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SSC holds biathlon; Meek and Mighty Ocean Swim up next
Wataru Kadokura heads out to the course, while his fellow Saipan Swim Club members look on during a biathlon event held last month in Marpi. (Contributed Photo)
Saipan Swim Club squeezed in a biathlon to its training session last month, while the club is all set for the 2016 Meek and Might Ocean Swim this Saturday.
The biathlon was held late last month at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool in Marpi with more than 10 members of the club joining the revived program.
“The idea of reviving this program came from coach Gary De Guzman. Coach Gary wanted to add another element of fun to practice and he recommended combining running and biking with swimming,” SSC head coach Jacoby Winkfield told Saipan Tribune.
“This is the second biathlon we have done, with the first being a run, swim, run. Following the success of the first biathlon, the coaches agreed to hold a different combination monthly to encourage swimmers to explore and experience different events.
“This is a fun event designed to reward our swimmers for their commitment and dedication day in and day out. While their friends are out having fun after school and on weekends they are training. When they know they have hours of homework ahead of them when they get home after practice, but still they make it to practice. And when the coaches give them a monster set, but still give 110%. They deserve some fun,” Winkfield said.
The SSC head coach added that the biathlon is a good training for club members who want to join this year’s XTERRA Saipan and Tagaman Triathlon.
“With many of our swimmers seriously considering participating in the Tagaman and XTERRA triathlons, we coaches thought what better way to reward them for their hard in the pool than to give them an opportunity to explore their passion for triathlon. It is a win win for everyone,” Winkfield said.
Meanwhile, the Meek and Mighty will be held in the waters off Pacific Islands Club.
Registration starts at 7am, while races will begin at 8am. Entrance fee is only $10 and interested swimmers can join three regular courses: 1K, 3K, and 5K. A special 200m course is designed for beginners.
For more information, contact SSC at saipanswimclub@gmail.com.
