#63: Two-Day ‘The Grid’ Event Sees 34 ITL Athletes Cross The Finish Lines In Style

The next edition of ‘The Grid’ took place on the weekend of October 12th and 13th. ITL answered the call with a team of at least 34 participants, three of whom participated in the 6-km adult sprint, while the remaining 29 athletes took part in The Grid Kids.

A small segment of ITL's 'The Grid Kids' team.

The event followed a tough two-month training program at the dojang. This included OCR-based training such as running, rope-climbing, and lifting.

Events began on Saturday 12th with the adult series of ‘The Grid Sprint’. This saw ITL’s Gianluca Barbara, Sima Mifsud Calleja, and Brent Law take the field. The three ran a course that took them from the top of Ghajn Tuffieha Hill, all the way up to the adjacent cliffside.

Together they ran back down to Golden Bay, climbing over the jagged cliffside rock. Then, on the sand, they were met with another series of tough obstacles, including a long lane of walking lunges.

ITL's senior 'The Grid Sprint' team.

Of course, there were more things to look forward to. Cliffside runs, rope climbs, monkey bars/ring swings, burpees, lunges, hurdles, net climbs, tire tosses, inverted climbs, water bottle carries, and at least 20 other obstacles.

These all led to the classic ‘water-slide’ mud ditch; ensuring that all participants crossed the finish line covered in mud.

The three powered through and completed the course in an hour, claiming their medals at the finish line.

Come day two, it was time for the kids to show us what they were made of.

ITL athlete Jean 'Ninu' Schembri getting his traditional 'war paint'. A script that read 'In-ninu'.

The event began early with our young guys getting painted in the red and black colours of ITL. Then, at 09:00 sharp, the team set out, together with their parents. But parents aside, all athletes were aged three to 12 years.

Three young ITL stars running through culverts, perfectly positioned across the trail.

The kids experienced the very same obstacles as the adults, only in a ‘toned down manner’. Remarkably, they cruised through the OCR with ease, giving even athletes from OCR clubs a run for their money.

All athletes successfully performed even the hardest of challenges, such as the rope climbs and ring swings. They even swung along the monkey bars with perfect form.

Oliver Gatt sprinting through the 'foam cube'.

Then, between the obstacles, they stormed through the hills and ran one kilometer at a single stretch. Over the rocky terrain, the Maltese garrigue landscape… and the odd foam pit.

There was no complaint, even as they carried heavy water bottles up and down the hills.

As they ran the course rough and muddied, crawling through hard culverts and swinging from ring to ring, the group eventually found itself swinging over a series of monkey bars and rings. This, perhaps was the toughest challenge.

ITL's Eva Mifsud Calleja cruising through the hanging rings like its nobody's business.

In the end, the kids reached the notorious ‘Great Slide’, giving the entire team a chance to finish the course with a bang.

Although they got a chance to wash off the mud, having been doused in a pool of cold water, they would later have to trudge through… another a pit of mud.

One of ITL's younger kids - Anne - sailing down the junior slide.

At least the finish line, and the showers, were nearby.

All athletes finished the course with time to spare. Who said martial arts training was limited to… martial arts?

The explosive nature of taekwondo training is a huge ancillary to the skills needed to complete an OCR. This was also seen earlier this year, when 20 ITL kids smashed the March edition of the same event.

Although not taekwondo-related, ITL is a big supporter of mixed fitness and active lifestyles. Since its conception, athletes of the club have attended both Spartan and Tough Mudder OCRs, aside from The Grid itself.

The latest edition of The Grid Kids has shown that even children as young aren’t afraid of getting their hands (and anywhere else) dirty!

In less than one week, ITL will take on the internationally renowned SPARTAN race. This would be the second time the club hits this event. The first time was in October 2022.

On behalf of the ITL coaching team, we would like to say WELL DONE to all members who took part in this grand event!