#65: Six ITL Athletes Hit The Spartan With Some Serious Results
The Spartan Series took place in Malta on the 19th and 20th of October 2024. At the start line, were six ITL athletes.
Gianluca Barbara, Johann Cassar and Charlene Cassar participated in the Spartan Sprint (5 km), while Noah Barbara, Abiah Gill, and Hazel Gill participated in the Spartan Kids (1 km).
Charlene Cassar, Gianluca Barbara and Johann Cassar took part in the Spartan Sprint (5 km). Young Noah smashed the Spartan Kids.
All finished in style, with Gianluca completing the course in 45:05, making him 4th out of 248 participants and first in his age category (35+ years)—a marked improvement since ITL’s first attempt in 2022 (55:26).
Noah Barbara (age 4) claiming his medal.
The event took place in Ta Qali and featured bursts of running across the national park, repetitively scaling the steps of the amphitheater, and vaulting over two-meter-high hurdles. 20 obstacles followed, including vertical rope climbs, A-frames, the Atlas ball, balance beams, and Tyrolean traverses.
They all led to the big jump over a blazing finish line.
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.
They successfully performed even the hardest of challenges, most notably, the A-frames and tire pulls. Unsurprisingly, they also had no problem rolling in the mud as they crossed the finish line.
Sisters Abiah and Hazel Gill claiming their prize.
Four of the six participants (Gianluca, Noah, Abiah, and Hazel) hit the Spartan just one week after The Grid.
It made for a marvelous experience as athletes sailed across the racetrack as thunder cracked through the skies. As the rains fell, the event recorded around 3,000 participants from various nations. They chose one (or more) of four different race formats: Sprint, Super, Beast, and Kids.
Spartan races are known for their toilsome obstacles that challenge one’s strength, stamina, and mental endurance. In a true testament of fortitude, ITL has now taken part in two of the three Spartan events held in Malta: In 2022 and 2024.
