Rota tri gets help from Cape Air

Organizers of one of the most challenging races in the Marianas received help with one of their major challenges as Cape Air announced their plan to add a pair of stops on their Rota schedule next month to help local adventure seekers participate in the Rota Blue Triathlon.

In a recent email to event coordinators and members of the Marianas Visitors Authority, Cape Air-Continental Connection’s Interim Pacific Administrator Director of Inflight Ellen Holloman wrote that racers have newfound relief.

“I am pleased to let you know that we have confirmed the ability to stop in Rota on the 16th of November, as per your request,” she said.

Rather than add flights to their current schedule, Cape Air will be adding stops to Rota during their regular trips between Saipan and Guam. The flight leaves from Saipan on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 9:30pm and is scheduled to arrive on Rota roughly a half-hour later, and the return flight to Saipan departs Rota on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 9:30am but will first fly to Guam before returning to the CNMI at 11:35am.

The additional stops are so new that the airline has yet to put a price tag on the fares but Holloman said that she hopes to have them available within the next week and that they will be comparable to those available in the system now.

To help transport all of the bicycles from Saipan to Rota, Holloman said that Cape Air may fly the two-wheelers on earlier flights but details are still being ironed out.

The development comes as welcome news to representatives at the MVA headquarters in San Jose as MVA managing director Perry Tenorio has been in communication with the airlines for the past couple of months in an effort to make the race available to all competitors.

Local racers from the Northern Mariana Islands Triathlon Federation routinely look forward to test their skills on one of the most beautiful courses in the region as Rota kicks off the racing season with an Olympic-distance event and a half-Ironman distance race.

The cost to participate in the race is $80, which is possible through Onishi-san at KFC triathlon via email to kfc-onishi@gem.hi-ho-ne.jp. For more information about the race, contact Frank Tudela at the MVA by calling 664-3210 or visit http://www.gem.hi-ho.ne.jp/kfc-onishi%20/.