More than 2,300 runners are taking part on Sunday morning in the 38th edition of the Malta Marathon, which has returned after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
Professionals, amateurs, young, old, Maltese and foreign gathered at the starting line to run the 42 km (full marathon) or 21km (half marathon).
Among them are 33-year-old Italian Alessandro Vizzini and 16 other deaf runners.
Vizzini, originally from Pachino, a town in Sicily, was born deaf. Growing up, through hours of speech therapy sessions and his determination, he has learned how to talk, lip-read and use sign language.
Growing up, Vizzini faced people’s ignorance towards his hearing impairment, as they thought he would not make it far in life.
“I was determined to prove them wrong, I used to study and read a lot. I don’t let the negativity of others drag me down.”
“I understand that at times it can feel lonely, and that is why I want there to be a group that unites us.”
Settling in Malta in 2020, this is Vizzini’s first half marathon in Malta, but the athlete is well-known among Italian running groups.
Italian deaf champion between 2012 and 2022
Between 2012 and 2022, Vizzini was the Italian deaf champion for distances between 5km and 42km.
In 2017, he represented Italy in the Deaflympics (Olympic Games) in Turkey and placed fifth overall. In 2015, he also took part in the European Deaf Athletics Championship in Poland.
Alessandro Vizzini.He won bronze back in 2019 during the European deaf championship in Germany for the 3,000 steeplechases. In 2022, he ran 15 races, placing second place seven times. He placed 11th in Rome’s half marathon and tenth at the Pisa marathon.
Vizzini will not be running alone today.
Along with him will be another 16 deaf Italian runners, who form part of the ‘Deaf Italy Marathon Group 2014’.
'I want to create a feeling of togetherness
“It’s very important, I want to create a feeling of togetherness,” he told Times of Malta.
“I want to show that being deaf should not stop you from pursuing an athletic career, and we can do it. Sometimes, being an Italian-deaf athlete, knowing little English and no Maltese, I can feel like an outsider. But when I am with other deaf runners, we can communicate and feel united.”
Vizzini does not feel he is missing out on the marathon atmosphere, despite not being able to experience the sounds of cheering and applause.
“Seeing people cheering and clapping still motivates me. I also feel the vibration of the music.”
But it has not been always easy for the runner.
“There have been times when a car has scraped by me as I am running. I would turn around to see that the driver would have been honking at me, but of course, I cannot hear anything.”
He suffers from neck pain as during his training he is constantly looking over his shoulders.
Seeing people cheering and clapping still motivates me. I feel the vibration of the music- Alessandro Vizzini
Vizzini was encouraged to run by his uncle, whom he worked with in a family-run sports shop for over 15 years.
“He saw potential in me, but at first I was not interested. I much preferred to play football.”
That was until his cochlear implant was damaged during a match and he had to stop playing for two years. That is when he decided to give running a chance.
He no longer wears a cochlear implant since the surgery can lead to complications. Instead, now he is learning English and Maltese.
'I don't run to win, but to be a better person'
“I don’t run to win, but for myself to be a better person. Since I moved to Malta, my life has changed, I work, I got married and I am soon to be a father, but I find a balance to do all these things and continue running. Running gives me life.”
His training for today’s half-marathon was interrupted due to a number of injuries he sustained, but he is determined that he will run a good time.
“That would be 1 hour and 13 minutes. But my plans now are to beat my personal best (1 hour and 11 minutes) and to represent Malta in the next Deaflympics, which are taking place in 2025 in Tokyo, Japan,” he said.