Run Saipan excited for trip to Eugene, Oregon

Dela Cruz

While Zarinae Sapong gets to line up against the best sprinters in the world in the 100m dash, Team NMI Run Saipan gets to play tourists during the 2022 World Athletics Championships set from July 15 to 24 in Eugene, Oregon.

Led by Run Saipan president Edward Dela Cruz Jr., Team NMI Run Saipan literally got the luck of the draw when they were selected to represent the Oceania region in WCH Oregon22.

The rest of the team is made up of Run Saipan vice president Jenna Kong and club regulars  Simon Necesito, Jalen Lucido, Sildrey Veloria, and Gerald Galang.

Sapong

“I don’t have any expectations. I’m still in disbelief that we get to go out and experience something like this as tourists. Officially we are going over as ‘Asics World Ekiden Ambassadors’ along with a team from Indonesia, Mexico, Japan, and Italy. The surprise part of the trip is the Uplift Oregon 5K. It’s the first ever mass participation race to go hand in hand at the same time as the marathon competition,” said Dela Cruz.

The Commonwealth Ports Authority’s Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting staff said the marathon course is designed to do two loops. Then in the last 5K from the finish line, Team NMI Run Saipan and the other four teams will be let loose to race their hearts out.

“I’m very excited for Sildrey since it’ll be his first off-island race especially on the biggest stage which is the World Championship. They are using this as the test for the Paris marathon which will take place at the same time as the Olympic marathon. I’m very ecstatic Run Saipan gets to be part of world athletics history as the first participants in a mass race during the World Championship stage,” he said.

Dela Cruz admitted though that one downer is Team Run Saipan will be missing Galang as the U.S. Army and Gold’s Gym Saipan trainer has prior commitments and he can’t be subbed out.

“It’s non-transferrable. I think the Mexico team only has one person that’s able to make it the last time I checked the roster.  I’m really sad Gerald won’t be able to join us. This goes to show when I make a relay team people shouldn’t hesitate to join it. This team could’ve been a very different team if other people responded quicker and said ‘yes’ to joining,” said Dela Cruz.

Sapong, meanwhile, will be competing in her third World Athletics Championships following stints in London in 2017 and Doha in 2019.

Her coach, Northern Marianas Athletics developmental coach Elias Rangamar, said their goal is to have the 2021 NMSA Female Athlete of the Year improve her times in the glamor event of the World Champs.

“Zari hopes to get a personal best and break the elusive 13-second 100m that she wanted to break before the pandemic happened. She came very close during the Mini Games,” he said while transiting in Guam.