Conquistando la historia de Malta en el Maratón de La Valetta

La Valette, 23th March 2025.

Carreras para todos y un recorrido panorámico a través de robustos muros construidos por los antiguos caballeros de la Orden de Malta. Después de mi cirugía y meses de recuperación sin correr, ¡me encantó estar de vuelta! Mi primer 5k sin dolor y… ¡menos de 28 m!

TLDR; “demasiado largo, no lo leí”

• ¡Solo quiero correr! Llévame a CARRERA.
• Tengo 1 minuto. Llévame a INFORMACIÓN ÚTIL.
• Correr es mi excusa para viajar. Llévame a VIAJE.
• Correr es mi excusa para comer. Llévame a CARBOLOADING.
• Quiero saber qué leer en el avión. Llévame a UN LIBRO.

🌍 El viaje 📷: What to see in La Valletta and The Three Cities of Malta

Silema and La Valletta in one day

Our trip started after going to pick up our BIBs.

Silema

We came across locals strolling around with ice cream (we had one in front of the ferry, I had a Ferrero Rocher flavoured one, and it was very tasty: you can notice the Italian influence!) or running. It seems the cities here have a big running community!

And we even saw the painted signs for the Marathon!

Since the day was sunny and super nice, we walked back from the hotel along the entire Silema Seafront, which is highly recommended.

In Silema you can also walk in the rocky sealine when the tide is low, and it is such a scenic walk, with mountains looking like oceans of golden sands. 

Then we took the Silema to La Valletta ferry which is very convenient: 2 euros and 15 minutes to cross. Plus you get to see the best views!!

La Valletta

In La Valletta we spent hours walking its streets, and I loved it! Walking around Valletta, Malta’s capital, is a treat for history and architecture lovers. The city, built by the Knights of St. John in the 16th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, featuring Baroque buildings, fortified walls, and charming narrow streets that open up to stunning sea views.

Nosotros vimos St. John’s Co-Cathedral, a breathtaking Baroque masterpiece and we entered to see its ornate gilded interiors and Caravaggio’s “The Beheading of St. John”.

We also saw the Grand Master’s Palace, once the seat of the Knights and now a historic museum filled with opulent halls and an impressive armory.

Every corner of Valletta is packed with history, making it a perfect blend of culture, beauty, and Mediterranean charm.

So, in one day we saw La Valetta’s main attractions, plus we walked along the super crowded Merchants Street and Republic Streets.

Fort St. Elmo

We also visited Fort St. Elmo, where we also visited the National War Museum which is very complete. Fort St. Elmo is a star-shaped fort that played a crucial role in the Great Siege of 1565 and showcases Malta’s military history.

We reached the Upper Barrakka gardens, which offers the best panoramic view of the Grand Harbour and a daily cannon firing ceremony…

Battery Salute

It was 15:55… just in time for it! The Battery Salute. There were literally hundreds of people waiting in the upper balcony but we opted to go to the actual site, where we paid 3 euros each and we saw it perfectly.

It was amazingly loud! The first time in my life that I saw a cannon firing, and so close!

Cospicua

We stayed at Cospicua, one of The Cities of Malta, and where there are plenty of restaurants where you can have a very nice dinner in front of the harbour and the old churches: eating seafood or one local speciality, seafood pizza, while the bells of St. Lawrence’s Catholic Church toll is a very relaxing and local experience.

🗺 Walking Route & Timeline (Starting at 12:00 PM) for the Day after the race

For our second day, we decided to prioritise sitting 🤣😉 and we went to see “the Malta Experience”, which includes also a tour of the Sacra Infermeria.

It costs 20 euros and is located next to Fort St. Elmo and I highly recommend it.

Our guide was a true “storyteller” who explained the story of the infirmary so well. Plus seeing both halls is impressive.

But as the day was sunny and spectacular, we also walked around La Valetta, which is always a good idea. This is the walking tour we did, visiting/entering some of the touristic attractions we didn’t get to see during our first day:

🔹 Start: 12:00 PM – The Malta Experience (~45 min)

• A great introduction to Malta’s history with a multimedia show.

🚶 Walk 5 min (350m) via Mediterranean Street & Republic Street

🔹 12:45 PM – Casa Rocca Piccola (~30-45 min)

• A beautiful 16th-century noble house with a WWII bomb shelter.

🚶 Walk 3 min (230m) along Republic Street

🔹 1:30 PM – Grandmaster’s Palace (~45 min)

• Explore the State Rooms and the Palace Armoury.

🚶 Walk 7 min (550m) via St. Paul’s Street & St. Ursula Street

🔹 2:30 PM – Lascaris War Rooms (~45-60 min)

• Visit the underground WWII command center used by the Allies.

🚶 Walk 10 min (600m) back to Republic Street

🔹 3:45 PM – Optional Lunch

• Nearby Options:
  • Café Jubilee (casual Maltese food)
  • Trabuxu Bistro (Mediterranean cuisine)
  • Is-Suq Tal-Belt (food market with multiple choices)

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🛤 Route Summary:

Total walking distance: ~1.5 km
Total walking time: ~25 min (excluding visit times)
Total tour duration: ~4 hours

🏃‍♀️ La carrera 🏃‍♂️

I decided to run this race after reading in the website that this is “Malta’s most scenic race, it takes you on a mesmerising journey along the island’s stunning coastline, starting from Xemxija and concluding in Vittoriosa, Birgu”… and seeing the pictures which proved it!

Before the race, we got a series of emails with a lot of information: even all the different races mapped in Strava!

Pre-carrera

Race Categories:

• Marathon (42 km)
• Half Marathon (21 km)
• 10K Race
• 5K Race
• Relays
• 21 km Walkathon

Certification & Qualification

The La Valette Marathon is Malta’s sole AIMS-certified marathon and half marathon route, ensuring compliance with international distance and course accuracy standards. Additionally, it serves as a qualifier for the prestigious Abbott World Marathon Majors.

Changing Categories:

We had signed up for the Half Marathon, but due to a surgery I was scheduled a few weeks before the event, we changed to the 5K (and hoped my doctor would not find out about it!!)

The process was straightforward: we could change the Category in the website! Kudos to the organization.

Start and Finish: Transportation before the race:

The start and finish are located in different locations, which is something that scared me a little when booking accomodation, but luckily the organisation offered convienent transport options for marathon day which can be purchased through the website (super well organised!):

• Pre-Race | Half Marathon Start to Marathon Start
• Pre-Race | Finish to Marathon Start
• Pre-Race | Finish to Half Marathon Start
• Post Race | Finish to Marathon Start
• Post Race | Finish to Half Marathon Start
• Post Race | Finish to 10km Start
• Post Race | Finish to 5km Start

Runners guide!

The organization surpassed itself yet again when, a few days before the race, they sent us a link to a very complete “Runners guide” with all kinds of information. Even tips!

They mentioned that “Organizing a 42-kilometer loop-free marathon certified by AIMS on the compact 27-kilometer island of Malta is an extraordinary feat” and looking at pictures and the courses, I was thinking: I bet it is! But they seemed to be doing a very good job. Specially as our last half marathon was the Tirana one which was very very poorly organised. Reed aquí about the chaos and bad organisation.

The excitement was building up… even for me who was “only” going to run 5k… but hey, it was going to be my first run after major surgery and months of resting!

Race kits and BIB pickup 🎽

We decided to take a local Uber, Bolt, because the BIB pickup at the Corinthia Hotel was in Silema, quite far away from La Valletta and the Three Cities of Malta: a 12-kilometer walk!

Taking a Bolt was a great option because we could pick up the race packs early and had the whole day to walk back, sightseeing.

It was a sunny day, perfect for running, except for the very windy weather.

At the Corinthia Hotel, we waited in line for a while, and they gave us the packs just by saying our name: no need to give our QR codes.

There were two separate lines, one for the marathon and half marathon, and another for the 10k and 5k. My shirt, size S, was too big for me, so I exchanged it for an XS. In the bathroom, there was an overbooking of Italian girls trying them on and complaining about the size: too big! Or, in Italian: “troppo grossa”.

Start of the Race

The start for the 5k was scheduled for 8:30am in Paola, Cospicua. There were shuttles but as it was a 2.4km walk from our hotel we went walking: good for stretching. Temperature was cool, not cold, perfect, and we found some 400-500 runners in front of a Christian church and a Mosque, while the first runner of the half marathon, an African guy, passed us by.

I frantically did some stretching while scared about how my back would react and some runners from Colombia took us a picture. I couldn’t help but mention “la carrera de los héroes”, which we had run a few months before 🤣

In the meantime, runners of the half marathon and the 10k were passing by. 

The road was a double lane one, and the 5k runners were asked to group in the right lane while the runners of the other distances were running along the left one.

It looked quite chaotic and we feared it would be a “Tirana 2.0”, but somehow it worked out. We were told to ‘have fun’ by a speaker and we started 5 minutes after 8:30.

I was unsure whether I could run as I had not run at all, not a single metre, since I had surgery on my back two months before 

My first stride was the one I did when I crossed the start line and… I was ok!

The 5k Race!

My back and my legs felt ok, they responded so well that I was even thanking my surgeon out loud! “Gracies, doctor!”.

Roger started fast, strong, as I had thought he would, since he had squeezed a lot of strength training while I was on the bench. He was overtaking runners so easily… but I could follow him. I kept telling him: “Vaig bé, vaig bé” which means “I am ok” so he kept pressing on.

The race was scenic indeed, very nice. We didn’t see any watering stations but maybe we missed them! It was quite flat considering we were in La Valetta: a 40m ramp up (but the beginning of the 5k was down) when entering one of the cities and that was it.

So we were running at a little over 5 kms/h which felt super super fast… and I paid the price when at kilometer 3.5 or so I started to feel exhausted. My legs were ok, my back was perfect, but I was suffering from the total lack of training these months.

However I resisted and we only decreased the pace slightly. I asked Roger: “how much left?” and he understood I was struggling, I guess, because “when a Padilla asks such a question, it’s a sign that they are tired!”

El final

But we kept going and soon we saw the finish line… and we crossed it holding hands and under 28 minutes! 27:50 to be exact. What a great result after my surgery!

The finish line was located in the docks of one of the Three Cities of Malta, an area where we had dinner the day before – so I told Roger: “isn’t that yesterday’s restaurant?”. 

Not many locals, maybe one or two hundred, were present, cheering, and some music and a cheerful speaker.

At the finish line, a nice surprise: the medals! Beautiful, big… the same model for all the distances. 

Also water and isotonic drinks were handed over. 

When we arrived we were greeted by people dressed in folkloric attire, very nice! Everybody was taking pictures in front of them and so did we!

Runners kept running, we took a few pictures more, and we headed to our hotel where we still had time to have breakfast!

🍜 Carga de carbohidratos 🍝: What to eat in Malta if you are a runner

Malta’s traditional cuisine offers several dishes that are high in carbohydrates, reflecting the island’s Mediterranean influences and reliance on local ingredients.

🍝 Some of the most famous ones are:

• Ftira: a traditional Maltese bread, ftira is similar to a thick pizza base and often served with toppings like tomatoes, tuna, capers, and olives. It’s a carbohydrate-rich staple, especially when consumed in its bread form.

• Pastizzi: these savory pastries are made with a flaky, buttery dough and filled with ricotta cheese or mushy peas. The dough provides a significant amount of carbohydrates.

• Ross il-Forn (Baked Rice): a hearty dish made with rice baked in a tomato-based sauce, often combined with ground meat, eggs, and cheese. This dish is both comforting and carb-heavy.

For lunch I highly recommend the Italian restaurant “Sotto sei” right in front of Theatre Manoel. I had “Carbonara” as the funny sign said…

And it was good indeed. Perfect for carboloading!!

And I really recommend the house ‘s pistachio tiramisú. Super good!

🥩 Protein Recovery 🍖

And after your run, Maltese cuisine also offers several dishes high in protein, often featuring fish, meat, cheese, and legumes. Here are some traditional Maltese dishes rich in protein:

• Rabbit Stew (Stuffat tal-Fenek): Often considered the national dish of Malta, this slow-cooked rabbit stew is rich in protein and usually accompanied by potatoes or pasta.

• Braġjoli (Beef Olives): Thin slices of beef stuffed with a mixture of breadcrumbs, bacon, garlic, and herbs, then simmered in a rich tomato-based sauce. The beef and stuffing make this a high-protein dish.

• Octopus Stew (Stuffat tal-Qarnit): Made with tender octopus cooked in a tomato-based sauce with onions, garlic, and wine. The octopus provides a lean and high-protein component.

🏆 La Valette Marathon (Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k, 5k)

🌐 Sitio web: https://lavalettemarathon.com/

🏃 Número de corredores: Around 2k, across all the categories

🗓️ March in La Valette, Malta.

👟 Urbano: traer zapatos para asfalto.

✅ Super well organised: many distances with shuttle bus available. You receive a lot of emails with all the information before hand. Plus it was easy to change distances online!!

✅ A truly beautiful course and perfect weather in an island full of history. Recommneded 100%!!

I include here the route for the Marathon, and for the 5k run:

Here I include two books, since I couldn’t find the kindle version for the Nicholas Montserrat book and I ended up also reading one in version kindle, a book by a Spanish author.

The Kappillan of Malta, by Nicholas Montserrat

Lectura El Kappillan de Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat is a valuable experience for several reasons, especially for those interested in history, culture, and the resilience of the human spirit.

It captures Malta’s Rich History, as the novel provides a vivid depiction of Malta during a pivotal moment in its history—World War II.

It portrays the island’s strategic importance, the devastating bombings it endured, and the struggles of its people. Readers gain an appreciation for the courage and endurance of the Maltese during this tumultuous period.

“El ultimo caballero: El sitio de Malta” by Héctor Menasalvas (only in Spanish)

This novel transports you to 16th-century Europe through the eyes of Santiago, a young Castilian man who experienced a difficult childhood during a glorious time for his people. The story centers on the Siege of Malta, offering a detailed perspective on this historic event.