Ed, Simon mark 7th and 2nd year of running

Edward Dela Cruz Jr. is synonymous with running and has now achieved what few have achieved—running for seven years straight. He achieved this on Thursday, Jan. 10, due to the addition of leap years, but started his streak on Jan. 12, 2017.

Another avid runner, Simon Necesito also marked his second year of running last Jan. 4.

Dela Cruz, who is the president of the CNMI’s premier running club, Run Saipan, finished 2,555 straight days of running and said that it was just like “any other day.”

But, he said, “looking at everyone else finishing their first 365 challenge and looking back, it feels great to be able to do it for this long. A lot of people told me initially to not run everyday. ‘It’s bad for you,’ ‘Your knees and back will give out.’ Good thing I didn’t listen to them. It was always obese people that gave that advice anyway.”

With this accomplishment, Dela Cruz is in the “Proficient” level and is ranked No. 367 according to the Streak Runners International/USRSA list on the SRI website. Only five runners are in the “The Hills” level of running for more than 50 years.

The 32-year-old said that his wife, Anastasiia, and son, Alexander, along with his “vibranium-clad conviction” is what keeps him going. “That’s my driving force to do this everyday. The will to live,” said Dela Cruz.

Will he ever stop running? Dela Cruz said he just wants to run for as long as he can. “If you really have to ask for a number, I want to run until I’m 75. A lot of people act like in their 40s to 50s you’re bedridden already. Mr [Changwhan] Jang, Mr Chong Nam Lee, and Dr. Ron Snyder are my greatest inspirations to run well into those ages.”

He said he wants to be at the 50+ year rank of streak running. “I want to be the John Sutherland and Robert Kraft of Saipan.” Those two runners are actually his inspiration for running. “If they can do it then anyone else can,” said Dela Cruz.

Yesterday, Dela Cruz said his run mileage was at 6,099. “I didn’t keep good track of my miles my first two years so I just defaulted at 365 for those years. After that I started keeping track on apps.”

For his advice to those who want to start a streak or are currently in the middle of one, “Don’t listen to doctors when they tell you that you need to stop running, and have a good healthcare plan. Injury is an inevitability in this line of hobby. Listen to everything else on what they say though, just not the stop running part. You just need them to patch you up. Run smart. If you’re hurt; run your slowest pace and don’t run farther than a mile. Listen to your body. This advice doesn’t apply to someone who’s training as a competitive athlete. For this kind of commitment, you got to choose the run streak or performance results.”

His biggest thanks goes to his wife as, “It’s due to her grace that I can do this well after getting married. You know what they say: ‘happy wife, happy life,’ right?”

For Necesito who finished two years, he said he feels “great. I didn’t think I’d be able to hold on after the first year. In fact, after the 30-day running challenge, I thought about quitting. But I realized now that if I stopped then everything I had built up after that period in time would be nothing.”

The Dandan Middle School teacher said he is aiming for 1,000 days straight of running and has already set the date for Sept. 30, but, “as far as I know, I don’t think I have any plans yet to stop.”

He added, “Until recently, I was shocked to see the amount of miles I’ve put in. I ran 1,115 miles for 2023.”

As for his advice, he said, “take it slow. You won’t see results right away but you know what they say “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” The other thing I want to say is that, you have to be willing to make some sacrifices if you want to make this happen. For the most part, you just need 10-20 minutes out of your entire day.”

He then thanked Dela Cruz⁠ for inspiring him to continue the streak. “It was under his guidance this year that I was able to accomplish a lot. I want to thank Dr. Ron, coach Robin [Sapong], and Aaron [Pamintuan] and the rest of the 365 running members. I want to thank Run Saipan and the Run Saipan family. They have been encouraging me to continue moving forward,” said Necesito.