Lily, Sildrey are Queen, King of the North

Dr. Lily Muldoon topped Run Saipan’s Grotto 10K women’s division last Saturday in Marpi. Also in photo are from left, Run Saipan president Edward Dela Cruz Jr., second place Dixie Mendenhall, Muldoon, third place Tiana Cabrera, and Run Saipan secretary/treasurer Dr. Ron Snyder. (MARK RABAGO)

Dr. Lily Muldoon and Sildrey Veloria were unofficially crowned Queen and King of the North, respectively, after topping Run Saipan’s Grotto 10K last Saturday in Marpi.

Muldoon, the 37-year-old Department of Public Health director and Commonwealth Health Center Emergency Department physician, finished No. 1 overall with a time of 44:57.

She was followed by Dixie Mendenhall with a time of 47:56, while Saipan International School student Tiana Cabrera completed the Top 3 in the women’s division with a time of 51:38.

Muldoon said the Grotto 10K was one of the “funnest race” she’s ever ran on Saipan. 

Sildrey Veloria topped Run Saipan’s Grotto 10K men’s division last Saturday in Marpi. Also in photo are from left, Run Saipan president Edward Dela Cruz Jr., second place Mike Mancao, Veloria, third place David Zhao, and Run Saipan secretary/treasurer Dr. Ron Snyder. (MARK RABAGO)

“It was really nice to be in Marpi and off Beach Road and running in the most beautiful parts of Saipan, which is the northern part of the island. Another reason it was really special was running with Mike [Mancao] and Sildrey [Veloria]. We had an amazing connection and I think I ran faster than I would have otherwise because of the three of us running together,” she said.

Muldoon said the Grotto 10K proved that Run Saipan’s races are more than a competition but are events where participants get to know each other better and even improve on their performance.

“Sildrey and I were running together and Mike broke away in the beginning and got quite the lead on us. And OK [me and Sildrey] we’re just talking and I got to really know him because we never really chatted before… So we learned more about each other’s lives. We turned the corner and he’s still pretty far in front of us and I asked ‘Sildrey, you think we can catch Mike?’ He said ‘yes we can if we work together.’’’

Muldoon and Veloria picked up their pace and eventually caught and passed Mancao, but instead of letting him bite their dust, they waited for him to let him join them.

“He said ‘bye guys see you at the finish.’ But we said ‘no Mike, we’re together and let’s do this together.’ So we ran so fast in the last bit and it’s great to have some people to run with,” said Muldoon.

Veloria and Mancao, for their part, finished 1-2 in the men’s division and second and third overall behind Muldoon. 

The Northern Marianas College student finished with a time of 45:05, followed by Mancao at 45:17. Agape Christian School’s David Zhao was third among the men after clocking in at 48:19.

Veloria said the Grotto 10K wasn’t really as tough as he initially  thought.

“Honestly I thought it was gonna be really hard but with all the training I did before the race it really paid off. Like going up the hill I struggled a lot before. But now OK I can push it a little more.

It also helped that he had the two-time NMI Women’s 10K Run defending champion beside him 99% of the way.

“I wasn’t really alone. Lily kind of paced me or we had the same pace. We liked to feed off each other and motivated each other. We high-fived a lot of people coming back. That gave more energy and I don’t know how but it felt really good,” he said.

Although, Veloria said the good doctor eventually outsprinted him in the last part of the race, he’ll be ready for her the next time. 

“…And then going down here I felt we were going too fast but it was enough. The turn coming down she just separated herself and I told myself ‘maybe next time I’ll probably get her.’ It was really fun. It’s challenging for a lot of people. It’s my first one [10K in Marpi] so I don’t know how to compare it,” he said.

A day before running Run Saipan’s Grotto 10K, Veloria was seen aboard a skateboard cruising along Beach Road. He said it’s his own unique way of calming his nerves before a big race.

“If I overtrain I will fatigue my legs. Relaxing a day before a race and skateboarding is like a cool down for me,” he said.