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This Maltese Man Has Dedicated His Life To Helping People Push Beyond Their Limits

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One of the most iconic images from the Malta Marathon 2018 was the shot of David Gladwish helping Josette Falzon cross the finish line. The super-mom, clearly at the end of her strength, had all but given up when David saw her.

“It was the final 100 metre stretch to the finish line and I noticed a woman in front of me swaying from side to side until her legs gave in, and she collapsed onto the ground. Her eyes were unfocused and she looked like she was suffering greatly – my initial concern was heat exhaustion cause it had been a surprising hot second half to the race,” David said of the fateful moment.

“It was evident she had given it her all, and then some,” he continued. “I picked her up and lead her to the finish. I tried to talk to her and get her name to distract her as we walked but she wasn’t able to speak clearly and I wasn’t even sure if she could hear me. Once we got through the finish line I yelled for a medic and they responded immediately with a wheelchair and took her away.”

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Photo: Mark Asciak

This isn’t the first time that David has had to help push someone beyond the point of giving up. 

David is the founder of Miles Into Memories, a Maltese group perfect for adventure travel and training specialists. He trains the group and leads them on mountain expeditions to places such as Mount Toubkal in Morocco, the highest peak in North Africa.

“Thankfully I haven’t encountered many similar situations during races in Malta,” he says. “It’s quite normal that at least one person per climb needs a big push on their final summit stretch, though. I always ensure I’m the last one in the group to stick next to the climber who is struggling the most and we always make it together, one step at a time. Aside from good training and preparation, we believe our 100% summit success rate is also due to a strong team support system… simply being there for each other.”

His dedication to his team – and anyone who happens to be struggling nearby – is a part of the reason Miles Into Memories has been so successful. 

However, it’s not always easy sailing.

“Two occasions that I recall most vividly were both on Mount Toubkal,” he says. “On one occasion, everything that could have gone wrong with a friend of mine, did – upset stomach, no sleep and therefore little to no energy. He struggled physically and mentally for hours but I paced him slowly and encouraged him to just walk to the next little target a short distance away. Eventually we made it to the summit and back down safely. He has since come back to the mountain with us and climbed it for the second time, much stronger than before.”

“On another occasion one of our climbers was suffering from painfully cold hands despite good equipment and was struggling to overcome her fear of heights. I had to remove her gloves and keep her hands in my armpits to warm them (this works, if you’re ever caught out in the cold!). Once she was feeling better, our local head guide and myself then walked right beside her for the remaining 6 hours or so, ensuring she knew she was safe and could not fall. She showed more courage than I have seen from most people in my life and I’ve admired her for it every day since,” he said.

Now that the Malta Marathon is over, he will be continuing his weekly group runs and getting ready for his next adventure abroad. Next time you want to push yourself, and you don’t think you can make it, you know who to call. 

What do you think of David’s inspirational work?

READ NEXT: IN PHOTOS: The Best Moments From Yesterday’s Record-Breaking Malta Marathon

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]

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