By Kristen Ramos

The Third Annual Guam Ko’ko’ Road Race was held on October 19. This was the first year that Outrigger was a sponsor and participated in the event. The race is actually two road races—a half marathon (13 miles) for soloists and a four-person team Ekiden relay 20KM (12.42 miles) race. Both events are held over the same course, which starts and finishes at East Agana Bay and runs along Guam’s beautiful and scenic west coast.

Rodel Soberano, Joy Advincula, Sheila Devera, Charlene Goo, and Kristin Ramos

There were 104 teams participating in the Ekiden relay in various categories, including Men’s, Women’s, Coed, Military, and Corporate. Representing Outrigger on the relay team was Rodel Soberano, Joy Advincula, Sheila Devera, and myself. In the spirit of community, Charlene Goo ran for another team who needed a last-minute replacement. As you can see from the results below, Outrigger’s team did a great job in competing against more seasoned and experienced teams.

TEAM OUTRIGGER STATISTICS
Division: Corporate (Ekiden Relay)
Overall: 41 out of 104 Ekiden Relay Teams
Division: 7 out of 31 Corporate Relay Teams
Finish Time: 1:47:16
Min Per Mile: 08:39
(results by JTL timing)

The Guam Ko’ko’ Road Race was created by Guam Visitors Bureau to increase interest in the island by international athletes, but more importantly, to highlight the plight of the Ko’ko’ bird. The Ko’ko’ is a flightless bird, brought to the brink of extinction by the brown tree snake, pesticides, and other predators. All proceeds from the race benefit the preservation of the Ko’ko’ bird.

Congratulations to Team Outrigger and Charlene; you did an outstanding job — we can’t wait for next year’s race.