Aleksenko, Heath excel in pre-Tagaman races

Isaiah Aleksenko and Kaylee Heath gained top honors in the 4th IT&E Saipan Aquathlon and 10K Pathway Run last Saturday.

Aleksenko braved the waves in the waters off Kilili Beach and kept a steady pace in the run race along Beach Road to finish ahead of the field with a time of 44:28.7. Right after crossing the finish line at Kilili Beach, the 13-year-old member of Swimming Center Tsunami Saipan was visibly delighted.

“It felt good, really good,” Aleksenko,” he said. “Before the race, I stretched, warmed up, and tried my best to get motivated.”

Jinnosuke Suzuki and Carlo Canepa rounded out the Top 3 in the male with the former clocking in at 45:39.1 and the latter submitting 45:57.9. In the women’s division, Emily Northrop (46:05), Heather Taylor (46:51.2), and Sarah Vander Wal (47:52.0) made it to the podium. The aquathlon featured two 2.5K run races from Kilili Beach and back with a turnaround point across the former Saipan Mayor’s Office in Beach Road and a 1K swim at Kilili Beach

In the 10K race held simultaneously with the aquathlon, Kaylee Heath (41:02.8) secured the first place overall by using a “negative split” strategy, which means that she planned on finishing the second half of the race with a faster time than the first. The 10K course had runners turning around at the Chamolinian Utt in Garapan to head back to the start/finish line.

“I don’t have a pacing watch, so my strategy was just to try to run negative splits, which means that I wanted to go out a little bit slower than heading back. I was able to do that, and I did that based on how I was feeling,” Heath said.

The 26-year old Heath moved to Saipan from Washington with her husband and two kids two and a half months ago, which was right after Typhoon Yutu ransacked the island. Because of the typhoon’s damaging effects and the demanding schedule of raising two children, she has not been able to train or compete in races as often as she used to. Despite these hurdles, Heath was still able to enjoy the thrill of the event and outperformed her rivals.

“It felt super fun. I haven’t raced in a while because I have two kids. Since I’ve had them, I’ve been really off and on with being able to race, but I’m finally starting to find my groove a little bit,” Heath said. “It was super fun.”

Joining Heath in the Top 3 in the women’s division were Ayano Braxton (48:10.0) and Sakiko Eda (49:07.0). In the men’s category, Kosuke Sato (41:58.8), Ronald Villafria (44:32.1), and Jay Zhang (45:43.4) were ranked 1-2-3.

Last weekend’s race was organized by the Triathlon Association of the CNMI and although TRAC was anticipating to host just 50 participants, 72 competitors showed up on race day

“I feel elated for having exceeded expectations,” TRAC president Ricky Castro said. “It shows that there is a strong support for multisport [competition] in this small community. We saw a batch of first-timers in triathlon and repeat participants as well.”

The 4th IT&E Saipan Aquathlon & 10K Pathway Run was one of the pre-races for the 2019 Tagaman Triathlon, which will be taking place on Mar. 30. This year’s Tagaman Triathlon is particularly eventful, as it marks the 30th anniversary of the iconic race.

“The race series will help the competitors get familiarized with the swim, bike, and run courses,” Castro said, adding that the series will help the athletes get first-hand experience with triathlon’s transitions.

Both Aleksenko and Heath will be competing in next month’s Tagaman.

“My next race is the Tagaman Triathlon. I’m feeling good and nervous at the same time,” Aleksenko said.

“There’s a big triathlon at the end of March. I’m on a team, and I’m doing the 10K running part of that,” Heath said.

Meanwhile, last Saturday’s event was sponsored by Kanoa Resort, which is also the host hotel for this year’s Tagaman, IT&E, Powerade, and Let’s Go Tours.