Villacrusis, Muldoon top Chagi Norf Duathlon

At the scenic and rugged north—with the sun rising over the ocean on one side and quiet mountains on the other—the Chagi Norf Duathlon, hosted by the Triathlon Association of the CNMI on Saturday, Feb. 7, featured an early-morning 2.5km run at Banzai, followed by a 20km two-lap bike course from Banzai to PauPau Beach and north past the Last Command Post, before finishing with another 2.5km run.

There was also a Super Sprint Duathlon category for adults (800m run, 5K bike, 800m run) and children (200m run, 400m bike, 200m bike).

For the Men’s Duathlon, Christian Villacrusis was first overall and in the men’s division with a winning time of 57:47, followed closely by Arvin Velasco in second 59:39. Nap Dizon rounded out the top three, finishing third with a time of 1:00:32.

Villacrusis, who has been training hard lately, said he was happy with his first-place finish. He hopes to compete for the NMI at the 2027 Tahiti Pacific Games and said he will continue training, adding that there is still more work to be done. As for TRAC hosting these events, he said, “I’m really happy that they’re doing these again. They’ve been pretty inactive for the longest time, and I’m really appreciative of the hard work they do for us.”

In the Women’s Duathlon, Lily Muldoon claimed first place with a time of 59:59. Shawna Brennfleck finished second at 1:05:32, while Kerri Bauer secured third with a time of 1:12:42.

Muldoon, who recently returned to Saipan, is an avid runner and said she had never competed in a duathlon before, though she has done triathlons in California. She said she was glad she didn’t have to worry about swimming this time. The race, she said, was “gorgeous. I’m happy to be back on Saipan and excited that TRAC is putting on these different events… I learned a lot out there. Biking is probably my hardest activity—that’s where I got passed by a couple of other boys.”

As for the Super Sprint Men’s division, Matt Nelson took first place with a time of 28:12. The Super Sprint Teams division saw SHS Team 1 take first place with a time of 49:27, while SHS Team 2 followed in second at 50:55.

In the Super Sprint Youth Boys division, Beau Bauer finished first with a time of 24:29. Brayden Brennfleck placed second at 0:24:53, and Finley Nelson took third with a time of 26:53.

Amethyst Winkfield earned first place in the Super Sprint Youth Girls division, completing the course in 26:45.

The Boys 9U division was led by Jace Brennfleck, who finished first with a time of 5:28. Waylon Beyer placed second at 6:25, followed closely by Jasper Davis in third at 6:26. Meanwhile in the Girls 9U division, Victoria Santos took first place with a time of 8:13. Nico O’Sullivan finished second at 8:24, and Beryl Winkfield placed third with a time of 9:47.

This is the second race in the 2026 triathlon season, with the first one on Jan. 10 which was an Aquabike race. The next one will be a Sprint Tri which is a 750m swim, 20km bike, and 5K run on March 14. An Olympic Tri, which will be the first in many years, is set for April 12, with more races later in the year pending.

Brennfleck, the vice president of TRAC said that this is the second year with their new board and in their efforts of trying to revive the sport. For the turnout of their events so far, she said, “One of our goals is to get the youth involved, whether that’s in volunteering or participating—we’re hoping that our volunteers will actually become participants, so we’re just encouraging the whole community to come out and try—no pun intended.”

Another one of their goals is to get local athletes to compete off island in Oceania events and host qualifiers later in the year for the 2027 Tahiti Pacific Games.