Huge turnout for cross country kick-off

Runners in the elementary division head out to the course during the first leg of Northern Marianas Athletics’ 2016 All Schools Cross Country Series held last Saturday at the CPA Airport Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

A crowded starting line greeted more than 160 runners in the opening of Northern Marianas Athletics’ 2016 All Schools Cross Country Series held last Saturday at the CPA Airport Field.

“We are very happy with the huge turnout, especially this is just the first of a series of cross country races NMA is having this season,” NMA coach and race director Elias Rangamar said.

The middle school and high school division drew the most participants with 86, while the elementary field had 80 racers. The elementary division was made up of runners in the U7, U9, and U11 age groups and they negotiated the nearly one-mile course. In the middle school division (for U13 and U15 runners), participants had to do two laps of the course, while the high school runners (U18) completed a three-lap race.

Agape Christian School had the most entries in the cross country kick-off, fielding nearly 70 students in the weekend races. The Torchbearers’ Caleb Wang and Allen Wu were the Top 2 overall finishers in the U18 divisions after clocking in at 20:46 and 20:49, respectively, while Haoyu Chen ruled the boys U15 age group with his 13:16. Times were unofficial, as NMA has yet to release the complete results of the races.

Saipan International School, Saipan Community School, San Vicente Elementary School, and Mt. Carmel School also joined the first cross country race of the school year.

“We would like to thank the principals, teachers, and coaches of all the participating schools. We would also like to thank the parents of the students for supporting their children and letting them compete in our races,” said NMA secretary general Robin Sapong, who led the runners at the starting line.

Meanwhile, NMA will hold two more races before holding the 2016 All Schools Cross Country Championships on Nov. 5. For the second leg, runners are requested to be at the Civic Center Basketball Court in Susupe before the 7am start time this Saturday. For the third and last leg scheduled for Oct. 22, participants will return to the CPA Airport Field with races slated to kick off at 4pm. The CPA Airport Field will also host the championship, which will have an earlier start time at 3pm.

NMA will hand out awards to individual winners and champion schools and runners should compete in at least one of the three legs to be able to join the finale next month.

“We are hoping to have more runners in the succeeding races as we wait for the participation of our public schools and a couple more private schools,” Rangamar said.