Mission possible

I finally gave in to Brad Ruszala and Shan Seman's numerous invitations to join the Enticer series and competed in my first triathlon race. It's not actually a triathlon but a duathlon. I skipped the swim portion and only completed the bike and run legs of the race.

Brad and Shan are my fellow sports writers on Saipan, along with Mark Rabago, Roselyn Monroyo, and Bob Coldeen. Brad and Shan were veterans of various triathlon races, with Shan being a former member of the CNMI national athletics team.

I've been an Islander for more than 4 years on Saipan, the largest and most populous island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the beach is just across the street from the office building where I work. Still, I never had the chance to learn to swim correctly.

I was hesitant at first, and the thought of backing out before the start of the race even crossed my mind. I had the same feeling when I joined the 21st Annual Mt. Tapochao Turkey Trot Fun Run, a 4.2-mile race that requires running uphill to the top of Saipan's highest point.

Mt. Tapochao is Saipan's highest point at 474 meters (1,554 feet) and offers a 360-degree view of the entire island.

I survived the Mt. Tapochao race, despite the uphill climbs and rocky terrain. I finished in the 70s out of more than 120 participants and completed the race in 1:07 flat.

I'm used to running on flat roads, and tackling an uphill was something new for me. Still, it was a good experience. It was a bit cloudy and drizzly, so it wasn't that hot.

Back to the Enticer race, I've asked Brenda Schultz (one of the race organizers who became one of my friends on the island) and chief timer Linda Graf what my cue is to hop on my bike. They said that once the first swimmer gets out of the water, that would be my sign to zip away.

It only took Kieran Daly less than 20 minutes to complete the one-kilometre swim leg. My heart jumped as I headed to the parking lot, where my second-hand and garage-sale-bought Giant bike was waiting for me. I kept on repeating my new mantra: 'I can do this to motivate me.

I was only a few meters away from Daly, who was already negotiating the uphill road on his bike, when the derailleur jumped one cog when I shifted gears. I quickly got off my bike, promptly fixed it, and headed off on the designated route. I turned right towards the Mobil Tanapag station, then made a U-turn to the Marpi dump site.

I never thought that I would live to tell you my tale because I thought that I was going to collapse and faint while riding my bike, for I negotiated more than the required 10-kilometre distance.

I began to feel both legs tight, cramps slowly creeping in as I neared the finish line of the bike leg. That slowed me down as I entered the transition into the run portion. Brenda saw me hold my right leg as I turned left, going into the run. Brad saw me limping and threw a bottle of sports drink and a sachet of power gel in my direction and said, 'Drink and eat that, it will help you with your cramps. '

I felt a renewed energy in my legs after taking what Brad gave me. I ran much faster and completed the almost 5-kilometre distance (which should have been 2.5K) in 34 minutes and 43 seconds. I have a total of 1 hour and 31 minutes.

I never won a prize, but the thrill of completing the race was almost as incredible as winning a medal.

(Note: This was published in the Marianas Variety, the CNMI's first newspaper, when I worked as a sports writer for more than four years. I just revised some of the paragraphs to make them look new.)