Over 1,200 complete Triple J 5K

More than 1,200 runners/walkers finished last Saturday’s Triple J 5K Bubble Color Run/Walk.

“We had a huge turnout. It was so awesome to see the community come out and support this event,” Triple J vice president for marketing and public relations Kris Lujan said.

The run/walk started and ended at the Garapan Fishing Base with a turnaround just past the Quartermasters Road. Runners/walkers were greeted with colored powder at designated stops along Beach Road. They then “showered” at the bubble machine right after they crossed the finish line with kids and adults alike having fun with the special feature of the event.

“The event brought family together. You can see from their faces, especially the children, that they are enjoying and having fun. We started this color run in Guam five years ago and then last year, we thought of bringing it to Saipan and added the bubble machine as an attraction. We are very glad that people on Saipan love the event,” Lujan added.

Joseph Toth and Tania Tan led the finishers of the run with the former taking first place overall in the men’s after clocking in at 18:39 and the latter winning the women’s field with a time of 21:29.

Other winners (Top 3 in various age groups) were boys U13’s Isaiah Aleksenko, Guampil Son and Dev Bachani; girls U13’s Kaitlyn and Julie Anne Chavez and Kaya Braxton; boys 14 to 19’s Bailey Spaeth, Josh Joson, and Archie Velasco; girls 14 to 19’s Nathanette Blas, Thana Cabrera, and Anika Snyder; men’s 20 to 29’s Rufino Aquino, Shuji Kuroda, and Carl Tabuco; women’s 20 to 29’s Sarah Vandergan, Megan West, and Taylor Nowicki; men’s 30 to 39’s, J.P. Nogis, Travis Spaeth; and Karis Oris; women’s 30 to 39’s Mylene Palacios, Zyra Ganacias, and Christina Foo; men’s 40 to 49’s Kosuke Sato, Raymund Tolentino, and Elmer Delgado; women’s 40 to 49’s Ayano Braxton, Kimiko McKagan, and Marilou Carlos; men’s 50 to 59’s Ruben Tenorio, Andrew Estepa, and Edgardo Casing; women’s 50 to 59’s Sakiko Eda, Lydia Tan, ad Marie Babauta; men’s over 60’s Steven Pixley, Ponce Corotan, and Chang Wan Jang; and women’s over 60’s Juanito Fajardo, Marcia Schultz, and Editha Agustin.

Meanwhile, Triple J Saipan marketing manager Maria Valentina Haberman thanked all the supporters and volunteers of the event.

“We are super stoked with all the support we got from the runners/walkers and of course our major sponsor, TanHoldings/Tan Siu Lin Foundation. We also got tremendous support from our volunteers, the Parks and Recreation Division, the Saipan Mayor’s Office, Department of Public Safety, and BECQ. We’re lucky that the entire community came together to make this cause possible,” said Haberman, adding that 100 percent of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation Guam & CNMI and the Commonwealth Cancer Association. “Even the weather cooperated today, so we’re very thankful for the generosity of this island.”

Make-A-Wish Foundation Guam & CNMI official Kanae Quinn and CCA program manager Juan L. Babauta had the same message of thanks to Triple J family.

“Our organization operates through donations. We don’t have government funding, so to have a generous company, like Triple J, is such a great help to us. Last night (Sunday), we had a wish from a Saipan resident granted and we could not do that without the assistance from our sponsors,” Quinn said.

“Year in and year out, Triple J is there to support CCA and we can’t thank Mr. Jones (Robert) and his family enough for all their help,” Babauta said.