Next month I’m heading to Malta to run my first half-marathon. Staying gluten free is hard enough when travelling to a new place but I’m going to need all of my energy for this race and glutenation could stop me from finishing in my best time. I’ve been doing lots of training so I want to run the best 22K that I can! We’re spending 4 days in Malta (the 3rd of which is the race) so hopefully I’ll be able to find lots of places to eat gluten free. I’ve got my fingers crossed on finding somewhere to get a big bowl of gluten free carbs the night before my race! As a runner, eating carbs is important for gaining the energy needed for running but unfortunately many of the carb filled meals I was eating the night before a race before being diagnosed had been full of gluten (which now explains why I always felt so bloated whilst running and didn’t feel the energy the meal should have been giving me!)
Coeliacmalta.org lists a number of restaurants in different areas around the country which have ‘indicated to the Coeliac Association of Malta that they can cater for gluten free diets and that their staff are sufficiently knowledgeable on the necessary procedures.’ There appears to be a good selection to try and they list 4 in the town of Sliema where my race ends so I’m certain to be starving for something gluten free when I get there! If there are any Coeliacs out there who have visited Malta and had either a good or bad experience with finding somewhere to eat then please share your stories here. 🙂
