{"id":398479,"date":"2023-08-23T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=398479"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Edward-completes-half-marathon-in-Moscow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Edward-completes-half-marathon-in-Moscow\/","title":{"rendered":"Edward completes half marathon in Moscow"},"content":{"rendered":"

Run Saipan president Edward Dela Cruz Jr. heeded his own advice to club members by taking part in last weekend\u2019s 2023 Luzhniki Half Marathon in Moscow, Russia and completing it in a time of 2:27:29.<\/p>\n

Dedicated to the history of the Luzhniki Sports Complex, the 21.1-kilometer race snakes along the Moskva River in central Moscow and Dela Cruz said he can\u2019t help but marvel at the ancient city\u2019s sites while running the half marathon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very beautiful course. The start line was the Luzhniki Olympic Stadium. It then follows the Moskva river\u00a0 embankment so you get to see all major beautiful sites, while running. It was an out\u00a0 and back course so I got to see it all twice. I got to enjoy views of the \u2018golden brain,\u2019 the building of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Defence building, Andreyevsky and Krimsky bridges, buildings of the former chocolate factory \u2018Red October,\u2019 the Christ the Savior Cathedral, St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin. Best sightseeing package ever!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dela Cruz, who was in Moscow with wife Anastasia and son Alexander to visit his in-laws, said the hardest part of the race was that organizers intentionally didn\u2019t start the gun until there was a full daylight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was the hardest for me, I\u2019ve never run a race over 3.1 miles in broad daylight. So what killed me was when I hit Mile 10\u00a0 I miscalculated\u00a0 my hydration tank when it hit empty.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the easiest part of the 2023 Luzhniki Half Marathon, 31-year-old Airport Rescue Fire Fighting firefighter II said it\u2019s simply the absence of Saipan\u2019s notoriously energy zapping humidity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no Saipan humidity at all and we had the\u00a0 entire\u00a0 eight-way lane to ourselves. It was amazing and something we will never get on Saipan races so I took full advantage of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dela Cruz then dedicated him completing the half marathon behind the former Iron Curtain to his wife and son.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was not going to do this if she didn\u2019t encourage me. She said I\u2019d regret missing this chance. I\u2019m completely fat and out of shape right\u00a0 now and I haven’t ran farther than a mile for almost a year so I knew this was going to be brutal for my feet. It was my prerogative and best interest to finish the course as fast as possible because we still had a lot of touring\u00a0 to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dela Cruz also thanked organizers for a very well run race.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone was very nice and welcoming to me, especially running on the course. That\u2019s the great thing about the running community.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did notice that he appeared to be the only non-Caucasian in the half marathon course, which for him was a bit odd.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw some runners in Spanish singlets and African runners but they all signed up for the relay. I was the only brown guy in the half marathon solo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Run Saipan secretary and treasurer Dr. Ron Snyder congratulated Dela Cruz for following his advice to club members after mainstays Chong Nam Lee and Ann Bang competed in running events in South Korea last June.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very happy for president Ed that he is finally getting the chance to visit his wife’s family and experience a bit of her homeland,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Saipan International School headmaster also gave Dela Cruz kudos for competing in Russia despite the current war in Ukraine and the inherent dangers that come with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current geopolitical reality must be complicating things for him but you can’t keep Ed down. Leave it to him to find time amidst a hectic trip spanning a continent and several countries to sign up and run a half marathon. Go Ed, you make us all proud!\u201d<\/p>\n

Dela Cruz, for his part, said he was in no way worried about security when he ran the\u00a0 2023 Luzhniki Half Marathon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t know if there was [any possible danger] because I can\u2019t understand what they are saying. However, they hit a record-high with 8,000 plus runners. They did take great\u00a0 precaution. Military and police were all over the place. Getting into\u00a0 the\u00a0 race venue was like going through [Transportation Security Administration] at the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Run Saipan president Edward Dela Cruz Jr., center, poses with, from left, Tanya Grachov, his wife Anastasia\u2019s best friend, son Alexander, and Anastasia after completing 2023 Luzhniki Half Marathon held last weekend in Moscow, Russia<\/p>\n

-CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
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<\/p>\n

Run Saipan president Edward Dela Cruz Jr. poses with his finisher\u2019s medal after completing the 2023 Luzhniki Half Marathon held last weekend in Moscow, Russia<\/p>\n

-CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
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