Runners must complete the course on their own in a single run. Starting from the base of Tapochao, runners had to cover a distance of 4.48 miles.
In the men’s division it was Edward Dela Cruz who stood tall on top of the mountain with a time of 00:46:47.
“I had no intention of running until a close friend of mine, Joe Villacrusis, invited me to run with him as it was his tradition,” Dela Cruz told Variety. “I just hopped on. It was my first turkey trot and I just wanted to run for fun.”
He added, “I already assumed Keith Longuski was going to crush it again for his 6th title. I was really bummed that he didn’t do it this year. That man is a machine. His times for the past turkey trots were amazing. I just ran this year to see what my time was and then use that as a base line until I can work my way up to Keith’s level. It was definitely a very tough race. It is merciless and it definitely tests your conviction as a runner.”
The runners pose for a photo after completing the 2020 Mt. Tapochao Virtual Run. Contributed photo
Edward Dela Cruz posts his time and distance that earned him first place in the men’s division of the 2020 Mt. Tapochao Virtual Run held on Nov. 25-28. Contributed photo
Following behind Dela Cruz was Leith Poole who finished with a time of 00:50:25 while tennis coach Jeff Race took third place at 00:52:02.
In the women’s division, Andrei Kaithlyn Chavez completed the course at 00:45:11.
Next was Denise Myers who crossed the finish line at 00:54:55 while Lydia Tan was third, clocking at 00:58:35.
Thirty runners registered this year with the top three finishers of each division taking home a turkey.
“Despite the uncertainty with the global pandemic, I’m glad we were able hold a virtual event for our local runners who were looking forward to this annual event,” said Northern Marianas Athletics secretary general Robin Sapong. “A virtual event is fun, but you just can’t compare it with an actual face-to-face experience pushing yourself with other runners and your friends toward the peak of Mt. Tapochao.”
