Turkey Trot is going virtual for 2nd straight year

Edward Dela Cruz Jr., rightmost, won his debut in the 36th Mt. Tapochao Turkey Trot Run last year when Northern Marianas Athletics first opted to make it a virtual run to follow COVID-19 protocols. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

The 2021 Turkey Trot has been cancelled and in its place is the 2021 Northern Marianas Athletics Mt. Tapochao Virtual Run.

NMA secretary general Robin Sapong said they had to cancel the Turkey Trot for a second straight year due to the recent rise of positive cases of COVID-19 in the community.

“Safety and the well-being of our runners and volunteers is our priority. With the current community surge we decided to be cautious as we still have uncertainty on the current situation,” he said.

The Mt. Tapochao Turkey Trot is one of NMA’s longest running events but this year the federation will still be holding albeit with social distance protocols in place.

“It’s more similar to a hybrid event on a traditional race day. We will set up the course for traffic safety, but runners will do their part in ensuring following race guidelines. Overall, all of us truly miss face-to-face races and we certainly prefer to host face-to-face events in a safe environment,” said Sapong.

Under the guidelines for the 2021 Northern Marianas Athletics Mt. Tapochao Virtual Race, runners/walkers must complete the course on their own in a single run. All participants must follow all COVID-19 social distancing rules and comply with all local, state, and federal mandates.

Runners under 18 years old, must obtain parental/guardian approval to participate, according to Sapong.

The official race course is from Lower Base to Mt. Tapochao and results must be posted via Runkeeper app or GPD tracking site. Event duration is from Nov. 25 to Nov. 27, 2021. Results needs to be posted by noon of Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021.

Sapong also added that on Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 25, Thursday, the actual course will be marked with cones from 6am to 8am along with an aid station that NMA will set up at a designated point for social distancing hydration.

NMA will be giving away medals and frozen turkey for the Top 3 overall in the male and female divisions.

All registered finisher will also be entered in a raffle drawing after the race. Winners will be announced on social media pages on Nov. 29.

Participants are also encouraged to submit their race photo for a chance to win the favorite event photo award.

Last year, Edward Dela Cruz Jr. won his debut in the 36th Mt. Tapochao Turkey Trot Run, while Kaithyn Chavez recorded her best time doing the virtual race.

Dela Cruz took on the 4.2-mile course with a group of friends and timed in at 46:47 to notch the top honors in the men’s division.

Chavez had the fastest time last year with her 45:11 that broke her previous best mark of 59:15 when she ruled the girls U12 category in 2018.

To register for the 2021 Northern Marianas Athletics Mt. Tapochao Virtual Run, click on https://raceroster.com/events/2021/49620/2021-northern-marianas-athletics-mt-tapochao-virtual-run?fbclid=IwAR3jP40suR4UpN7gk2YsVzLLStzR7EIlZmIG6gsxobJW3EnQy1_p9vx9XoQ.