Martin Hess, center, Victor Nash Santos, left, and Sildrey Veloria pose for a photo as the top three racers of the Mt. Tapochao 5K segment of the 2nd Annual Run Saipan Trinity on Sunday morning.
Addalee Taflinger, center, Shawna Brennfleck, left, and Ann Bang pose for a photo as the top three female racers of the Mt. Tapochao 5K segment of the 2nd Annual Run Saipan Trinity on Sunday morning.
MARTIN Hess and Addalee Taflinger were the top runners in their respective divisions of the 5K Mt. Tapochao race on day 2 of the 2nd Annual Run Saipan Trinity on Sunday morning.
The two also ruled day 1 on Friday, a 10K event on Beach Road.
Mt. Tapochao continued to punish runners, but that did not stop Hess from blowing past the competition with ease as he finished first with a time of 25:00.
He and two others were initially in the lead while coping with the uneven steps and darkness, but eventually, Hess was able to break through to finish first. He also broke a three-year old course record held by Mashall Hoskins.
In second place was Victor Nash Santos with a time of 26:28 while Sildrey Veloria came in third at 27:04.
Women’s division
Addalee Taflinger once again finished first in the women’s division, this time clocking 33:03. She also now holds the new course record for the women’s division, beating previous holder Denise Myers.
Shawna Brennfleck came in second with a time of 33:53 while Ann Bang finished third at 35:41.
“It was exhausting,” Tafflinger said. “I feel like every single time we run Mt. Tapochao it gets longer and longer.”
She and Brennfleck led the competition initially, but Tafflinger managed to break away.
It was tough for Taflinger as her legs were still sore from day 1 of the race, but she said she told herself to push through and win.
“I’m ready for the third and final race, but I know it’s going to be hard since I’m exhausted from two days of running,” she said.
