Ultra triathlete Fabio Spiteri has had to cut short his attempt to complete a 10-day triathlon in Brazil after suffering from painful blisters and a torn muscle. 

After seven days of intense racing consisting of a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42km run each day, Spiteri said on Wednesday afternoon that he would not be able to continue his “dream” and complete the race. 

“Due to the painful blisters being present, I had to adjust my run yesterday to accommodate the pain, which inevitably caused even more damage to my quads, resulting in a slight muscle tear which immobilized me further from continuing,” he said. 

He felt the muscle tear during the last 20km of the run, forcing him to spend some “very painful and long” hours walking its final leg. 

Spiteri is currently in Buzios, Brazil for the Deca Ironman challenge - one of the world's toughest physical endurance tests, in which contenders complete an Ironman triathlon every day for 10 consecutive days.

Only around 100 athletes across the world have managed to complete the feat. 

Despite stopping three days early, Spiteri's seven-day achievement still represents a personal best for the Maltese athlete, surpassing his last ultra challenge (a quintuple Ironman) by an extra two “ironman” races.

One of the reasons driving Spiteri to compete in the 10-day Ironman challenge was to raise €100,000 for abandoned animals. Despite injury cutting his attempt short, he is hoping donations do not stop. 

"A kind reminder that just because my journey has stopped here, does not mean that my other goal has stopped breathing," he said. 

He called for people to not pity him, but for the abandoned animals that require it more since they suffer in silence. 

"Please keep donating," he ended his status.