Gecko 5000 set for Sept. 11

Gecko 5000, named after Saipan International School’s mascot and the distance of the race which is 5,000m, will be held on Sept. 11 in Marpi. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

After an absence of one year, Saipan International School’s Gecko 5000 Invitational is back and will be held on Sept. 11 in Marpi.

SIS headmaster Ron Snyder said the 2021 edition of the Gecko 5000 will start bright and early 6am at the Last Command Post with the finish line at Banzai Cliff.

Snyder said it’s called Gecko 5000 after the school’s mascot and the distance of the race which is 5,000m.

“We had to cancel it last year, with great disappointment. It is totally cool to have it back, bigger than ever this year. We expect several hundred participants. We have shirts for the first 300 people registered as well as medals for the Top 3 people in each category and trophies for the first place teams in each of the school-level categories.”

He added that the new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic guarantees that SIS had to tweak the way they organize the Gecko 5000 from previous years.

“For all school-aged athletes ages 12+, PSS is requiring vaccination to participate. This is different than in previous years. Other than that, we are only having water and refreshments that are individual, i.e. no giant water jug. Only individual water bottles. This will make more waste but will help our athletes stay safe. Officials and spectators will wear masks during the event,” he said.

Good thing the Gecko 5000 is also a cross country event, which bodes well for following the guidelines under the COVID-19 Task Force.

“Cross country is one of the events that requires the least amount of accommodation for the pandemic. We race outside, spread out over great distances. The only crowding is at the beginning and we have protocols in place to limit this,” said Snyder.

The 2021 Gecko 5000 Invitational will have four divisions—the 1-mile 12U for elementary students, the 2-mile 14U for middle school students, the 5-kilomterer 18U for high school students, and the 5K run for all runners. The 12U division starts at 6:30am, the 14U at 6:40am, and the 18U and open division at 6:50am.

Runners should expect a course with very slight hills and asphalt, coral, and grass paths. Water station as well as refreshments will be available at the finish line in Banzai Cliff.

Aside from the Gecko 5000, Northern Marianas Athletics will concurrently hold an open cross country run with a 5K distance for women and an 8K distance for men. It will serve as qualifier No. 1 for NMA’s open cross country series and also starts at 6:50am.

Check-in time is 6am at the Last Command Post and entry fee is free save for the $15 open runners and open cross country runners need to fork out. For more information, contact Snyder at r.snyder@sissaipan.net.