Sharer, Carey tops in Tank 2 Tank

A pair of Saipan’s top athletes proved that they are still the crème de la crème on the local multi-sport scene as Dirk Sharer and Mieko Carey out swam and out ran the competition to take the 3rd Annual MTEC Tank 2 Tank Aquathon.

The duo was too much for the crowd as Sharer topped all men with a combined 1,000-meter swim and 5-kilometer run time of 46:27, while Pacific Islands Club Clubmate Micko Carey (formerly Motoyoshi) completed the course close behind at 47:50. Torpedo Rachel Bandelin missed out on the top spot but took her surf-and-turf laps around the tanks with a second place time of 49:29

The Marianas Tourism Educational Council joined with the Northern Mariana Islands Triathlon Federation, the Pacific Islands Club, the Marianas Visitors Authority, AJ’s Bar and Restaurant, and Hyatt Regency Saipan to give local athletes the chance to burn off their Thanksgiving Day calories by swimming the approximate 400 meters out to the partially submerged Sherman Tank and back. From there, the competitors donned their running shoes and ran northward to the Japanese Tank at the intersection of Quartermaster Rd. and back to AJ’s parking lot.

Mike Hall turned in the fastest time in the Master’s Division with a speedy time of 49:06, while ageless wonder Florian Braig continued to defy Father Time with a second place time of 54.31. Veteran swimmer and runner Carolyn Pierce rounded the course with an equally impressive time of 54.53 to take the Master’s Division women’s crown.

Not everyone was looking to take on the entire challenge and opted instead to team up with a partner and halved the race. The two-headed combo of Nicky Nichols and Yoshi Suzuki turned in the top overall time of 43:54, while the husband-and-wife tandem of Russ and Kanae Quinn was in second place at 53:46.

There was fierce competition among the kids division as Andrew Johnson took first place in the abbreviated race with a time of 17:02, just seconds ahead of second place finisher Micah Griffin (17:13). Jack Sharer was also in contention but settled for third place with a time of 17.58, while youngster Misaki Cramer gave chase in fourth at 18.19.

Maxi Braig was the swiftest among the youngest racers as he completed the short course in time for first dibs on breakfast with a time of 7:25.