Two seconds make all the difference for Balzan

For your average athlete, it takes over one hour to complete the ten miles that make up the route for the Dingli 10.

Participants not only have to tackle the distance but also a couple of challenging and energy-draining climbs.

Given all this, two seconds might therefore seem inconsequential, a mere fraction in the grand scheme of things. But that was hardly the case for Jonathan Balzan last Saturday.

St Patrick's star athlete was an easy winner of this year's Dingli 10 but was still left with a bitter taste. For his finishing time of 55.27 was a mere two seconds off the route record he set last year.

Talking to Balzan while waiting for the second athlete to come in - it took four minutes for his nearest rival to cross the finishing line - it was evident that he was still going over his run, trying to identify what he could have done differently.

"I won't hide the fact that I was trying to beat the record," he said. "I felt very good before the race and believed that I could achieve that result.

"What probably happened is that around the seventh mile I felt tired and mentally I started doubting whether I could get the record. I probably slacked a little bit at that stage. If I had pushed harder I would have probably made it."

"Also, there wasn't anyone to pace him," opined Balzan's coach, Roger Zammit. "It would have been better if there was another athlete pushing him on."

Given its proximity to the dates on which the BMW Malta Marathon is held, the Dingli 10 suffers from the general belief that you can't compete in such a demanding event so close to a full or even a half marathon.

Up till this year, Angela Sammut (1.08.46) was one who held that belief. Feeling well after finishing third in the Half Marathon, she opted to take part in the Dingli 10 and promptly went on to win it.

"This is only the second time that I've taken part in this race with my other previous attempt being eight years ago when I first took up running. In the past I kept away because people kept insisting that I could get injured by running so close to the marathon.

"But I must admit that I felt very well and enjoyed the race very much. It was certainly nothing like what I had been led to believe."

Mellieha AC's Mario Vella, second in the men's category with a finishing time of 59.46, was of the same opinion.

"I've been running for eight years but this is the first time that I've done the Dingli 10. I felt that it was a pity because it is a very good route so this year I decided to try it."

In general, the veteran athlete has been registering some very good results these past few months.

"This year I've been pushing harder in training and the results are rewarding me. Finishing second at 43 isn't easy."

Nor is cycling to the starting line from Senglea before embarking on the race's 10 miles but that is exactly what Michael Gellel did. Remarkably, the affable St Patrick's man came in third (1.00.54).

"The triathlon season starts next week and I thought that this would be the ideal preparation," he explained with enviable nonchalance.

In the women's section, Carmen Hili (1.10.14) came second after Sammut. Still downcast after a disappointing showing in the BMW Malta Marathon, her mere presence was admirable given that most athletes would have opted for a rest.

"Mentally, I was still disappointed by the marathon so perhaps I didn't perform as well as I could. Still starting and finishing a race is always something to be thankful for."

Danika Spiteri (1.14.37) came in third, making it a trio of St Patrick's women on the podium.

Junior races

Earlier in the day, the 2.3 Mile Junior Races had also been organised. Christian Formosa (St Patrick's) won with a time of 13.17 with Carl Zammit (St Patrick's) finishing just nine seconds behind him. St Aloysius' Claudio Toscano (14.02) came third.

Denise Law, of Athleta Pembroke, was the first girl over the finishing line followed by Thea Cunningham (18.19) and Rebecca Bugeja (22.26) both athletes hailing from St Patrick's.