Torgeson tops Tinian Triathlon

Eli Torgeson won the three-sport race of last Saturday’s 9th Annual Tinian Turquoise Blue Triathlon & Reef Swim that started off Taga Beach in the CNMI’s gaming capital.

The Commonwealth Health Center anesthesiologist cut three-time Tagaman champion Hideya Miyazuka’s lead after the swim by pedaling like there was no tomorrow to top the race in a time of 2:27:19.

Miyazuka was the first out of the water after the 44-year-old ironman from Japan finished the swim in 27:15. Torgeson had a lot of catching up to do after emerging from the surf in 31:25.

But he made up for it in his specialty, closing in with a time of 1:15:33 in the bike portion as against Miyazuka’s 1:18:33 to come within 10 seconds of the Japanese’s lead.

Torgeson eventually passed Miyazuka early in the run, which he negotiated in 40:21 to beat the former to the finish line by close to three minutes. Miyazuka timed in at 2:20:14 after completing the run in 44:17.

Tinian transplant Ken Halliday, meanwhile, made the locals proud by coming in third in the event, tearing the tape in 2:42:06.

Saipan’s Tyce Mister and Lewie Tenorio complete the Top 5 in the multi-sport event, arriving at the finish line in 2:50:49 and 2:53:50, respectively.

For the women, Japan’s Eiko Moriya and Yoko Mineo finished 1-2 for the Land of the Rising Sun, completing the race in 3:14:14 and 3:25:29, respectively.

Saipan’s Kimiko Hasegawa almost beat Mineo to the finish line, coming in three seconds off the runner-up’s pace with a time of 3:25:32.

Kanae Quinn came in fourth (3:30:52), while Keiko Nakakarumai came in fifth, clocking in at 3:42:49.

The 2008 edition of the Tinian Turquoise Blue Triathlon attracted a total of 36 participants with ages ranging from 20-year-old Joshua Manglona of Tinian to 64-year-old Kazumi Mineo of Japan.

The annual triathlon is supported by the Tinian Mayor’s Office, KFC Triathlon Club of Japan, Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino, and the Marianas Visitors Authority.

In the Reef Swim, Japanese finished 1-2-3 in all three categories of the event. Yoshinori Iwasa topped the 4.5-kilometer swim in 1:25:49, followed by Atsushi Hashimoto (1:28:16) and Hiroshi Osumi (1:28:19).

The 3-kilometer race was won by a female swimmer as Akiko Yamamoto reached the shore in 53:06. Satoru Seto came in second in 53:12, while another woman, Noroko Nagashima took third in a time of 55:28.

Ayaka Tsukanishi, meanwhile, was first on the 1.5-kilometer swim, emerging from the surf in 26:06. She was followed by Takashi Yamazaki (28:08) and Syoji Yamashita (31:21).