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Oceania half marathon slots at stake in Saturday race
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Posted on Apr 27 2009
Two slots for a regional tournament will be at stake when Northern Marianas Athletics holds the 2009 Half Marathon Championship this Saturday.
The top finisher in the men’s and women’s divisions of the qualifying race will earn a chance to represent the CNMI to the 2009 Oceania Area Marathon & Half Marathon Championship.
Also dubbed as the 31st Annual Gold Coast Airport Marathon, the regional tournament will be held on July 5, 2009 in Gold Coast, Australia.
The two Commonwealth athletes who will qualify for the tournament Down Under will get an all-expense paid trip to Australia, courtesy of the Oceania Athletics Association. Besides finishing on top of the race, the two athletes must meet eligibility requirements to make it to the Gold Coast event.
The qualifier will start at the Oleai Sports Complex track and field facility before participants head to Beach Road. Runners will turn left and head south to the Pacific Islands Club in San Antonio for the first turnaround point. From PIC, runners will head back north for the second turnaround point at Winchell’s in Garapan. From Garapan, runners will return to the track and field facility for the final 1 1/4 laps of the race.
The qualifier will begin at 5:15am, but runners are encouraged to be at the starting line at 5am.
“NMA is calling on all running enthusiasts and interested participants to join the 2009 Half Marathon Championship, which is a qualifier for the Oceania tournament. NMA with the assistance of the Oceania Athletics Association will help provide for airfare costs and food and accommodations for two athletes who must meet the eligibility requirements to represent the CNMI and compete in this event,” NMA said in a press release.
“Others interested in participating in the Gold Coast event need to pay only for their airfare. OAA will provide food and accommodations,” the release added.
Besides the marathon and half marathon races, the Gold Coast event will also feature a wheelchair half marathon, Southern Cross University 10km Run, and the 2.25-km and 4-km junior races.
For more information about the qualifier, contact Allen Moses at 287-4907 or Elias Rangamar at 664-2502.
