Saipan Marathon grooves, Fil-Taga swings

The inaugural Saipan Marathon was held last Jan. 21 with several dozen local and off-island road warriors trying their hand—err their legs—in the 26.2-mile journey along the spine of Saipan.

But among the participants, none were faster than Stuart Smith and Monica Yamaguchi. Both hailing from Saipan, Stuart conquered the test of endurance in a time of 3:09:28 to beat all runners, while Yamaguchi came in a little over an hour later at 4:10:19 to top the women’s division.

The 25th Half Marathon and 20th 10-Kilometer Fun Run were also held simultaneously with the Saipan Marathon with Japan’s Hiyoshi Tanabe ruling the roost in the former with a time of 1:23:00, while his compatriot Akihisa Otani tore the tape in the later, clocking in at 43:14.

Henry Bautista and Jhun Calma, meanwhile, conspired to give the 2005 Fil-Taga Golfer of the Year Tournament a climactic ending last Sunday after both duffers finished the two rounds of golf at the Laolao Bay Golf Resort tied.

Fil-Taga outgoing president and tournament director Ted Malaran said the two would play in a four-hole playoff set for Feb. 19 at a still yet to be named golf course.

Last weekend also saw the Pirates sweep Tanapag in the SML Fall League after pummeling the north-siders, 13-3, Saturday at the Kan Pacific Baseball Field in Marpi.

Meanwhile, after losing the opener the Hustlers exacted sweet revenge by winning the next two against the D9ers. The Hustlers prevailed 10-8 on Saturday, before arranging a finals tiff with the Pirates with a 13-4 rout of the D9ers on Sunday.

Kelley Butcher and Milli Saiki, for their part, were without peer in the resumption of the Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association 2006 Micronesian Games qualifiers last Saturday.

Butcher and Saiki blasted the opposition in the eliminations en route to an automatic berth in the finals, where they met up with former nemesis Laurie Peterka and Heather Kennedy and bludgeoned them, 21-15.

The week was also full of action-packed games in the men’s and women’s softball leagues of the Saipan Softball Association, 2006 Inter-Government Basketball League, the playoffs of the Budweiser-Coca Cola 6th UFO Inter-Organizational Basketball League, and 2005 World Organized High School Rocball League.