Tagaman History
Tagaman is the longest running race in the Western Pacific, drawing its name and inspiration from Tagaman, a legendary king of ancient Chamorros whose feats of strength includes moving huge carved capstones known as Taga stones, a unique remnant of the original island people of the Marianas.
The first Tagaman Triathlon took place on Saipan, on March 12, 1988 and that was the beginning of this long running Tagaman Triathlon. KNT provided assistance with officials during the first several years and procured several new road bikes for the first Tagaman Triathletes from Saipan, as this was a new event to the islands. The sport and the event has grown from those days and the quality only got better with athletes coming from Australia, , the USA, numerous Asian countries and from the Pacific islands.
The first winners were Ruben Chappins of Hawaii followed by Hideya Miyazuka, both multiple winners in future races, and Noriko Katusumata from Japan for the women, who also won several more times in the future.
Japanese triathletes have played a major part in the success of the event, first with assistance from KNT and ATC, and more recently KFC Triathlon Club and Kiyokazu Onishi. The first Tagaman swim was held off the Hafa Adai Beach Hotel in Garapan and the bike circled on Beach Road between Garapan and ChalanKanoa. A few swims were held off the Saipan Diamond Hotel (currently World Resort), then to Pacific Islands Club in San Antonio. The run has always been first heading south, the turnaround in Oleai Village and head north along Beach Road and running through American Memorial Park pathways of trees and finishing adjacent to the crystal clear waters of Micro Beach. The course has changed over the years to make it more inviting, and now triathletes able to traverse the island from its southern tip to the northern tip of Banzai Cliff.
Tagaman Triathlon today. Course begins in the crystal water at Kilili Beach Park at MinachomAtdao in Oleai and transitions to one of the worlds most beautiful bike courses. Cyclist will cover the entire island, from the south to north, including stunning views of Suicide Cliff and Banzai lookout. Racers enjoy a flat run course along Saipan pathway with the views of the Western lagoon through the historic American Memorial Park.