NMITF ‘sweethearts’ race a success

Thirty-nine rough and tumble youngsters took part in a holiday-themed race for the heart, as the Northern Marianas Islands Triathlon Federation hosted the St. Valentine’s Day Duathlon in Marpi Saturday.

The randomly drawn teams of two sent representatives through the tame waters of the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool before sending their partners for the run portion along the island’s northernmost road.

Official results were not compiled for the race, as the organizing officials maintained the focus of the race was on providing for a healthy and happy experience for the participants.

“Everyone left with a smile on their face, and several new young children decided they wanted to try the next one all alone,” said race director Sue Knecht.

Children of all ages were allowed to compete in the event, and they started young, as Drayton Small and Patrick Coleman were the only competitors in the 5-and-under category. The pairing completed the 25-meter swim and 500m run. The 6-7 division had three teams of competitors that swam 50m and ran the 500m course, as the tandems of Misaki Kramer and Mikey Coleman, Opal Northern and Nicole Arenovski, and Gabbie Race and Kenyan Schultz all finished the event with smiles.

The 8-9 division was a little bit more difficult, but six duos teamed up to swim the 100m and run the 1-kilometer course. Amy Arenovski and R.J. Knecht, Nicole Arenovski and Andrew Johnson, Kaisei Toda and Ashley Northern, Kensuke Kimura and Shu Sato, Angelo Jones and Noah Conrad, and Ryan Baron and Jack Sharer each joined forces to complete the race together.

The competitors in the 10-11 division had to spend a little more time in the water, as Crosby Schultz and Hunter Thorpe, and the combo of Madison Schultz and Bradley Brostrom swam 200m and ran the 1km course, while Marystar Welch did the swim without a teammate.

The stakes were raised for the 12-13 division, as Selyna LeonGuerrero and Cooper Graf, Shin Kimura and Sarah Johnson, and Amber Roberts and Lucas Knecht had to swim 30m and run 2km.

The longest distances of the day were reserved for the 14-and-over division, as the teams of Nina Mosley and Rezne Wong, Nicole Calvo and Michael Camacho, Myanna Welch and Juan Camacho, and Natasha Good and Melissa Coleman swam 400m and ran 2km during the race.

There was even a group of kids who were unable to make it to the course in time to register for the race, but Rafael Jones, Shane Jones, Emily Jones, and Michael Jones went ahead and did the run course anyway.

As racers crossed the finish line they were rewarded with a big Valentine’s cookie, and some of the lucky ones won Church’s Chicken meals and pizza during a raffle.

The next challenge ahead for the children is the “Kids in Training” duathlon which features a run-bike-run to prepare for the big races on the way. The kids have a couple of weeks to prepare, as it is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 26, at 4:30pm. This time out they will get a change of scenery, as the race starts at the Bird Island Lookout.

The cost to participate in the upcoming race price is $5 per person.

The kids can look forward to the “Rumble on the Road” Kids TRYathlon in the weeks following the “Kids in Training” duathlon. It will be using the previous event format by getting underway on the road by the Marpi pool, and will serve as a tune up for the “TagaKids All-Islanders Championship” TRYathlon on Sunday, April 16.

“We are trying to promote the health benefits of triathlon to children. This was the first race of 2005, and we are hoping to attract some older children in the future since most participants are members of the Saipan Swim Club,” said Knecht.