Lester, Sarah are top Escapees

Lester Lapuz swam the best race of his young career, while Sarah Johnson repeated as champion of the women’s division as the 6th Annual Escape from Managaha Island got off without a hitch yesterday.

Unlike the previous years when Saipan Swim Club head coach Michael Stewart had to postpone the channel crossing because of bad weather, Mother Nature this time cooperated allowing 49 swimmers to take part in the 2.7-kilometer open water swim.

Thirteen-year-old Lapuz was the best of the bunch, as the Eucon International School student touched the big orange buoy at the American Memorial Park’s Micro Beach in 43 minutes flat.

He said he was surprised to be the first to come out of the water, but admitted that topping the Escape is the biggest win of his young swimming career.

Stewart was thrilled with Lapuz’s conquest of the Escape and said the young lad is finally realizing a lot of his potential.

“You have to understand Lester has been swimming for less than two years now. However, he has improved so much in the short time of his competitive career, and he has worked for every bit of that improvement. [You can say] I was surprised he has improved to this level this fast, but I’m not at all surprised he finished first, because of his work ethic, and his talents,” he said.

Johnson, for her part, topped the Escape for the third straight year and cemented her reputation as the islands’ top woman swimmer. She emerged from the surf with a time of 43:21.

“Sarah again proved to be the top female swimmer in the CNMI, nothing surprises me about her abilities. Since the retirement of Nina Mosley, she has stepped up as the premier dame in the water,” said Stewart of Johnson’s swim yesterday.

Kai Staal came in third overall, and second for the men, after reaching the shore in 42:27 followed by masters swimmer Colin Thompson who clocked in at 43:43.

Completing the Top 3 in the women’s division were Grace Kimball (45:31) and Mamiko Shimizu (48:58).

This year’s swim also saw cancer survivor Mary Ann Stewart take part in her second straight Escape and she finished the course in 1:13:21.

Michael Stewart this time didn’t tow a Hobie Cat to shore as he “escorted” six of SSC’s youngest swimmers in the swim from Managaha Island to Micro Beach.

Andrew Kimball (1:17.26), Abigail Martinsen and Victoria Chentsova (1:20.14), Bryce Daly (1:20.49), Maxi Braig (1:21.56), and Kento Akimaru (1:22.06) did just fine and gave the SSC head coach something to be proud of.

“Of course pulling any obstacle through the water is very challenging, and last year’s sailboat was the toughest. This year swimming with what I dubbed ‘Coach Mike’s Guppys,’ was pure pleasure. The absolute joy of swimming with these kids was a highlight of being here on island,” he said. “I hope they had as fun a time as I did. I would look underwater at Kento from time to time and he’d look at me as if to say ‘where’s the rays?’ while Bryce was the other side of me bumping into, pulling on my leg, goofing around like Nemo.”