Tania Tan smiles as she crosses the finish line to finish first in the 10K distance of the 4th 10KM NMI Women’s Run at Micro Beach on Saturday.
The participants of the 4th 10KM NMI Women’s Run pose for a group photo at Micro Beach on Saturday.
TANIA Tan ruled this year’s Northern Marianas Athletics 4th 10KM NMI Women’s Run with an impressive time of 38:56 at Micro Beach on Saturday.
In second place was Akiko Miller with a time of 43:42 followed by Addalee Taflinger in third at 52:30.
A two-time gold medalist at the Pacific Games, Tan led the competition throughout the entire race. “It was really windy and rainy, especially on the way out. I was not expecting that, but it was overall really fun,” Tan said an interview.
When asked if she was aiming for 38:56, she said, “Honestly, I was just going out to have fun. I’m here for spring break and the race happened to be here while I’m on island.”
This year’s race used the Saipan Marathon course and started at Micro Beach before heading to Puerto Rico and back.
“I like how it’s for women only,” Tan said, referring to the 10K event. “I like seeing a lot of women come out to run — even just walk — it was really nice.”
Tan was in the lead the entire time, running alongside the boys who competed in the 5K event, but after reaching their separate turnaround points, she ran most of the race alone.
“Thanks to all the sponsors and organizers for hosting this event, it was really good and really fun!” she said.
5K results
In the women’s 5K event, recent NMI Sports Hall of Famer inductee Noriko Jim finished first with a time of 23:41. Kaylen Taflinger came in second at 25:02 while Megumi Takaku Shimada was third at 27:43.
In the men’s 5K race, Sildrey Viloria came out on top with a time of 19:03 followed by Pony Tang at 19:30, and Jordan Ruiz at 21:04.
“On behalf of NMA, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our partners and stakeholders for their invaluable support in making the NMI Women’s 10KM Run 2024 a great success,” NMA General Secretary Robin Sapong said.
“Your collaboration and dedication have played a crucial role in empowering women and promoting fitness in our community. Thank you for being an integral part of this journey. We hope for a bigger turnout in 2025 as we celebrate our fifth year,” he added.
The rest of the age group winners, along with a special message from the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence will be featured in Variety’s next issue.
