Tania Tan resets 1,500m nat’l record

Track season has begun for NMI’s Tania Tan, and it started with a bang as she reset her 1,500m short track national record with a time of 5:19.18 at the Armory in New York City on Thursday, Feb. 12.

The race was held indoors, and Tan’s performance surpassed her previous 1,500m outdoor national record, which she set in Tonga last year—marking her breakthrough into that distance.

She then entered the New York meet aiming for a personal record and a sub-5:20 finish—goals she successfully achieved. Now, she’s already setting her sights on lowering that mark even further.

Tan owns national records in every distance event from the 1,500m, 3,000m, 5,000m, 10,000m and the half marathon.

When asked what was the hardest record to earn, she said it was her outdoor 1,500m record in Tonga because she does not consider herself a mid-distance runner. She had come close to breaking the record before finally accomplishing it at that race.

As for the short track opportunity, she acknowledged how rare it is for athletes from the CNMI and the Pacific region to compete indoors.

“Not many people in the CNMI and our Pacific region get the chance to run on a short track because it’s usually only in cold places where there’s winter and freezing temperatures,” she said. “So I feel like I was lucky to be able to get that record because I’m only one of the few people from the CNMI who was lucky enough to compete in a short track race.”

After opening her year on the rugged cross country course at the 46th World Athletics Cross Country Championships 2026 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida last Jan. 10, she transitioned from the trails to the rubberized oval of the track.

The 1,500m race serves as part of her preparations for the Oceania Athletics Championships 2026 in Darwin, Australia from May 18-23.