TRAC hosts Tide & Stride Aquathlon and 10K run

The Triathlon Association of the CNMI held its Tide & Stride Aquathlon and 10K run on Sunday at Kilili Beach.

The event was open to both kids and adults, who came out for a morning of swimming and running along the scenic Kilili Beach and Beach Road Pathway. A special course was also set up for the U6 and U12 kids.

The aquathlon included a 2.5K run, a 1,000m swim, and another 2.5K run. There was also a 10K run for those who didn’t want to do the swim.

The U12 boys Top 3 were Gabriel Walsh at 16:08; Declan Spaeth finished at 17:39; and Brayden Brennfleck at 19:40. Lovel Spaeth at 16:26, Olivia Walsh with 18:30, and Mika McKagan at 22:34 rounded up the Top 3 of the U12 girls division.

In the U12 teams division, first place was Team Vanwinkle—Ame Winkfield, and Nadine Vandam with a time of 16:09, while second place was Team Reeftastic—Reef Fraische and Laura Fraische at 31:57.

The littlest kids—the U6 division boys Top 3 were Franco Allen-Gibson at 5:03, Levi Yarbrough at 5:30, and Zeke Bauer at 6:56, while Top 3 in the girls were Vida Beyer at 5:00, Ceylon Willsey at 5:19, and Adeline Brook at 9:49. 

First place in the aquathlon teams were national swimmers Richard Zhao, Kouki Watanabe, and Just Ma. In second place were Sari Barman, Maria Batallones, and Maria Guerrero.

For the adult aquathlon portion, the male Top 3 were Christian Villacrusis with a time of 41:25, Jacoby Winkfield finished at 45:28, and Tyce Mister at 48:56. Meanwhile, the Top 3 females were Denise Myers at 45:47, Heather Brook at 46.55, and Shawna Brennfleck at 47:55.

Meanwhile, the 10K was finished by Pam Walsh at 1:06:46.

Brennfleck of the Triathlon Association said of the event, “The turnout was great.. We’re really happy with the participation and enthusiasm. Each event we host helps us reach more people, and we hope to continue growing the local multisport community.”

As for the performances of the participants, she said, “Everyone gave their best effort and had fun out there! I was especially impressed with the kids ages 7 to 12 who completed a 1K run, a 500-meter ocean swim, and another 1K run. The ocean swim was challenging for many of the younger athletes, but they showed a lot of determination and did an amazing job.”

The goal of the events, Brennfleck said, is to give the community opportunities to experience multisport racing in a supportive and fun environment. “For our youth events in particular, we want to help the next generation develop the skills and confidence to become the NMI’s future triathletes.”

“We chose to host an aquathlon instead of a triathlon this time to make the event more accessible to people who enjoy running and swimming but may not be as comfortable on the bike,” she said.

Their next series of events will kick off next year. They’re planning a mix of duathlons, fun relay challenges, and the exciting return of Tagaman to the NMI.

As for sponsors, they didn’t have any for this event, but they hope to partner with local businesses as they work toward hosting a successful Tagaman event in 2026.

By Leigh Gases