Thirty-six of the participants are on Saipan. Beginner walkers can choose to do the 50-mile distance while veterans can opt for the 100-mile run.
Participants must install the Strava app to qualify and record their walk/run time.
As of Dec. 2, mother and son Moji and Daryll de Luna were standing tall on the leaderboard with Moji in first place after covering a distance of 28.77 miles while Daryll is in second with a total of 14.37 miles.
Ambet Omampo is in third place with 13.83 miles followed by Vhoie Francia in fourth with 12.69. Albert Lujan completed the top five list with 11.75
“This is our second day and it was a different experience for me,” runner Nancy Omampo said.
Moji de Luna, right, poses with fellow runners on the first day of the Life in the Son Go the Xtra Mile Virtual Run/Walk Challenge. Contributed photo
Daryll de Luna smiles for the camera during the Life in the Son Go the Xtra Mile Virtual Run/Walk Challenge. Contributed photo
“I’m not really into running on my free time but I accepted the challenge. It’s different when you start your day running and being active and going to work after that — it’s a different feeling. I feel like I have extra energy and my output is different compared to a regular day.”
One of the off-island participants is Ferdie Cabiling, a pastor who once ran across the Philippines, covering a distance of over 1,300 miles. His book, “Run: Endure the Pain, Keep the Faith, Finish Your Race,” is available on amazon.com
“Instead of making a New Year’s resolution,” he said, “we are taking a proactive approach of getting healthy a month before. This event promotes good health, helps form good habits within a month’s time, and is a great warm-up for gym enthusiasts. At the same time, it promotes spirituality through prayer intercession. It’s creative, doable, and easy to join via the Strava app.”
Also participating are Jeffrey Ferris who is currently in South Korea where the weather is already cold, and NMI national soccer player Christopher Aninzo who covered three miles in the freezing weather of the United Kingdom.
For more information, go to the Life in the Son’s Facebook page.
