Mamiko still running and winning

A smiling Mamiko Berger, right photo, is about to cross the finish line of the 2016 Saipan Marathon. Left photo shows Berger racing in the 4th Buckeye Marathon in Arizona en route to her new personal best time. (Roselyn B. Monroyo/Contributed Photo)

Four years ago, on April 16, Micronesian Games gold medalist Mamiko Berger clinched her fifth title in the Saipan Marathon.

The veteran runner completed the 42.195-kilometer race from the American Memorial Park to Mariana Resort & Spa, Pacific Islands Club in San Antonio, and back to the starting line in 3:15:19, breaking the 3:28:19 she posted when she won the same event in 2015. Berger, who also topped the 2008, 2009, and 2012 editions of the Marianas Visitors Authority’s signature event, making her the winningest runner in the competition, was way ahead of runner-up and Japan’s Satomi Oka (3:24:56).

The 2016 victory was the last time Berger did the marathon course of the annual event, as she and her husband, Joshua, left the island the following year and are now based in Arizona. Berger came back for the 2018 Saipan Marathon, but raced in the 50K event, which she also ruled.

The gold medal winner in the 10K event of the 2010 Micro Games in Palau went on to miss the 2019 and 2020 editions of the Saipan Marathon and although, she is no longer a familiar figure in the islands’ races, Berger is running actively and still winning, too.

Last Jan. 4, Berger competed in the 4th Buckeye Marathon and clocked in at 3:08:42 for a new personal best time, as she shattered the 3:09:49 she registered when she ruled the 2012 Saipan Marathon. In the Buckeye Marathon, Berger did not only top the 50 to 54 age group, but also the entire women’s field. She finished nearly one hour ahead of the runner-up in her division.

“I did the same race the previous year and couldn’t finish. Well, worse, I did end up at the paramedic van at the halfway mark, probably due to dehydration,” Berger said.

This year, she crossed the finish line in style, crawling and wearing “huaraches” (running sandals).

“I really pushed myself and I do not only wanted to break my PB, but also run under three hours. “What I wanted to do when I get to 50 years old is to break my marathon time with running sandals. Before the finish line, I fell and didn’t have the energy to stand up so crawled into the finish line,” the five-time Saipan Marathon winner.

After her triumph in the Buckeye Marathon, the quinquagenarian also did the Sedona Half Marathon and Black Canyon 60K, which were both held in February before the COVID-19 pandemic suspended all races across the globe.

In the Black Canyon 60K, Berger ran in trails and did the same race last year where she finished third.

Mamiko Berger negotiates the trail course in the 2020 Black Canyon 60K held in Arizona in February. (Contributed Photo)

“I am still learning to run in trails,” she said.

In the half marathon, Berger submitted 1:36:33, two minutes faster than her 2019 time. She also topped the 50 to 54 age group, besting 74 other runners and was ranked No. 5 among 737 female finishers and No. 21 overall (out of 1,143 runners).

“It was fun running with people in their 20s and 30s,” Berger said.