Mamiko Oshima-Berger won her debut in the 2009 Guam Gatorade Ko'ko' Road Race after topping the women's sub-master division of the half marathon event last Sunday.
Berger completed the 20-kilometer race in one hour, 38 minutes, and 38 seconds to finish ahead of Japan's Fumiko Kobayashi (1:47:14) and Guam's Tamami Smith (1:47:17).
The two-time Saipan Marathon winner finished 38th overall among the 387 runners who competed in the fourth edition of the annual race. Though she failed to surpass her best time in half marathon (1:35:27/2008Banzai Half Marathon), Berger managed to eclipse her 2009 Banzai Off Road Half Marathon time of 1:46:17.
Besides Berger, three other Saipan runners competed in the weekend tournament. They were Mamiko's husband, Joshua, Ketson “Jack” Kabiriel, and Matthew Mancao.
Kabiriel was also entered in the sub-master division and finished in the Top 3. Nicknamed the “Road Runny Bunny,” Kabiriel crossed the finish line at the 1:31:46 mark to finish third behind the Philippines' Pepito Deapara (1:17:25) and Japan's Shingo Bamba (1:25:13).
Kabiriel, who has a personal best time of 1:29:16 posted during the Gold Coast Airport Half Marathon in Gold, Coast, Australia in August this year, finished 20th overall. He joined the half marathon event a day after successfully defending his title in the 9th Annual Saipan International School 5K Fun Run. Kabiriel timed in at 19:41 in the 5k fun run on Saturday.
Mancao submitted 1:37:05 in the race that started and ended at the Gov. Joseph Flores Memorial Park (Ypao Beach Park) to place 33rd overall and 14th in the open division.
Joshua Berger participated in the senior division and was in the top half of the finishers list, timing in at 2:10:05 (194th).
Guam and Japanese runners were the biggest winners in the race that aims not only to attract off-island runners, but also to promote awareness on the plight of the Guam Rail or Ko'ko' bird. The Ko'ko' is a flightless bird common in Guam, but it is near extinction due to the brown tree snakes, pesticides and other predators.
Guam's Derek Mandell ruled the men's open division and set a new course record of 1:16:43. Japan's Hitomi Koike won the women's open division after timing in at 1:24:05, which is also a new course mark.
Besides the individual half marathon, organizers also held relay races in corporate, military, school, mixed, male, and female divisions. The relay involved four runners per team, consisting of legs of 5.38 km for the first runner, 5.15 km for the second and third, and 5.41 km for the fourth.
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