Ultra triathlete Fabio Spiteri said he is glad to be back in training for two triathlons, having to take almost six months out after a bicycle crash last year.
In August, Spiteri was forced to cut short the Swiss Ultra Triathlon after a bicycle crash left him with a broken clavicle and needing an operation.
Five months later, the athlete has confirmed he is back in training and preparing for two triathlons in June and September. He is hoping to raise €100,000 in funds for abandoned animals between the two events.
“I’m glad to be back; training is my job and I really need to train hard this year,” Spiteri said.
The athlete first announced he was back in training on Facebook, when he said he had just completed his first 10-kilometre swim – a distance he described to Times of Malta as a “good test” for his shoulders after the crash.
While he had started limited training in the months following the accident, Spiteri’s recent achievement marks his first long-distance swim since.
Recounting the accident next to the river Rhine, Switzerland last year, which saw him thrown over the handlebars of his bicycle as he swerved to avoid a child, Spiteri said it was important not to give up after a setback.
“I’ve had big failures in my life before but you have to keep moving forward,” he said, adding he was now focused on preparing for the two ultra triathlons he will be competing in later this year.
Triathlons are races combining swimming, cycling and running – in that order – and are generally divided into four categories: sprint, Olympic, half-iron and ironman.
While sprint triathlons involve a 0.75 km swim, 22 km cycle and a 5 km run, ironman events feature a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike ride and a marathon (42 km) run to finish.
But then there are ultra triathlons. These range from double the distances of an ironman triathlon to 10 or, in rare cases, even 20 times the distances and are typically spread over a couple of weeks. In June, Spiteri will head to France to compete in the Bretzel Ultra Triathlon World Championships where he will have to cover five times the distance of an ironman triathlon.
Spiteri completed the same race last year, when he managed it in 111 hours, a personal record he said he intends to beat this year.
But September will see the athlete push his body even further when he competes in the Ultra Triathlon Italy ‘deca’ event, a race which will see him cover 10 times the distances involved in an ironman triathlon – including a staggering 38 km swim, 1,800 km cycle and a 422 km run.
Only around 100 people have completed such a feat in the event’s 20-year history, according to Spiteri, who described attempting the challenge as a culmination of 27 years in sports.
“Last year, the five-times ultra triathlon was my target; this year it’s going to be the warm-up for the deca,” he said. “It’s still going to smash me but every kilometre makes the body stronger.”
Asked about the abandoned animals he intends to raise money for over the two events, Spiteri said they were one of his two main passions alongside sports, adding there was a “huge problem” with stray cats and dogs in Malta.
He said money raised this year would go towards buying food and medicine vouchers for animal shelters, food supplies for cat feeders and kennels for stray cats.
To find out more about Spiteri’s efforts, follow him on Facebook and Instagram.