Jody O’Sullivan celebrates after crossing the finish line of the half marathon at Micro Beach on Saturday.
Youn Kyung Lee, center, holds her 1st place plaque in the half marathon as she poses for a photo with Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Christopher Concepcion, Skechers representative Jennifer Tan, Coca-Cola representative Aileen Benavidez, and MVA acting Chair Gloria Cavanagh during the awards banquet at the Hyatt Regency Saipan on Saturday.
JODY O’Sullivan and Youn Kyung Lee ruled their respective divisions in the half marathon event of this year’s Saipan Marathon on Saturday.
The half marathon took runners from Micro Beach to the turnaround point at the former Mariana Resort and back.
Taking the crown in the men’s division is Hyatt’s pastry chef, Jody O’Sullivan, who crossed the finish line with a time of 1:23:41. He said he had trained for the event, adding that hard work does pay off.
In second place was 16-year-old Victor Nash Santos with a finish time of 1:29:02 followed by Jungchul Gong in third at 1:33:31.
In the women’s division, Youn Kyung Lee claimed the title by clocking 1:40:11. In second place was a recently inducted CNMI Sports Hall of Famer, Noriko Jim, with a time of 1:45:02, while Jihee Kim came in third at 1:47:48.
Age groups
Also sharing the spotlight were the top finishers in the age groups.
In the men’s division:
• Ziheng Cai claimed the top spot in the U14 age group with a time of 1:40:04;
• Yile Wang, U18, 1:40:08;
• Kodama Naoya, open age group, 1:40:03;
• Minju Ryu, 35-39 age group, 1:55:08;
• Jongwon Lee, 40-44 age group, 1:47:27;
• Dennis Tianzon, 45-49 age group, 2:26:21;
• Joo Hun Lee, 50-54 age group, 1:38:03;
• Daniel Marzan, 50-59 age group, 2:44:08; and
• Norlo Jacosalem, 60 and above, 2:00:15.
In the women’s division:
• Zhaoyu Shen, U14, 3:49:27;
• Enqi Peng, U18, 2:04:35;
• Mackenzie Walker, open age group, 2:02:06;
• Boeun Kim, 35-39 age group, 1:50:15;
• Shawna Brennfleck, 40-44 age group, 02:04:34;
• Kimberly King-Hinds, 45-49 age group, 1:48:43;
• Chunha Kim, 50-54 age group, 2:02:53; and
• Joho Ikuko, 60 and above, 2:49:26.
131 runners competed in the half marathon event.
