap separating him from Mifsud. These positions were kept till the very end when Sciriha was the first to cross the finish line, winning the Race and the overall Series in the process. Behind them, the gap between Xuereb and Grech had widened with Xuereb taking the lead over Grech, however in the final metres of the last lap a push from Grech saw him take the better of Xuereb to finish in third place.
Rachel Borg, winner of the previous race, took the lead from the start. Marija Cumbo who also made it to the podium in the second race was behind Borg, whilst Francesca Arrigo trailed behind the two vying for her place on the podium. There were no changes to these positions throughout the race with Borg crossing the finish line to secure the race win and Series title.
Trophies to the overall and Age Group winners were presented by Club President Ray Grech who expressed his satisfaction at the Race taking place once again. “This race is a favourite amongst runners, even though it is off season and participation showed that the community had missed this annual appointment in Mtarfa”.
