Mami, Charlie top Turkey Trot

Charlie Sendin and Mamiko Oshima-Berger had winning comebacks in yesterday’s 35th Annual Turkey Trot Fun Run.

Sendin, who debuted in the 2012 edition of Northern Marianas Athletics’ signature event and finished second overall behind Sean Smith, returned for the 4.2-mile race from Lower Base to Mt.

Tapochao this year and bagged the top spot with an impressive time of 39:45. His winning time surpassed Smith’s 44:04 and also his 2012 record (44:54), putting him in a company of strong runners who completed the uphill race under 40 minutes. Eli Torgeson holds the record time in the men’s division after submitting 34:20 in 2008, while Stuart Smith also broke the 40-minute barrier after registering 36:46 in 2006.

The 35-year-old Sendin was among the small group of runners who pulled away from a pack heading up to Capital Hill. He was in the company of Michael Mancao, Manny Aaron, Beo Ngirchongor, and Ketson “Jack” Kabiriel. Mancao was ahead of the lead group before Sending overtook him near the Capital Hill Ballfield.

Mancao, who is studying in Guam and just returned to Saipan last Wednesday to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family, settled for runner-up honors in the overall standings, but finished first in the open division after timing in at 41:56.

Other male division top finishers were Anthony Fruit, Angelo Jones, Bo Palacios, Aaron, and Cesar Danao. Fruit ruled the 12-and-under division after submitting 54:11, while Jones reigned supreme in the 17-and-under age group after recording 45:01. Palacios prevailed in the 30 to 39 group after making it to the top at the 54:04 mark, while Aaron and Danao won in the over 40 and over 50 categories after logging 42:82 and 43:16, respectively.
In the women’s division, Oshima-Berger returned on top after missing the last two editions of the annual race. She timed in at 42:10 on her Turket Trot comeback to gain her fourth championship in the women’s division. Oshima-Berger, who just completed the Mt. Fuji Marathon in Japan last Sunday, ruled the Turkey Trot’s women’s category for three straight year’s (2008 to 2010) and her time winning time in her fourth victory was the fastest, eclipsing the 42:55 she logged in 2010.

Last year’s first female finisher Amy Sletten dropped to second, but placed first in the open division after checking in at 48:52. Rounding out the top finishers in each age group in the women’s division were Conatsu Kaga, Gabrielle Race, Pipit Ball, Chiharu Sato, and Irma Halaby. Kaga took the 12U top honors after posting 54:34, while Race time din at 1:05:38 to win the 17U age group. Ball was the champion in the 30 to 39 age group after tallying 51:23, while Sato placed first in the over 40 category after recording 56:19, and Halaby topped the over 50 division after registering 1:04:42.

Around 130 runners joined the Turkey Trot Run, which was NMA’s penultimate race for the 2013 season. The association will culminate the year with the Christmas Island Relay set for Dec. 28. The 13.7-mile race will bring runners from Pacific Islands Club in San Antonio to the Last Command Post in Marpi. The race is open to both team and individual runners. Each team should have five runners and with at least one member, who are in the over 50 age group, a female, or in the U16 division. There is no restriction in the individual race. Entry fees are $25 for team and $10 for solo. Registration will start at 5:15 at the southern parking lot of PIC, while the race will begin at 6am.