Japanese husband-and-wife pair repeat as full marathon champions; South Korea sweeps 10K women’s podium
SAIPAN — The 2026 Skechers Saipan Marathon drew 782 registered runners from nearly 20 countries and territories on March 7, with Japanese couple Hiroki and Tomomi Nakajima repeating as the top male and female finishers in the full marathon.
Hiroki Nakajima crossed the finish line in 2:45:53, followed by Hiroki Kai of Japan at 2:55:97 and Taekwon Kim of South Korea at 2:59:31. Tomomi Nakajima, who also won the women’s division in 2019, finished in 3:17:16. Ishikawa Emari of Japan was second in 3:49:27 and Jung Yejin of Korea third in 3:50:38.
In the half marathon, Shohei Miyamoto took the men’s title in 1:19:14, local chef Jody O’Sullivan represented Ireland in second place at 1:29:38 and Kim Dong-Hwan third in 1:34:36. Local standout Lily Muldoon ran the fastest half-marathon of her life to top the women’s field in 1:34:39, followed by Kim Bo-eun of Korea in 1:47:17 and Kristy Bryson of Canada in 1:49:03.
The 10K drew the largest field with nearly 300 registrants. Namkung Min of Korea won the men’s division in 39:13, followed by Victor Neil Santos of Northern Marianas in 40:37 and Takeru Jim of the Marianas in 40:57. South Korea swept the women’s podium with Yun-ji Lee first, Minkyoung Park second and Baek Gi-yoon third in 50:30.
In the 5K, local runner Victor Nash Santos set a new NMI record in the men’s division with a time of 18:09, followed by Bok Gwon-il of Korea and Zhaodian Gao of China. The women’s division was swept by local runners, as Nathania Tan set an NMI record with a time of 18:31, Kaithlyn Chavez finished in 21:42 and Tammy Ackerman crossed the line at 22:55.
“Skechers Saipan Marathon continues to showcase the very best of our islands,” said Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Jamika R. Taijeron. “This year’s event was made possible through the unwavering support of our sponsors, partners, volunteers, and the entire community who came together to welcome runners from around the world.”
The event was co-organized by the Marianas Visitors Authority and Northern Marianas Athletics and is a World Athletics-registered competition, the only marathon in the Pacific listed on the World Athletics Global Calendar as a World Rankings Competition.
This year’s event also featured the first-ever Saipan Marathon Business Expo on March 6, organized with the CNMI Department of Commerce. Title sponsor was Skechers, with Coca-Cola/Powerade as platinum sponsor and United Airlines, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Gold’s Gym Saipan as gold sponsors.
