In this file photo, Jody O’Sullivan celebrates as he finishes first overall in Run Saipan’s 4th Annual 4th of July, Independence Day two-mile race in 2024.
JODY O’Sullivan and Sablina Shen ended 2024 by finishing first in their respective divisions of Run Saipan’s Run from 2024 Mile Race on Tuesday, New Year’s Eve.
Known as “the fastest race on Saipan,” the event allowed running enthusiasts to test their speed in a one-mile course that stretched from Saipan Shipping Company to Smiling Cove Marina.
O’Sullivan successfully defended his title, finishing first overall and in the male division with a time of 5:04.42. However, he was not able to beat the course record of 4:48, which he set in last year’s run.
This year proved much tougher as high school student Jim Takeru shadowed O’Sullivan throughout the race, finishing second with a time of 5:06.87 while James Fan came in third at 5:17.76.
Other divisions
In the female division, Sablina Shen came out on top with a finish time of 6:33.22 followed by Terra Allen in second at 6:39.74 and Madge Gai in third at 7:03.18.
In the U12 division, Evan Poole led the men’s division with a time of 7:21.77 followed by Koen Poole at 7:39.26 while the female division was led by Brooklyn Jones with a time of 7:38.86 followed by Amara Agulto at 11:13.93.
In the U15 male division, Raffy Cai finished first at 5:37.38 followed by Daniel Yang at 5:35.98, and Kaide Benson at 6:04.99.
The U18 female division was led by Catherine Pan with a time of 7:11.91 followed by Yuxi Zhang at 7:22.71.
In the open division for males, Jordan Ruiz was numero uno with a time of 5:21.11 followed by Jesse Coren at 6:11.61 and Daryn Roufs at 6:26.01 while the open division for females was led by Victoria Takai with a time of 12:31.71.
In the 40-44 female age group, Megan Dame finished first at 8:12.68 followed by Astrid Poole at 9:08.49.
In the 45-49 age group, the male division was led by Joel Phair with a time of 5:33.00 followed by Leo Wania at 9:13.35 while the female division was led by solo runner Shiela Mabutas with a time of 9:07.64.
In the 50-54 age group, the male division was led by Leith Poole with a time of 6:16.68 followed by James Abuy at 7:02.74, and Galvin Deleon Guerrero at 8:26.29 while Ann Bang topped the women’s division with a time of 7:38.23.
Ron Snyder and Kim Church topped the 55-60 age group category with a time of 10:39.13 and 9:37.08, respectively.
Khang Paul topped the 65+ male division as the solo runner with a time of 8:05.91.
