“STREAK conquered!” Angel San Nicolas exclaimed as he completed his year-long mission to run a mile a day in 2021.
San Nicolas is better known for his accomplishments as a weightlifter who won three gold medals in the 9th Micronesian Games in Yap.
But when his friend, Run Saipan president Edward Dela Cruz Jr., told him last year, “All you can do is lift weights,” San Nicolas said he considered it a challenge he should accept.
“He really didn’t think I could do it because he knew I didn’t run nor do I even like doing it,” he added.
But San Nicolas said he did not accept Dela Cruz’s challenge for competitive purposes. He simply wanted to remain fit.
“I’m not doing it competitively,” he said, “but I will say it has helped me with weightlifting, paddling, and jiu-jitsu. Having a decent cardio is better than no cardio at all.”
He added, “It was to just complete the 365 days. I didn’t care about being fast until I started to notice that I could run a mile for a decent time considering how much I weighed and the other sports I was competing in.”
Since San Nicolas started running, he has noticed improvements. “From running 20 minutes a mile to clocking 7:26 which is now my best 1-mile time — I’m quite happy about that,” he added.
However, running everyday for 365d days was not an easy feat, he said.
There were many times when he felt like skipping a day or even giving up entirely.
“I really don’t like running. It feels like a burden every day. Imagine doing something you don’t like for a whole year!” he said.
“But I just had to suck it up. Sometimes I would ask other people to run with me, so I could get distracted, but for the most part I really had to fight myself from quitting.”
At the end of a long year, San Nicolas said he now feels like he can run as long as he is wearing his running shoes. He can usually be found at the Oleai track & field, the Beach Road or even right outside his house.
“Believe me when I say I can run anywhere,” he said.
Angel San Nicolas, center, and the rest of Team Run Saipan A push through the finish line of the 40th Annual Christmas Island Relay at the Last Command Post on Dec. 18, 2021.
Angel San Nicolas
