SAIPAN — Twenty-three-year-old professional cyclist Blayde Blas of Guam took the tape at the 2025 Hell of the Marianas on Saturday, finishing in 3:26:29, with Tomonobu Kato of Japan just four seconds behind at 3:26:33.
After the race, Blas told NMI News Service he was “happy to finally win it this year” and returning to Beach Road was a highlight, adding that the group “rode very nice today, we weren’t blasting it too hard in that area, so we got a chance to look around and enjoy the views there.”
Blas thanked the organizers, sponsors, supporters and volunteers, saying the event “doesn’t happen without them.”
The race didn’t feature any female professionals this year, but that didn’t stop local favorite Robyn Spaeth from finishing as the top woman in 4:43:11.
Spaeth told NMI News Service the course was hot and demanding, and lived up to its name. She said the return to Beach Road was welcome but noted an accident early affected the flow of the race and the size of the group riding together through that section. Spaeth said the toughest stretch shut down friendly conversation quickly once riders hit the hills in Papago.
Fred Remilloza won the men’s division with a time of 3:26:31, followed by Joel Buco (3:42:24.011) was a split second faster than Korea’s Kijoo Kwon (3:42:24.463)
The event also included a 50-kilometer short course split between road bike and mountain bike categories. In the 50K road bike men’s race, Renren Gaviola won in 1:28:50, edging Christian Villacrusis in 1:28:51 and Nap Dizon in 1:28:51.81 in a sprint to the finish. On the women’s side, Heather Brook won the women’s 50K road race with a lightning fast time of 1:38:02, ahead of Jay Anne Felipe (1:44:04) and Marjorie Ganacias (1:56:31).
In the 50K MTB divisions, Briann Ytac won the men’s race with a time of 1:34:19, followed by Michael Aparte (1:36:35) and Wifi Dela Rosa (1:36:36). Rose Fontanilla led the women’s MTB field in 2:08:49, ahead of Rose Ann Mascarinas (2:20:44) and Monique Era Mascarinas (2:54:48).
