Young guns top XTERRA relay

Three teenagers proved that they too could conquer and survive the same XTERRA Saipan Championship course the pros have gone through during last Saturday’s rain-soaked event.

The three-member men’s team of Kento Akimaru, Erico Castro, and Seiya Eda swam, rode, and ran their way through the treacherous XTERRA Saipan course, made more challenging by the continuous morning rain, with a combined time of 3:25:03 to become the top overall finisher in the relay.

Saipan Swim Club standout Akimaru, 14, overcame the rough 1.5-kilometer swim in 17:16, the third best time behind eventual champion Ben Allen of Australia (15:57) and South African Bradley Weiss (17:10).

The 16-year-old Castro then hopped on his bike and pedaled through the 30K rollercoaster-like course in 1:18:54, finishing 14th overall in the field that had 13 pros. Eda, 17, then took on the challenging 12K muddy and slippery trail run in 1:08:40 or 15th overall.

This was the fourth time that Akimaru and Castro teamed up for XTERRA Saipan. Goshi Sato was their runner in the three previous editions, but the Japanese chose to run the entire Tagaman course last March 22 so he skipped XTERRA.

To find a new teammate, Kento’s mother, Ayaka, talked to Sakiko Eda and asked her if she could run the trail leg of the race. Sakiko declined since she’s a roadrunner and not used to the trails, but recommended her son, Seiya, to join the team.

The younger Eda, the Saipan Southern High School junior, is also a known roadrunner after dominating a number of races on the island, but accepted the challenge.

“I’m used to running on the road and trail running is something new for me. You really have to be very careful out there since the rocks are sharp. This was my first time and I enjoyed it,” said Eda.

A number of youngsters also raced in the relay competition.

Fourteen-year-old Christian Villacrusis teamed up with Fred Remillosa and Ricardo Antonio to become the second-best men’s team (4:04:08), while the trio of Ricky Castro, Cesar Fortaleza, and Dencio Bautista came in at third (4:25:44).

Seventeen-year-old Victoria Chentsova anchored her mixed relay team, composed of biker Butch Sublemente and runner Enrique Evangelista, on top of the podium with a time of 4:04:08.

Another trio of under-15 racers—12-year-old Jin Ju Thompson, 15-year-old Wynn Bryant Brillo, and 10-year-old Rintaro Miyawaki—overcame the treacherous course in 4:17:18. The mixed relay team of Tamio Nishikido, Mark Isip, and Tiffany Lin finished third (5:01:30).

The father-son tandem of Ben and Benjamin Babauta came in at fourth in the men’s relay (5:21:51), while the triumvirate of Charles Cepeda, Kanae Quinn, and Tina Goodwin was fourth in the mixed (5:01:30), and Katie Norman, James Abuy, and Rommel Bartolo (5:33:41) rounded out the field.