KOSUKE Sato and Akiko Miller topped their respective divisions in Run Saipan’s 2nd Mangrove 5K race on Saturday morning at the Gov. Eloy S. Inos Peace Park.
With a bigger number of participants, the route and the turning point were pushed further back, but these changes did not affect the pace of Kosuke Sato as he claimed first place in the men’s division.
At first, Michael Denevan led the pack but “after getting off Smiling Cove, I took the lead,” Sato said. He completed the course with a time of 00:20:06 while Denevan came in second at 00:23:02.
Young runner Michael Miller finished third with a time of 00:22:42.
Elite runner
In the women’s division, Akiko Miller showed once again why she is among the island’s elite runners by bagging first place and fourth overall with a finish time of 02:21:02.
When asked how the run was, she answered, “Very hard course. The last 1K is always so hard.”
She said that although she led the race, she had to look back as Kaithlyn Chavez was always within reach, crossing the finish line in second place with a time of 00:21:11.
Noriko Jim, for her part, came in third with a time of 00:23:23.
Reversal of fortune
During last year’s inaugural Mangrove 5K event, Sato had a chance to best Marshall Hoskins, who was considered the fastest runner at the time.
However, Sato suffered a setback during the turning point when he fell on his back.
This year, he said, “I paid attention to everything. When we turned around, I slowed down and made it.”
More runners
Run Saipan President Edward Dela Cruz Jr. noted that “last year we had about 27 runners; [this year,] we released the registration just on Wednesday and within three days, we had 71 runners.”
He added, “This is special for me because we broke our non-special 5K record.”
The race is an “underground” event, with no medals or T-shirts to give away, he noted.
“We have nothing to give except our time and water for our runners, but I’m surprised we were able to come up with this number,” Dela Cruz said.
The 2nd Mangrove 5K race participants pose for a group photo at the Gov. Eloy S. Inos Peace Park.
Kosuke Sato celebrates as he crosses the finish line of Run Saipan’s 2nd Mangrove 5K race Saturday at the Gov. Eloy S. Inos Peace Park.
Akiko Miller crosses the finish line of Run Saipan’s 2nd Mangrove 5K race Saturday at the Gov. Eloy S. Inos Peace Park.
