Matsumaru three-peats on Tinian

Masayuki Matsumaru raced to his third consecutive victory in the 6th Annual Tinian Turquoise Triathlon on Saturday by traversing the 1.5-kilometer ocean swim, 40km bike course, and the 10km run in a time of 2:03:52—besting a field of 31 competitors comprised of athletes from Japan, Tinian, Saipan, and Guam.

Matsumaru didn’t have a whole lot of leeway, as last year’s second place finisher for Tagaman was hot on his heels. Hideya Miyazuka finished the course less than two-minutes later with an overall time of 2:05:41.

The CNMI contingent also made a good showing, as local multi-sport mavens Dirk Sharer (2:25:07), Stephan Samoyloff (2:26:27), and Kieran Daly (2:31:46) finished third, fourth, and sixth respectively. Sharer has been racing the triathlons on Tinian since before the new airport was built, and said the event is the most challenging triathlon offered in the CNMI due to the hills and the wind.

Though an illness troubled him throughout the race, he still managed to finish some 22-minutes behind the leader.

“I had the flu all week, so I rested up during the course of the week. I didn’t really do much of anything to preserve my strength before the race, and it went fairly well aside some congestion,” said Sharer.

On the women’s side, Susan Seay of Guam was the first to cross the finish line in a time of 2:44:20, but Saipan took the next three spots, as Dawn Hammermeister-Douglas (2:51:01), Mieko Motoyoshi (2:57:20), and Akiko Hagiwara (3:02:35) took second, third, and fourth respectively.

This was Seay’s second time challenging the Tinian course, and she plans to return to the CNMI for the Tagaman this April, but ultimately her goal is to race in the ultimate challenge of Ironman in November.

“It’s a hard course—very challenging, but I it was a great run—well organized, and the people were so supportive. I did this last year and had a great time. It was fun having someone like Dawn so close to me out there,” said Seay.

This was Hammermeister-Douglas’ first time to tackle the hills and valleys of Tinian, and she echoed the sentiments of many of her fellow racers when questioned about the rigorous race.

“It was hard. I had a hard time on the run, and I didn’t like to bike against the wind, but I was glad it was cool and I was glad that I rained,” she said.

The inspirational racer of the event was 18-year-old triathlete Syoki Sakano (4:25:30) from Japan who completed the event four seconds ahead of his father Kensyo (4:25:34). Sakano, who has suffered from a developmental disability from birth, was honored by the Marianas Visitors Authority, the Tinian Mayor’s Office, the people of Tinian, the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino, and the KFC Triathlon Club for his efforts. The talented youngster shaved 25:20 off of his time from his last competition in the CNMI when he completed the Rota Blue Triathlon in 4:50:50 last November.

The Japanese delegation also rose to the top of another category on Saturday, as Tomoyuki Kubota and Atsushi Nakao led a pack of an additional 31 participants who took part in the two versions of the 6th Annual Tinian Turquoise Reef Swim.

Kubota was the first to finish the 1.5km swim in 17:16, while Nakano conquered the challenge of the 3km in 33:41.

Local swimmer Kristy Gregg was the first from Saipan to reach the beach in the 3km event with a time of 36:45. Not only did she finished fourth overall, but topped the women’s category as well. Not far behind was the fifth place overall finisher and second female to reach the sand, Jessica Jordan (37:09).