ROTA (MVA) — Star-studded night skies, pristine and picturesque roadways, and some of the island’s most iconic scenic sites welcomed 101 registrants who signed up to run as one with nature in the Rota Marathon 2026 held on Saturday, Jan. 31, in the Far From Ordinary Marianas.
Runners from Japan, Korea, USA, Guam, and the Marianas gathered in the western Pacific archipelago for the event, co-organized by the Marianas Visitors Authority and the Office of the Mayor of Rota, with wide support from the local community.
The opportunity to connect with nature started early during race packet pickup on Friday, Jan. 30, in the capital of Songsong village, where participants commemorated this year’s race by planting several pomegranate, star apple, and other trees. In an island chain steeped in rich history, the new trees will frame the ruins of the early 1900s South Seas administration building constructed during the Japanese administrative era of the islands.
Race day on Saturday started at 4 a.m. under heavy clouds that later parted to offer glimpses of Rota’s night sky and its breathtaking number of stars. Navigating elevation change smoothly and eventually topping the Men’s Division of the full marathon, which traversed the island’s lush northern jungles and lagoon-hugging roads, was Matthew Johnson (3:37:35) of USA, followed by top Women’s Division finisher Krista Hawley (4:27:24) of the Marianas. Johnson was followed by James Munis (4:30:11) of USA/Marianas and Dominic Vaccaro (5:00:56) of USA, respectively. Hawley was followed by Aspen Egbert (4:46:14) of Guam and Eunho An (5:34:50) of the Marianas, respectively.
“Rota had an incredibly challenging yet fulfilling course. It’s got a lot of hills, but at the same time the beauty of the nature I was running past was really helping to spur me on,” said Johnson. “The curated nature on Rota is second to none. Rota has so much pride, rightly so, and it really shows. It goes through to the hearts and warmth of people, it shows in the way that (they) keep the (roadsides).
“So far the biggest thing that has struck me is the absolute friendliness of everyone we’ve met. Even just driving around, every single person is waving at us. I don’t know if that’s normal or not, but it’s amazing!”
Johnson and Vaccaro delighted the crowd at the awards ceremony by both donating their prize money to local non-profit organization Luta Cares.
Tracking first in the Men’s Division of the half marathon was Landen Taflinger (1:38:49), followed by the first Women’s finisher Tammy Ackerman (1:47:52), both of the Marianas. Rounding out the top Men’s finishers were the Marianas duo of Elphrain Taimanao (2:05:30) and Michael Pimentel (2:07:24), while Ackerman was followed by Chelsea Moore (2:28:09) and Emmi Fillmore (2:28:35), both of USA.
“I’ve been telling everyone I can that this is probably one of the most beautiful races in the world,” Ackerman said, who pushed through to her first place finish despite spraining her ankle on Mile 10. “You start under a full moon and stars which you can never see in most of the world because there is so much pollution everywhere else. It’s like an (Air Quality Index) of zero, which is unheard of. And then you finish with the sun rising over the ocean. Everything is so green, you see the fruitbats flying right next to you when you’re alone on the road, and it’s just a really magical experience. Everyone should come to experience this someday.”
Air Quality Index is a representation of air pollution concentration levels, assigned on a scale between 0 and 500.
Breezing in first in the Men’s Division of the 5K was Chad Talfinger (22:25) of the Marianas with Jun Shimada (22:46) of Japan close on his heels and Genaro Mejia (23:51) of the Marianas not far behind. Rounding out the first place finishes of her father and brother was Addalee Taflinger (23:23) of the Marianas in the Women’s Division, followed by Megumi Takaku Shimada (25:54) of Japan and Elvira Furnari (32:19) of USA.
“The island is amazing…it’s very lush!” said Furnari, making her first visit to Rota. “It’s very difficult to put it into words. People are so friendly…beautiful nature…amazing weather…serene beaches…it smells different! I’m so grateful for this amazing experience!”
Participants were treated to sunrise over the mountains shining soft light over Sasanhaya Bay Fish Reserve, where a pod of dolphins was spotted close to shore as the day warmed. The telling outline of Rota’s iconic Wedding Cake Mountain across the bay was framed by a rainbow. The course passed a variety of tropical flowers, old growth trees, and new additions under Rota Mayor Aubry Hocog’s recently achieved initiative to plant 1,000 fruit trees across the island.
At the end of day as the sun set over the western lagoon, registrants were treated to an al fresco awards dinner buffet beachside at Rota Roundhouse. Appetites were whet with the juice of young, green coconuts cut by machete-welding locals, followed by a buffet table ladened with favorite local dishes such as “achote”-seasoned red rice, lemony chicken kelaguen, and melt-in-your-mouth papaya turnovers.
Rota Marathon was sponsored by Ambros/Marpac and Star Marianas. Additional supporters were Rota Municipal Council; Luta Cares; the Departments of Lands & Natural Resources, Community & Cultural Affairs, Commerce, Labor, Finance, Public Safety, and Fire & Emergency Medical Services.
Rota is a short flight from Saipan or Guam, with air service provided by Star Marianas and Micronesian Air Connection Services.
