July Independence Day 2-Mile Race tomorrow

It’s that time of year again as we celebrate the birth of the red, white, and blue with a run, jog, or walk this July 4th before festivities begin as Run Saipan presents its 4th Annual 4th of July Independence Day 2-Mile Race tomorrow morning at 6am.

Instead of the usual start at the Garapan Fishing Base, due to road construction on Beach Road, this year’s course will start at the American Memorial Park in the Smiling Cove Marina parking lot behind the flag memorial and will go through the newly paved Industrial Road along the Gov. Eloy S. Inos Peace Park in Puerto Rico.

This race is sponsored by Latte Built and is a sanctioned race by Northern Marianas Athletics.

It was inspired by the U.S. Army Combat Physical Fitness Test, in which they do a 2-mile run among other workouts.

When asked about the new course, Run Saipan president Edward Dela Cruz Jr. said, “We used to run south on the pathway but people dropped their tents and even barricaded their plots so we ended up running north. Now with the Garapan Revitalization construction and Beach Road construction, there is no space on certain parts of the walkway.”

He said this is the third time they’ve switched their course, as last year, they ran up north and back from the Garapan Fishing Base, while the original course in the first two races ran south and back from the Garapan Fishing Base.

Kosuke Sato completed last year’s race first overall with a time of 12:26, while Rosemarie Chisato was the first woman runner at 15:57.

For more information on the 3rd Annual 4th of July Independence Day 2-Mile Race, contact Edward S. Dela Cruz Jr. at runsaipan@gmail.com and (670) 287-0891. To register, click on https://raceroster.com/events/2024/83217/july-4th-independence-day-2-mile-race-2024.