Rota — Two weeks after conquering the inaugural Saipan Sugarcane Railroad Journey 81km Run, Saipan’s Krista Hawley was the first female to finish the 2026 Rota Marathon with a time of 4:27:24, while Matthew Johnson claimed first place overall with a time of 3:37:35 .
The run too place on Saturday, January 31, as runners massed at the start line long before the sun broke the horizon. In the full marathon Guam’s Aspen Egbert (4:46:14) placed second while Eunho An (5:34:50) placed third for the women.
Saipan’s James Munnis (4:30:11) placed second for the men while Dominic Vaccaro (5:00:56) took the final podium slot with a time just over five hours.
In the half marathon, Saipan’s Tammy Ackerman took first for the women with a time of 1:47:52, followed by Chelsea Moore (2:28:09) and Emmi Fillmore (2:28:35). Saipan’s Landen Taflinger took top honors for the men with a time of 1:38:49, followed by Elphrain Taimanao (2:05:30) and Michael Pimentel (2:07:24).
Saipan’s Addalee Taflinger led the way for the women in the 5K with a time of 23:23, ahead of Japan’s Megumi Takaku Shimada (25:54) and Elvira Furmari (32:19). Addalee’s dad, Chad Taflinger won the men’s race by finishing first overall with a time of 22:25, followed by Japan’s Jun Shimada (22:46) and Genaro Mejia (23:51).
