MTEC Tank 2 Tank on tap

There are several sporting activities on tap to ring in December in style and the action gets started this weekend with one of the most popular events starting on this weekend when the Marianas Tourism Education Council hosts the 3rd Annual Tank 2 Tank Aquathon.

On Saturday, Dec. 2, MTEC will be rolling out the aquatic carpet in association with the Northern Mariana Islands Triathlon Federation and the Pacific Islands Club for the third year in a row and they have plenty in store for all who participate in the swim and run for fun.

The aqua-racers will meet on the beach below AJ’s Restaurant where they will enter the lagoon and swim the approximate 400 meters out to the partially submerged Sherman tank and back. From there, they will don their running shoes and head northward to the Japanese Tank at the intersection of Quartermaster Rd. and back to AJ’s parking lot.
An assortment of prizes awaits the competitors who join one of the six age divisions. The youngest will join the 8-and-Under division’s 100-meter swim and 1-kilometer run, while the kids of the 9-12-year-old division will double that distance with a 200-m swim and 2-km run. The stakes are raised for the kids in the 13-16-year-old division as they have a 500-m swim and 2-km run, while both the 17-and-Up Open and 40-and-Up Masters divisions test the full distance of the 1-km swim and 5-km run.

Those not too confident in their swimming skills can don a mask, snorkel, fins, floaties, or whatever they like to enter the Anything Goes Division, which features a 500-m swim and 2-km run.

Not everyone is looking to tackle the entire challenge and they can opt instead to team up with a partner and halve the race, but teams must do the longest course to qualify for the team prize.

Registration gets underway at 6:30am and the aquathon starts an hour later at 7:30am, and the cost to enter the Tank to Tank is $20 for the solo competitor, and $30 for a team.
For more information about the splash and dash or for help in finding a race partner, contact Jon Cramer by calling 235-6231 ext 5148.

MTEC was formed in 2002 as a non-profit organization that seeks to build a sustainable tourism industry well into the future for the CNMI by fostering community understanding of our dynamic business. Its primary purpose is to educate our youth about the importance of tourism in the CNMI.