Island breeze and PBs: Saipan Marathon welcomes Koreans looking for their runner's high

Contestants take part in the 2025 Saipan Marathon 5-kilometer course on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

 
SAIPAN — Palm tree silhouettes revealed themselves against the dim, purplish light of the dawning sky as hundreds of energized runners excitedly waited for the clock to strike 6:15 a.m. at Micro Beach. The wind was only slightly salty, and the temperature was gradually, but definitely, beginning to warm up, with the morning sun peering out along the horizon.
 
Minutes before 6:15 a.m., the sky still dark above a large yellow installation for the marathon’s starting line, participants were stretching their legs and jumping up and down to warm themselves up. Some were applying sunscreen, tying their shoelaces or checking their earphones, while others were just patiently conserving their energy for the ordeal to come.
 

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“Everybody, count down with me — 10, nine, eight, seven,” the host shouted to the crowd as the participants proceeded toward the starting line.
 
“Six, five, four, three, two, one!” And the race began.
 

Participants of the 5-kilometer course at the 2025 Saipan Marathon wait at the starting line on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

 
The 2025 Saipan Marathon took place on Saturday in Saipan, the largest island of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). One of the most celebrated events of the Pacific islet, now into its 17th edition, this year’s Saipan Marathon welcomed 620 participants from 19 countries to run along one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.
 
In an age where running in groups has become an ideal hobby that ensures both health and fun on a low budget, local competitions, such as the Saipan Marathon, hope to become must-attend attractions for long-distance runners.
 
Hosted by the Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA), the annual Saipan Marathon presents itself as a haven for people seeking a well-organized race, especially at a time when the rising number of runners around the world means that racing spots often sell out in minutes. The marathon also gives people a reason to visit and tour the notoriously beautiful island.
 

Runners take part in the 5-kilometer course at the 2025 Saipan Marathon on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

Positive peer pressure
 
Never having understood the concept of “going overseas to pay for running just to tire out onself,” the 2025 Saipan Marathon was the reporter’s first-ever try at a marathon race, let alone one taking place outside of Korea.
 
But the charms were as clear as the colors of Saipan’s beautiful oceans. It was peer pressure in its best form, experienced in a country with some of the world's most memorable natural landscapes and amazing air quality.
 
The Saipan Marathon is officially approved by World Athletics and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS), with four standard marathon courses — 5 kilometers (3.1 miles), 10 kilometers, half course (21.1 kilometers) and full course (42.195 kilometers) — for participants at different competency levels.
 

Runners take part in the 5-kilometer course at the 2025 Saipan Marathon on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

The reporter's contestant No. 777 given at the 2025 Saipan Marathon on March 8 [YOON SO-YEON]

 
I was given the contestant number 777, which brought me the luckiest feeling about the outcome. But as soon as the athletic participants swiftly began trotting along the 5-kilometer course, the shortest offered at the marathon, I felt like my luck may have just run out.
 
I was at the tail end of the group — with the people half-walking and half-running.
 
I would like to say that it was inevitable for me to walk because I had to take pictures here and there of the scenic view and a real-time picture of the event. The temperature was getting higher and the humidity level more intense than Korea’s cold winter — which didn’t help at all. But those excuses fell very short of other reporters’ abilities to keep on running while shooting pictures — and videos — and still wave at me when they passed by after making the turn at the halfway, 2.5-kilometer spot.
 

Runners take part in the 5-kilometer course at the 2025 Saipan Marathon on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

Father and son run the 5-kilometer course together at the 2025 Saipan Marathon on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

 
But it was at those moments when I was met by full and half course runners running toward me, as well as 5-kilometer runners who had diligently reached the halfway turn. I then gained the bursts of energy that helped me run again — however fleeting those moments may have been.
 
The very contradicting sentiment of “I should at least beat that guy” and “I hope that guy makes it” came and went in waves, giving me the motivation to keep going. Thanks to the positive peer pressure and the clear air, I came in at the 70th spot out of the 135 people who took part in the 5-kilometer course.
 
Having started without much of a competitive streak, the finisher's T-shirt, medal and certificate, complete with the exact time and ranking, ignited a spark of enthusiasm and the thought that there could possibly be a next time.

Contestants take part in the 2025 Saipan Marathon 5-kilometer course on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

You are not alone
 
In fact, it is this very sense of togetherness that makes running in groups an attractive form of exercise.
 
Running soared as the No. 1 workout for people, especially during the pandemic — with its minimum requirements compared to other sports that often demand expensive equipment or special facilities. Seoul, with its Han River and streams, harbors a rich population of runners that have been booking out spots in domestic marathons. The popularity has led to people turning their eyes toward races outside of Korea's borders.
 
“We run together two to three times a week at the Han River park,” said Lee Hye-young, a 58-year-old woman from Seoul who ranked No. 1 among women in their 50s in the 10-kilometer course.
 

Korean contestants who came together to run at the 2025 Saipan Marathon pose for photos holding their certificates on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

 
Lee came with her running crewmates Shim Sang-eun and Chung Jin-young, who also took part in the 10-kilometer course.
 
“It’s great to run together. You can cheer each other up and get energized by each other. We wanted to run together at a domestic marathon but it was so hard to get tickets, so we came here. It was also great to run in a completely new place with a landscape entirely different from that of Korea.”
 
“It’s been a year since I started running and it’s been great,” Chung said. “I started running because my friend did, and it’s improved my quality of life and my health, too. I never liked running but I’ve come to believe that this is the best possible way of working out. The hotel was great and the weather is lovely, so I’m glad I came.”
 

Coach Park Min-kyu, center, gives a training session at 6 a.m. on March 7 at the Kensington Hotel Saipan, a day after the 2025 Saipan Marathon on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

Runners take part in a training session hosted by Kensington Hotel Saipan a day before the 2025 Saipan Marathon on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

 
Chung was staying at the Kensington Hotel Saipan, which hosted a special conditioning class for the runners on Friday morning to help them warm up before the big day. The one-hour training session began at 6 a.m. with coach Park Min Min-kyu, a 40-year-old trainer who operates a physical education team called Qrun.
 
“Running has so many benefits, but the best part is that it’s the root of all exercise,” he said. “And running together is even better because sometimes you get motivated just by being in the same place as other people. I get in contact with the local running clubs whenever I visit another country, and it’s great to experience the culture while working out.”
 
Kensington Hotel Saipan, a hotel run by the E-Land Park-owned Micronesia Resort Inc. (MRI), is offering a Saipan Run & Fun package until April 30. As part of the package, visitors can enjoy a night at the hotel with three meals, free entrance to entertainment facilities at the three MRI hotels — Kensington Hotel Saipan, Coral Ocean Resort and Pacific Islands Club Saipan — a gift box from sportswear brand New Balance and pickup from the Saipan airport. The package is available from consecutive three nights.
 

Contestants take part in the 2025 Saipan Marathon 5-kilometer course on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

Come fly, and run, with me
 
Picking up on the running fad along with other forms of sports activities, the Marianas Visitors Authority aims to attract a new population of sports lovers through its new marketing strategy, in joint efforts with travel agencies that are also rolling out tour packages aimed at activity enthusiasts.
 
Hana Tour and Kyowon Tour sold a three-day package that included tickets for the Saipan Marathon along with tourist programs before and after the running event. The package also included accommodation at local hotels and transportation to and from different tourist spots. Recipients of the Hana Tour package were also accompanied by local athlete Park Min-kyeong from Ansan, Gyeonggi.
 
The Saipan Marathon is a hidden gem of an event that has been relatively unknown to runners from other international marathons, especially with the two storms that hit the Mariana Islands in 2015 and 2018 that the area is still partly recovering from. That has ironically made the event easier for people to buy tickets to, compared to large-scale marathon events that often require participants to have achieved certain records at other races in order to be accepted.
 

The scenery of Saipan during the 2025 Saipan Marathon on March 8 [YOON SO-YEON]

Winners receive special prizes at the 2025 Saipan Marathon on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

 
“I came along with 54 other people from a package sold by Yellow Balloon Tour,” said 32-year-old Kim from Seoul. He came with a friend and his roommate who bought the package with him.
 
“This is my first time running at a marathon overseas, and it was great because I could feel like traveling and running at the same time. The running itself felt different because we’re usually only surrounded by Koreans at a Korean marathon. It was a little humid, but not as bad as I was expecting.”
 
“It’s a definite yes,” said his roommate, surnamed Park, when asked whether he would participate again.
 

Runners take part in a training session hosted by Kensington Hotel Saipan a day before the 2025 Saipan Marathon on March 8. [YOON SO-YEON]

A view of the swimming pool at the Kensington Hotel Saipan [YOON SO-YEON]

 
Out of the 620 total runners this year at the 2025 Saipan Marathon, around 280 were Korean. The number of Korean participants are rising and the MVA hopes to keep growing the size of the marathon itself as well as the number of Korean participants, according to Jamika Taijeron, managing director of the MVA.
 
“The people here are kind and friendly, so much that you would feel like you’re at home here,” she said when asked about the benefits that Saipan has over other Pacific Islands as a tourist spot.
 
“We have observed the changing preferences and trend in the Korean travelers’ style. We are trying to change to meet the demands of the changing consumer market. We will be reaching out directly to people, such as by making pop-up stores in Seoul, to engage with the younger generation of travelers from Korea.”

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]