Baby Got Track wins Christmas Island Relay

Baby Got Track’s Lily Muldoon, Dixie Mendenhall, Kate Wilson, and Ali Nelson carry Michael Denevan after the team finished first in last Saturday’s Annual Christmas Island Relay from Pacific Islands Club Saipan in San Antonio to the Last Command Post in Marpi. (MARK RABAGO)

Baby Got Track drew inspiration from Sir Mix-A-Lot’s smash 1992 hit and left other competitors behind to win the Northern Marianas Athletics’ Annual Christmas Island Relay last Saturday.

The five-some of Lily Muldoon, Dixie Mendenhall, Michael Denevan, Kate Wilson, and Ali Nelson completed the 13.7-mile long race from the Pacific Islands Club Saipan in San Antonio to the Last Command Post in Marpi in a time of 1:29:15.

Muldoon, who served as team captain, said her teammates at Baby Got Track were simply the best.

“The women and one man are awesome. This is our first Christmas Island Relay. It was a great and what a beautiful day. The weather was perfect. The best part of it is having a team race and having a relay where you actually have teammates is glorious and way more fun and not virtual,” said the 36-year-old Department of Public Health director.

Muldoon, who is also a Commonwealth Health Center Emergency Department physician, said the genesis of the team was plain and simple.

Baby Got Track members in full gallop to the finish line of Northern Marianas Athletics’ Annual Christmas Island Relay last Saturday. (MARK RABAGO)

“We were looking for the fastest people on island…we just trained individually and dedicate the victory to each other.”

Coming in second to Muldoon and company is Run Saipan Team A skippered by Micronesian Games gold medal-winning weightlifter Angel Nicolas.

San Nicolas, Rex Pixley, Tiana Cabrera, Leowell Cristobal, and Keith Ketola crossed the finish line in 1:33:13.

“Everyone pitched in their hard work and everyone gave it their all. We left nothing in the gas tank,” said San Nicolas.

He added that the Christmas Island Relay was actually the first time they all congregated as a group.

“At least running is one community event we can do regardless if we met each other or we met each other the first time, we ran for the same purpose. Honestly I’m really glad that despite the COVID-19 outbreak, I feel Run Saipan and NMA really did a good job.”

Run Saipan Team B completed the Top 3 in the Christmas Island Relay after Run Saipan president Edward Dela Cruz, Sildrey Veloria, Tania Tan, Reylynn Sapong, and barefoot runner Chong Nam Lee completed the race in 1:33:56.

“It was great and I think everyone had fun today. It was really a great and momentous experience for Run Saipan because it’s the first time as an official running organization that Run Saipan was part of the Christmas Island Relay. We originally had a total of five teams but because of injuries and COVID-19 we got dropped down to like three. I say it’s still a good start for our club. Still 15 runners in total.”

Dela Cruz said he’s relieved that in-person racing returned after a nearly three-month sabbatical caused by the community recent surge of COVID-19.

“I’m just happy because the last time we had a face-to-face run was last September and after that we kept doing just virtual because of the COVID. So I’m really thankful for coach Robin Sapong and Northern Marianas Athletics for still being able to pull this off with COVID-19 protocol mitigations. I’m really happy and all the runners are really happy. A lot of runners were contacting me the last month asking me whether the Island Relay will be cancelled or is it gonna stop and I said ‘No, NMA is gonna go strong’ and as you can see everybody is happy here that we’ve had an in-person race after a long time,” he said.

The Run Saipan president also took time to plug the club’s next running event, the Fastest Mile Road Race set for Dec. 31.

“So the Island Relay is a team event for 1 mile, now Run Saipan will host the Fastest 1 Mile Road Race individual solo event. So, if you’re not happy with your time you have Dec. 31 to challenge everybody else on Beach Road.”

Results of the Christmas Island Relay youth and solo run divisions will be published in the next issues of Saipan Tribune.