Maltese Woman Completes 100km London-Brighton Challenge ‘For All Women Who Left Home But Never Returned’
Stef Micallef, a Maltese citizen who currently lives in the UK with her husband, finished the run in the early hours of Sunday morning, after starting on Saturday.
“It was a mentally and physically tough challenge and although I did enjoy most of it, I am relieved it is over! My run is dedicated to all women who left home never to return,” Stef told Lovin Malta.
“I had to run in pitch darkness in the countryside on my own with just a head torch for hours, so it is impossible to do something like that without thinking of the dangers women face when running alone. Hence my dedication!” she explained.
“I signed up after the run shortly after Paulina Dembska’s murder and right before Aislinn Murphy’s murder in Ireland- she was out running in broad daylight in a popular dog-walking route. Through my run, I fundraised for the Feminist Workshop in Kyiv Ukraine,” she said.
At first, she didn’t plan to do a fundraiser for her challenge, but then she read an article in the Guardian that inspired her to raise money for a charity in Ukraine called ‘The Feminist Workshop’.
“Her longest run before the challenge was in Malta a couple of weeks ago. She ran 60km from Attard, up to Ċirkewwa and down the coast to Valletta,” her husband explained.
He also highlighted that around 20% of participants had pulled out of the race, with some still going until yesterday at noon.
The course started at Richmond by the Thames. Then, it headed through the North Downs and the wonderful Surrey and Sussex countryside to the halfway point at Turners Hill.
The 100km route heads up and over the South Downs before the beautiful sight of the Brighton coastline comes into view.
Do you know of any other Maltese athletes to have completed this run? Let us know at [email protected]
Well done Stef!
READ NEXT: Blue Lagoon Takeover: ‘Every Inch’ Is Full Of Deckchairs And Umbrellas Before People Even Arrive, Moviment Graffitti Warns
