‘Run For Ron’ 5K fun run on May 11

All is set for the 5-kilometer “Run For Ron” fundraising event, which races off on May 11 at 6am at Micro Beach inside the American Memorial Park.

The 5K fun run and walk is veteran runner Ronald Villafria’s fundraising event to help him finance his scheduled trip to Tokyo, Japan, where he will compete in the 2008 Mt. Fuji Marathon or Fuji Tozan race on July 25.

Proceeds of the Sunday fun run would help defray the cost of the Coco’s Restaurant employee’s plane ticket for the Japan trip.

Sponsors are lining up to help Villafria in his fundraising race with some donating prizes that would be given away on the day of the event. The Top 3 male and female winners will receive special giveaways.

The first male and female finisher will also receive a trophy, while age division winners will also get exciting prizes.

The first 100 participants who will register for the fun run will also get a free event T-shirt. Registration forms are available at Coco’s Restaurant in Garapan or at Romy’s Auto Glass Pro in Beach Road.

Participants can also register on May 11 and the entrance fee is $10.

The course to be used is the same course in the Club Elan 5K Fun Run organized by Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Club Elan.

Villafria said he is thankful for all sponsors who helped him in organizing the race.

Some of the sponsors that either donated or helped him are lawyer Steve Pixley, Eli Arago, Ariel Mariano, Susan Espanillo, Fiesta Resort & Spa, Coco’s Restaurant, Tan Holdings Legal Department, Shirley’s Coffee Shop, Capricciosa Restaurant, Hard Rock Café, CTSI, DFS Galleria, SaipanCell Communications, Coca-Cola Micronesia, PTI, and Marianas Brokers Inc.

Villafria also talked to Northern Marianas Athletics secretary general Robin Sapong to help him in recording the times of the participants, while he would also seek assistance from the Northern Mariana Islands Triathlon Federation and its president Russ Quinn.

He said he expects all running enthusiasts on Saipan, who regularly join various races on the island, NMA athletes, and NMITF members will also take part in his five-kilometer fun run.

The Mt. Fuji Marathon or Fuji Tozan Race is composed of two legs, a 15-kilometer race to the fifth station of the mountain and a 21-km race all the way to the top. The final six kilometers of the race is also a trail run.

Villafria said lawyer and perennial contender Pixley would join him in the Mt. Fuji Marathon, while inaugural 12-kilometer Marianas Coffee Trail Run at Mt. Tapochao winner Fujio Miyachi will also compete for the third time in the race.

Registration for the Mt. Fuji race is limited to only 6,000 participants and sign up is a first-come, first-served basis. Villafria said Pixley would take care of their registration.

Villafria previously led an All-Filipino team in winning the relay event of the 19th Tagaman Triathlon on March 15 where he ran the 15-km course in 58 minutes and 33 seconds and beat Miyachi in the 12-km trail run of the 7th XTERRA Saipan Championships with a time of 1:01:12.

He also placed third in the 10-km event of the 3rd Annual Saipan Marathon in January (41:43.22) and ran solo in the 13.7-mile Christmas Island Relay last year with at time 1:48:50.