Edward completes half marathon in Moscow

Run Saipan president Edward Dela Cruz Jr. heeded his own advice to club members by taking part in last weekend’s 2023 Luzhniki Half Marathon in Moscow, Russia and completing it in a time of 2:27:29.

Dedicated to the history of the Luzhniki Sports Complex, the 21.1-kilometer race snakes along the Moskva River in central Moscow and Dela Cruz said he can’t help but marvel at the ancient city’s sites while running the half marathon.

“It was a very beautiful course. The start line was the Luzhniki Olympic Stadium. It then follows the Moskva river  embankment so you get to see all major beautiful sites, while running. It was an out  and back course so I got to see it all twice. I got to enjoy views of the ‘golden brain,’ the building of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Defence building, Andreyevsky and Krimsky bridges, buildings of the former chocolate factory ‘Red October,’ the Christ the Savior Cathedral, St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin. Best sightseeing package ever!” he said.

Dela Cruz, who was in Moscow with wife Anastasia and son Alexander to visit his in-laws, said the hardest part of the race was that organizers intentionally didn’t start the gun until there was a full daylight. 

“This was the hardest for me, I’ve never run a race over 3.1 miles in broad daylight. So what killed me was when I hit Mile 10  I miscalculated  my hydration tank when it hit empty.”

As for the easiest part of the 2023 Luzhniki Half Marathon, 31-year-old Airport Rescue Fire Fighting firefighter II said it’s simply the absence of Saipan’s notoriously energy zapping humidity. 

“There was no Saipan humidity at all and we had the  entire  eight-way lane to ourselves. It was amazing and something we will never get on Saipan races so I took full advantage of it.” 

Dela Cruz then dedicated him completing the half marathon behind the former Iron Curtain to his wife and son.

“I was not going to do this if she didn’t encourage me. She said I’d regret missing this chance. I’m completely fat and out of shape right  now and I haven’t ran farther than a mile for almost a year so I knew this was going to be brutal for my feet. It was my prerogative and best interest to finish the course as fast as possible because we still had a lot of touring  to do,” he said.

Dela Cruz also thanked organizers for a very well run race.

“Everyone was very nice and welcoming to me, especially running on the course. That’s the great thing about the running community.”

He did notice that he appeared to be the only non-Caucasian in the half marathon course, which for him was a bit odd. 

“I saw some runners in Spanish singlets and African runners but they all signed up for the relay. I was the only brown guy in the half marathon solo.”

Run Saipan secretary and treasurer Dr. Ron Snyder congratulated Dela Cruz for following his advice to club members after mainstays Chong Nam Lee and Ann Bang competed in running events in South Korea last June.

“I am very happy for president Ed that he is finally getting the chance to visit his wife’s family and experience a bit of her homeland,” he said.

The Saipan International School headmaster also gave Dela Cruz kudos for competing in Russia despite the current war in Ukraine and the inherent dangers that come with it.

“The current geopolitical reality must be complicating things for him but you can’t keep Ed down. Leave it to him to find time amidst a hectic trip spanning a continent and several countries to sign up and run a half marathon. Go Ed, you make us all proud!”

Dela Cruz, for his part, said he was in no way worried about security when he ran the  2023 Luzhniki Half Marathon.

“I wouldn’t know if there was [any possible danger] because I can’t understand what they are saying. However, they hit a record-high with 8,000 plus runners. They did take great  precaution. Military and police were all over the place. Getting into  the  race venue was like going through [Transportation Security Administration] at the airport.”