The first edition of il-Ġirja t’Għawdex took place on the 6th of February 1977, placing it as the first ever road race to be held on the Maltese islands. Inspirational to the start of this annual event, was Fr. Anton Refalo, who had derived this idea from similar activities he had taken part in when living in Rome, Italy.
In 1977, il-Ġirja t’Għawdex was organised for 35 participants. 40 years later, we could boast a participation of over a thousand athletes. Sheer commitment and will has seen this event grow from a local initiative into one which caters for athletes from all over the world.
Presently, il-Ġirja t’Għawdex has evolved into one of the main sporting events in Gozo and one of the most craved marathons in the Maltese Islands. It is successfully coordinated by a group of youths coming from the Xaghra Youth Centre, each having their own responsibility within the organizing committee.
Very recent accomplishments include the 3-Star Certification award from ‘European Athletics’, which eventually resulted in the exclusive invite to participate in the first ever European Running Business Conference, which took place in Frankfurt, Germany. We have also been awarded the 5-Star Certification for our 10K race, another first for the running scene of the Maltese Islands.
- 1977
- The first-ever road race to be held in the Maltese Islands was held in Gozo. Inspirational to the start of this annual event was Fr. Anton Refalo.
- In 1977, the event was done twice.
- 1979
- It was decided that our main race takes the 10-mile format.
- 1984
- Our event was officially re-named 'Gozo Marathon' since it was previously referred to as the 'Xaghra Marathon'.
- 1991
- A new 13.1-mile race format was applied for the first time during the 16th edition.
- That year, 120 athletes participated in the Gozo Marathon.
- 1992
- Apart from the 13.1 mile and the 8 mile races, two new fun runs were also introduced.
- Our event became officially affiliated with the MAAA.
- 1998
- The event was re-named the ‘Gozo Half Marathon’.
- A new format was applied which included new 2km and 4km races for younger athletes.
- 2003
- 250 athletes participated in the Gozo Half Marathon.
- 2016
- The Gozo Half Marathon attracted 550 athletes.
- 2017
- In 2017 the Teamsport Gozo Half Marathon attracted around 700 athletes.
- Our Half Marathon was awarded the 3-Star Certification from European Athletics. A first in the Maltese running scene.
- A delegation from the organizing committee attended the European Athletics Running Business Conference, which took place in Frankfurt.
- 2018
- 1,200 athletes from 60 countries participated in the 2018 Teamsport Gozo Half Marathon.
- The FairPlay Project was launched.
- A group of 15 volunteers, all hailing from the Gozo Half Marathon, travelled to Guatemala to complete the FairPlay Project.
- Eur. 36,000 were collected for this cause.
- 2019
- The first-ever Running Expo in the Maltese Islands was held at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Ggantija Temples in Xaghra, Gozo.
- A New 10km race replaced our traditional 8-mile race. In order to adhere to international standards (IAAF Rule 261), we decided to stop our 40-year old 8-mile race and replace it with an official 10km road race.
- Our 10km was awarded the 5-Star Certification from European Athletics.
- 1,500 athletes from 58 countries participated in the 44th edition of the Teamsport Gozo Half Marathon.
- The Gozo Tourism Authority awarded our team the Gozo Cultural Achievement Tourism Award.
- Our team assisted in organizing the San Lawrenz 5K Run in aid of Guatemala together with the San Lawrenz Local Council.
- The team also organized the Adults 5K & Kids 2K in collaboration with the Gharb Local Council.
- 2020
- A new Half Marathon route was launched.
- The 'Conquer Your Run' race was also launched.
- Regretfully, our event had to be cancelled due to the global Covid-19 outbreak. However, we organized the first ever virtual run to provide our athletes with a safe online space to run and be competitive. Around 400 athletes participated in this virtual event.
- 2021
- Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, another virtual run was organized, to ensure the safety of all athletes. Around 500 athletes participated in this virtual run.
- 2022
- Following the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, our first in-person event after 3 years was organized in September 2022. Around 500 athletes participated in what was considered the first running event to be organized in Gozo after all restrictions were lifted.
- 2023
- The Teamsport Gozo Half Marathon returned to its traditional date and attracted more than 1,110 athletes from 40 different countries.
- A partnership between the Gozo Half Marathon and leading radio station 89.7 Bay was also signed which allows 89.7 Bay to become the Exclusive Media Partner of this event for the next 3 years.
- The group undertook a rebranding exercise and the organization itself became known as Run Gozo, to better encompass our work. The race traditionally organized during the last weekend of April became known as Il-Ġirja t’Għawdex.
- 2024
- Il-Ġirja t’Għawdex, by Run Gozo, attracted more than 1,300 athletes from 50 countries who participated in the 49th edition.
- 2025