Record field in Winter Festival of Runs

This year’s Winter Festival of Runs was the biggest since the inception of the event in 2006, attracting 533 participants.

The 2009 turnout also more than doubled the number of runners in 2008—233—making the organizing Marianas Visitors Authority pleased with the success of the fourth edition of the annual event.

“Our target this year was 500 from 233 in 2008, upping the numbers by 300 so we are very pleased with the turn out,” MVA PR/CP manager Martin Duenas said.

The festival, which featured a full marathon, half marathon, and 10K races, had a participant as young as 10 years old and as old as 88 years old.

Ayari Yamamoto and Gaesyu Hahn were the youngest runners in the festival and competed in the 10K race. The oldest was Yoshio Deijima, who also raced in the 10K run.

Majority of the participants came from Japan and with 300 more runners joining the festival, MVA had to look for more volunteers for assistance before, during, and after the races.

“Meeting our 500 pax goal meant a lot of marketing efforts from our partners in Japan where about 80 percent of our participants came from. The only minor challenge we had locally was having to adjust all logistical coordination to accommodate the 300 increase in participants,” Duenas said.

Duenas added many participants in the 2009 races had already made commitments to return next year, boosting MVA’s target of increasing the number by 100 percent in 2010.

“Many participants said they will return next year. They love the event and the course setup. We offer them a good experience. From the scenic course to friendly volunteers and helpful police officers. We offer the ‘Hafadai Tirow’ spirit, which means our island’s unique hospitality,” Duenas said.

This year’s Winter Festival of Runs top winners include Saipan’s Mamiko Oshima-Berger and Izuru Nakashima (full marathon), Mieko Carey and Masami Iwamoto (half marathon), and Noriko Jim and Matthew Mancao (10K).

The 2008 edition of the annual event was supported by Northwest Airlines, Oakley, MVA, Northern Marianas Athletics, and DFS Galleria Saipan. Other sponsors were Department of Public Safety, Hawaiian Rock, American Memorial Park, Division of Parks and Recreation, Department of Public Works, and Commonwealth Health Center.