Run Saipan stalwart Ann Bang took part in another ultramarathon last weekend, but her stint was stymied when organizers pulled the plug on the 4th Mungyeong Ultramarathon 100K due to bad weather.

Held at North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea, the Mungyeong Ultramarathon was plagued with torrential rains and Bang said she had no choice but cut her race short at the 52-kilometer mark. At the time she’d been running for 6 hours and 37 minutes.

“Near 1am, organizers decided to stop the race due to bad weather because they received many complaints from residents who were concerned about safety. The hardest part was the bad weather. The severe rain poured out throughout the race, and it was getting worse as it got dark,” said the 50-year-old.

While she didn’t like how her debut ended, Bang was still appreciative of getting the chance to run a 100K and how she was welcomed by her fellow ultramarathoners.

“The impressive part was that a few runners who were ultramarathon masters were willing to help and lead me throughout the race. They introduced me to their friends, as I came from Saipan to join this race, and gave me several tips for the race. They didn’t even know me, but they were very kind and encouraged me,” she said.

As for how she trained, the longtime CNMI resident said the old reliable Long Slow Distance training helped her a lot to prepare for the 4th Mungyeong Ultramarathon 100K.

“Actually, I prefer long-distance running to sprinting. So, I’ve always tried not only a full marathon but also an ultramarathon! Apparently, an ultramarathon is very tough, but I think it’s worth trying For trying an ultramarathon, I always run with LSD and uphill training in my daily routine. I think I prepared for this race since I ran 50K to celebrate my 50th birthday,” she said.

A week prior, Bang also took part in the 14th National Happiness Marathon last June 22 and finished it in under 2 hours— 1:59:16.

“Ironically, the best part was the weather. Before the race, it was very humid and hot for a few days, so I was worried about it. But on race day, it was gloomy and cloudy. After the first 5K, it was raining, so I wasn’t thirsty. The most challenging part was to keep following pacemakers. This time, I tried to follow pacemakers who led for two hours. It was very helpful, but after 18K, I got tired.”

Bang then thanked her husband for always being supportive of her running hobby.

“He’s the best supporter of my running and races. He always encouraged me to keep taking challenges. I would like to dedicate the latest events to my husband. I have more races I’ll try in Korea while I’m here.”

Meanwhile, Run Saipan president Edward Dela Cruz Jr. also took part in an off-island race after the 2024 Oceania Athletics Championships in Suva, Fiji last month where he served as coach/official for Northern Marianas Athletics.

The Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting firefighter competed in the 10.55K of the Munro Leys Suva Marathon hosted by the Suva Marathon Club.

“I ran under the 10.55K race because I was too late for the half marathon registration. Very grateful the race director let me register after the cut off but they only did it for the 10K. I was trying to get in the for the master half marathon.”

Dela Cruz said since it was shorter than the half marathon he was expected to enter in, the 10.55K was no sweat for him.

“There weren’t any hard parts for me. It was a great flat beautiful course. I’d say the hardest would be for the marathon runners because everytime they looped at the start area they had to stop and get a wrist bracelet to prevent people from cheating and accountability. Felt bad for those guys that had to slow down.”

Dela Cruz said the biggest lessons he got from the Munro Leys Suva Marathon was not what he experienced during the 10.55K itself, but how organizers were efficient.

“Their organization structure [gave me quite an impression]. They had more committees and break downs for event days and I want to replicate that here. The biggest take away was from their experience in handling event issues. I was glad we have the exact same setup, however, they provided some great solutions,” he said.