Mertonium

From the start, I could tell that 2010 was going to be a year of extraordinary events. First on the list: run a half marathon.  Living in Scotland, February is not a good time to spend 2 consecutive hours outdoors.  This is why my girlfriend and I decided to go to the small, Mediterranean island nation of Malta for our first half marathon.

This half marathon trip to Malta was also to be the testing ground for my idea of making short videos while traveling (which turned out pretty well later).

Practice Run

Two days before the race, Laura & I ran a wee 7km route along the sea-side promenade of Sliema.  It was obvious that the marathon was in town from the clusters of other foreign runners doing the same thing.

Pre-race Jog

Prior to the race we warmed up by walking through the crowd, looking for good candidates to bum some sunscreen from.  After successfully scoring some cancer protection, we adjourned to the playground for some swinging & jogging.

The Start

Malta Half Marathon is a go!

The 8km Mark

With the temperature getting above 80°F (27°C), the first water station was a great site to see (and hear as they had a live band).

Sponges!

This is where I started to lose it a bit.

The End

13.1 miles (22km) and just over two hours later we made it to the finish line.  Running across half of a country is definitely a great way to see it.

Next of the list of extraordinary events in 2010?  Bon Jovi concert in New Jersey.