Dizon, Borja lead local charge in Tagaman

Winners and participants in the 29th Tagaman Triathlon 70.3 join race officials for a group photo after last Saturday’s awards banquet at the Barefoot Bar at the Kanoa Resort. (Jon Perez)

Veteran cyclist Nap Dizon and youngster Carter Borja earned the distinction of being the only two Saipan bets to join and complete the Half Ironman distance of last Saturday’s 29th Tagaman Triathlon 70. 3.

Dizon and Borja were among the 21 finishers of the race that had a 1.9-kilometer, 90K bike, and 21K run. Twenty-three individuals signed up for the Tagaman 70.3 event. Participants swam from Kanoa Resort to Kilili Beach then took on the bike course that was composed of two loops from Kilili Beach to as far as Banzai Cliff up north and Koblerville down south. For the final leg, participants ran two loops from Kilili Beach to Chamolinian Village in Garapan.

Dizon was the lone finisher in the male 40 to 44 division, completing the grueling race in 6:05:10 as Frenchman Eric Cordeau failed to start the race. Borja also went solo in the U19 category and had a time of 6:28:34.

Guam’s Laura Nadeau, who competed in the 30 to 34 age group, came in fifth overall behind the pros—including compatriot and women’s pro/elite champion Manami Iijima (4:34:40)—completing the race in 4:45:52. Nadeau even finished ahead of women’s pro/elite runner-up Dan Bi Hong (4:51:10) and third placer A Reum Jo (4:53:39) both from South Korea. Chai-Wen Hseh of Chinese Taipei was at far second behind Nadeau after logging 6:09:23, while Japan’s Kanako Moriyama (8:15:00) was ranked third.

American Erica Dueger clocked in at 6:27:08 to beat Reiko Okamoto of Japan in their one-on-one matchup in the female 50 to 54 division. Another Japanese, Tomoki Imanaka, was the solo participant in the men’s 20 to 24, crossing the finish line in 6:12:34.

Bong Jun An, another athlete from the large group of South Koreans, was the second-best non-pro finisher after checking in at 4:54:24 to clinch the male 25 to 29 division crown. Japan’s Mizuki Kumagai came in at second with his 6:45:57.

American Daniel Dolan bested three other competitors in the 35 to 39 division with a time of 4:57:50, which was also the third fastest among the non-pros. Guam’s Gary Schoenhals (5:15:13) was second, while Korean Myung Jae Jo (6:42:57) placed third. David Santos, also from Guam, was the other participant in the same age group and completed the race in 8:05:00.

South Korean Jung Young Kim (5:53:29) was the top finisher in the male 45 to 49, followed by Guam’s Arnold Gimoto (5:54:24), and Japanese duo Atsushi Sakata (6:09:45) and Noboyuki Kikuchi (6:11:16).

Guatemala’s Jose Leal (male 50 to 54, 5:04:23), Ho San Baek of South Korea (male 50 to 59, 5:30:56), and Japan’s Teishi Kishii (male 55 to 59, 8:05:00) were the other amateur finishers.