Vodafone Malta has been named official sponsor of the Malta Marathon for the next five years. The event will be known as the 'Vodafone Malta Marathon'. The Malta Marathon is one of Malta's most popular international sporting events. Starting off with just 109 participants in 1986, the marathon has seen a yearly increase in the number of local and international participants and became a truly international event firmly set in the Maltese sports calendar, the operator said.  The 2014 Vodafone Malta Marathon will be held on 23 February and will start outside the bastions of Malta's old capital, Mdina.