Kabiriel trains new breed of runners

Jack Kabiriel, left, seen here running with Seiya Eda, second left, and Jesse James, fourth left, was part of the team that won last year’s NMA Christmas Island Relay in Marpi. Also on the squad were Manny Aaron and Tony Ichiou. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Kabiriel, who dominated local races for the past several years and had represented the CNMI in various off-island competitions, is mentoring youth runners Seiya Eda and Dylan Ackerman and Jesse James.

“They are preparing for the Oceania tournament,” said Kabiriel, who is talking of the 2014 Oceania Cross Country Championships, which will be held in Guam on Oct. 16 and 17.

When asked why he decided to switch to coaching instead of continuously racing competitively because he still has the form and speed, Kabiriel said it’s time to give others a chance and help the CNMI tap more athletes.

“The more we train young and upcoming runners, the more people we can bring to off-island competitions. Besides I don’t want to stop running, so while I still do the thing I love I also help train runners. The training we do helps me too in preparing for the other sport I am involved in—canoe racing,” said Kabiriel, who was part of the CNMI Paddling Team that joined the 2014 Micronesian Games in Pohnpei last July.

His three runners were also in Pohnpei and represented the CNMI in long and middle distance races in the athletics competition. James won silver medals both in the half marathon and 1,500m races, while Eda did not medal, but just fell one notch short of making it to the podium. Eda placed fourth both in the 1,500m race and half marathon, while Ackerman was ranked 10th in the 1,500m, beating four others and sixth in the half marathon.

In local races, James barged into the Top 6 overall of the half marathon event in the 2014 Saipan Marathon, while Eda finished fourth overall and beat Kabiriel in the 10K, and Ackerman topped his age group of the same 10K race. Eda and Ackerman also towed Saipan Southern High School to the division title win in the 2014 NMA/McDonald’s All Schools Championship against perennial champion Marianas High School and the powerhouse Kagman High School.

“I’ve been training and running with the three for the past two years and I’ve seen significant improvements from them. Jesse is more of a half marathon/marathon guy, while Dylan and Seiya are good in 5K and 10K,” Kabiriel said.

The group trains four times a week with the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday practices focus on short, but fast running. Then every Saturday, the four runners cover 10 to 12 miles.