Tania improves in 2nd stint at World Cross Country Champs

Not even a week after Tania Tan topped the 10K road race of the 4th Annual NMI Women’s Run, she took on the 10K muddy off-road terrain on the international stage during the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, last Saturday.

The two-time Pacific Games gold medalist and reigning NMSA Athlete of the Year clocked in with a time of 42:13, shaving off over two minutes from her debut time of 44:41 in the 2023 edition of the event in Bathurst, Australia.

Her time was good enough for 77th place out of 84 runners—while seven runners did not finish the race.

The 22-year-old said the course was much flatter than last year, so that’s why she probably ran faster. “However, we started the race just after 12 noon so the weather was very hot, just like in Bathurst last year. That factor for sure played a part in not only how I was able to race but everyone else too,” she said.

“The course was really fun and unique; there was grass, sand, mud, hay bales, trees, and ramps. It felt like running through an obstacle course. Overall, it was a good and humbling experience,” she added.

She said that her goal was to just do her best and enjoy the race as, “It’s not every day you get to run in a World Championship so I just wanted to race hard but have fun.”

Now, she’ll head back to Hawaii and finish up her last track season in the NCAA.

Northern Marianas Athletics head distance coach Dr. Ron Snyder, who accompanied Tan in Serbia, said that he is so proud of her.

“When I think about when she first started running for me in grade 10, I am amazed at how far she has come. This was a really hard course but she tackled it without complaint, without fear, and did very well,” he said.

Snyder added that after the competition, Tan reached out to athletes from Singapore and Palestine and went out for a cool down run. Then, after all of that, Snyder said, “we went over to Old Belgrade with Hugh Kent from Guam for a 5-mile walk around the castle and back over the bridge to the hotel. Tania is an amazing athlete and an adventurous spirit.”