By James Sablan
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Variety News Staff
FOLLOWING a demanding two-week journey representing the islands at the Oceania Athletics Championships in Australia, one of Saipan’s brightest young distance runners, Landen Taflinger, returned home to a major surprise.
On Wednesday afternoon, local runners gathered at the Governor Eloy S. Inos Peace Park for the Birthday Bash Fun Run, a free community event organized by Taflinger’s family to celebrate his upcoming 18th birthday. Around 20 local runners turned out to celebrate one of their own while competing for top-three finishes in the open and 18U divisions.
In the 18U boys division, Taflinger delivered a strong performance on his home turf, crossing the finish line in 35:23 to secure second place. However, it was Tony Camacho who stole the show in the youth category, blazing through the course in a spectacular 29:50 to claim first place.
In the men’s open division, Taflinger’s fellow teammate from the Oceania Athletics Championships, Theodore Rodgers, captured first place with a commanding time of 32:28. He was followed closely by Sildrey Veloria, who secured second place just 15 seconds later at 32:43, while Chad Taflinger rounded out the top three in 35:23.
On the women’s side, Nelly Min won the women’s open division as the sole finisher, posting a time of 37:32.
In the 18U girls division, Kalen Taflinger and Jessica Kim finished simultaneously, both clocking in at 49:16 to share the spotlight. Celine Park followed closely behind, taking third place just one second later at 49:17.
For Landen Taflinger, the event came as a complete surprise. Speaking after the race, the soon-to-be 18-year-old admitted he had no idea the community was planning a race in his honor until just days before departing for Australia.
“I didn’t really expect anything for my birthday because post-typhoon, it’s pretty rough here,” Taflinger said, noting how touched he was by the turnout despite the event’s last-minute announcement. “I’m surprised this number of people came, so that’s better than I expected.”
When asked how it felt to run back on home soil after competing abroad, Taflinger expressed a deep sense of relief and appreciation for Saipan.
“I like it better than Australia. I was happy to come back after, like, two weeks away,” he said.
Before heading off to the post-race festivities, Taflinger made sure to thank his parents and Run Saipan President Edward Dela Cruz Jr. for organizing what he described as an unforgettable birthday milestone.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
