Johnson, Hawley top full as Taflinger, Ackerman lead half at 3rd Rota Marathon

The far from ordinary 3rd Annual Rota Marathon welcomed 100 local and off-island participants who tested themselves in the full, half, and 5K courses early Saturday morning (Jan. 31).

In the friendly jewel of the Marianas, first-time marathon runner Matthew Johnson of Guam captured the title of fastest finisher in the full marathon with a time of 3:37:35, which also set a course record. Second place went to Saipan’s James Munnis at 4:30:11, followed by Dominic Vaccaro in third at 5:00:56.

Johnson tackled the reversed 26.2-mile (42.2-km) course under the stars, heading north to Sinapalo from the Rota Round House in Songsong along the western lagoon before looping back through Songsong and the scenic Sasanhaya Bay route to the Japanese Cannon, then returning to the Round House as the sun fully rose. Cooler winds and passing rain from a weeklong weather system added an extra challenge on slick roads but spared runners from the island heat.

The 35-year-old, originally from England, said finishing first in his first-ever marathon was an amazing feeling. “I heard that Rota has the best marathon in the world—the hardest marathon in the world actually, and so I thought I’m going to take the challenge up and try it out,” he said. “It was hard. I think coming into this, I underestimated the course. There was like 1,700 ft of climbing. There were mountains here—it was difficult, but it was very, very beautiful as well.”

Saipan’s Krista Hawley, an avid runner who had just completed and won Saipan’s 81-km Sugarcane Journey Run, defended her women’s division title in the marathon with a time of 4:27:24. Second place was Guam’s Aspen Eghert at 4:46:14, with Saipan’s Eunho An coming in third at 5:34:50.

Hawley, who also won first place in her division last year, said she returned because she loved the race and wanted to defend her title. “It felt really good, it was unexpected,” she said of winning again despite a slower time. “I had done a big run a few weeks ago, so it was really tough, but the support of the volunteers along the course really helped keep me going.”

In the half marathon, which ran north to the Rota Hotel before heading back through Songsong to the Japanese Cannon and returning to the Round House, Saipan’s Landen Taflinger finished as the fastest overall at 1:38:49. Second place was Rota’s Elphrain Taimanao at 2:05:30, followed by Michael Pimentel in third at 2:07:24.

The 17-year-old Taflinger said the course was nice but very hilly. On winning the title after finishing fourth last year, he said it felt great. “It’s a lot less competition this year, but I got a lot better time, like three minutes better than last year, so I’m proud.” With the early 4 a.m. start, he said he liked it better. “Usually we run the half marathon at like 5 a.m., but this one was at 4. It helped a lot with the sun because there was no sun at all, so it was a little bit cooler. It’s just a little bit weird finishing so early.”

The 5K was dominated by Landen’s father and sister, Chad and Addalee Taflinger, who finished first in their respective divisions. Chad placed first in the men’s division with a time of 22:25, while Addalee was first in the women’s division and second overall at 23:23. Jun Shimada placed second in the men’s division at 22:46, followed by Genaro Mejia in third at 23:51. In the women’s division, Megumi Shimada finished second at 25:54, with Elvira Furnari placing third at 32:19.

Chad said he joined the 5K instead of the half marathon because he did not want to compete against his son and lose. Still, with his son winning first, it motivated him to push for first place in the 5K. “With Addalee running beside me, we kind of pushed each other because we wanted to get first in all three categories for our races, which we did, so my kids kind of pushed me to win.”

Addalee said she liked the course despite some challenges. “The only thing was that I couldn’t see because the cop lights were making it hard to see. But I think the course is good. It didn’t feel as hot here as Saipan.” The family said they plan to return next year to race again.

First-place prizes in the full marathon were $400, with $300 awarded for second place and $200 for third. In the half marathon, first place received $300, second place $200, and third place $100. The 5K awarded $200 for first place, followed by $150 for second and $100 for third. All participants also received a race shirt, finisher’s certificate, and medal.

At the end of the day, participants’ hard work was rewarded with an island feast at the awards banquet held at the Round House. Marianas Visitors Authority Executive Director Jamika Taijeron thanked the participants and community for supporting the event, followed by Rota Mayor Aubry Hocog. She closed by saying, “We hope to see you back next year… and please remember the slogan ‘Na’gatbo Luta,’ which means ‘help us keep Rota clean and beautiful.’”

After the awards ceremony, Johnson and Vaccaro donated their winnings to Luta Cares, a nonprofit organization that provides community outreach efforts around the island. Luta Cares president Asiah Ogo, along with members and volunteers Ethan Manglona, Isaiah Ogo, and Mildred Sikebert, received the donation and expressed their thanks.