The young participants of the triathlon event pose for a group photo.
Contributed photos
Christian Villacrusis makes his way to the bike portion of the first of a five-qualifier series for the 2025 Pacific Mini Games hosted by the Triathlon Association of the CNMI at Paupau Beach on Saturday.
Heather Brook takes a breather after completing the bike portion of the first of the five-qualifier series for the 2025 Pacific Mini Games hosted by the Triathlon Association of the CNMI at Paupau Beach on Saturday.
IN preparation for the 2025 Pacific Mini Games, which will be held from June 29 to July 9 in Koror, Palau, the Triathlon Association of the CNMI hosted a sprint triathlon — the first of five qualifiers — with Christian Villacrusis and Heather Brook topping their respective categories at Paupau Beach on Saturday.
The race began with a 750-meter swim, followed by a two-lap bike ride from Paupau Beach to the Marpi landfill and back (covering 20 km), and ended with a 5K run from Paupau Beach to the H.O.P.E. Recovery Center and back.
Among the 12 competitors who took on the challenge, Christian Villacrusis finished first in both the men’s category and overall, posting a time of 1:16:58.
Following behind were Michael Miller at 1:19:04, Colin Ramsey at 1:24:43, Leo Wania at 1:47:02, and Jester Baldonado at 1:56:55. Travis Spaeth did not finish.
2022 Pacific Games bronze medalist Heather Brook topped the female category with a time of 1:23:31 while Shawna Brennfleck came in second at 1:24:39.
Finishing in third through sixth were Kerri Bauer (1:37:48), Terra Allen (1:45:04), Maria Watt (1:47:21), and Denise Myers (2:03:12).
Other categories
In the team category, Team Raho clinched first place with a time of 1:22:29, while the Taflinger/Ruszala team secured second with a time of 1:32:25.
Claiming first place in the 14U male category was lone competitor Beau Bauer with a time of 13:37:00, while the female category was won by Addalee Taflinger, who clocked 13:56:00, followed by Leilani Ruszala at 14:08:00 and Amethyst Winkfield at 17:46:00.
Finishing in the top 3 of the 10U male category were Brayden Brennfleck with a time of 8:34, followed by Declan Spaeth at 8:35, and Gabriel Walsh at 9:03. The female category was led by LoVel Spaeth with a time of 8:14, followed by Olivia Walsh at 10:01, and Lauren Camacho at 10:24.
In the 5U male category, Franco Allen-Gibson finished first with a time of 4:48, while Zeke Bauer settled for second place at 6:18. Vida Beyer claimed the female category with a time of 5:36, followed by Victoria Santos at 7:21 and Beryl Winkfield at 8:25.
The remaining qualifiers will be held on March 15, April 5, May 3, and June 7.
New board members
Also on Saturday, TRAC selected its new board members: President Robyn Spaeth, Vice President Shawna Brennfleck, Secretary Kathy Ruszala, Treasurer Rebecca Wiggins, Secretary General Denise Myers, along with Heather Brook, Kimiko McKagan, Lily Muldoon, Travis Spaeth, Leo Wania, Florence Antonio, Manny Sitchon, and Ali Nelson.
