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Hell of the Marianas hosts visitors from 6 countries
From left, Chinese-Taipei’s Hsuan Ping Hsu, Chien Liang Chen, and Wu Hsing Yang head back to Isa Drive after making the turnaround at Laolao Bay Golf & Resort during last Saturday’s Hell of the Marianas Century Cycle Race. (Jon Perez)
The 9th annual Hell of the Marianas century cycling race was held on Saturday, Dec. 5, and brought more than 50 off-island visitors from Guam, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, U.S., and Russia to Saipan.
First place overall went to the 2014 third place finisher Ryutaro Nakamura of Japan with a time of 2:54:51, while the top female spot went to former Saipan resident and local favorite Mieko Carey, with a time of 3:25:52.
“We want to extend a huge thank you to all the local Saipan agencies, including the departments of Public Safety, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and the Commonwealth Health Center that made this event possible,” said race director Eric Tydingco. “Our top priority is to ensure our local and visiting cyclists are safe out on the course, and the overwhelming support from the community is one of the best gifts a race director can receive.”
HOM is considered the “toughest race in Micronesia,” and it continues to bring in cyclists from all over the world that are looking to challenge themselves with the 100-kilometer course packed with relentless elevation changes and intense heat and humidity.
“Saipan has the ultimate outdoor playground, and Marianas Visitors Authority has done a phenomenal job with their sports tourism programs, continuing to attract new and repeat visitors to the Marianas,” said Tydingco. “Kudos to Perry Tenorio and his staff for their tireless work in promoting Saipan as the ultimate destination for outdoor sporting events.”
HOM is presented by Marianas Visitors Authority, sponsored by IT&E, T Galleria by DFS, Triple J, Hertz, MarPac, Star Water & Ice, the Northern Marianas Islands Cycling Federation, the Marianas Resort & Spa, KKMP, KZMI and the Sorenson Media Group and is a PIVOT LLC event production. For additional race information, visit hellofthemarianas.com. (PR)
