Overview:
Palau hosted the Asia Pacific Invitational Cross Country Championships for the first time Oct. 23-24, drawing 124 runners. Palau's Kraven Ngirchomlei and Garrett Welge finished second and third in the boys' 5K, sharing the podium with a visiting Guam runner.
By: Summer Kennard
KOROR, Palau — “I’m proud of being able to make it to top 3, but I know I’m more capable compared to the performance I had,” Palauan runner Kraven Ngirchomlei said after finishing second in the boys’ 5-kilometer race at the Asia Pacific Invitational (API) Cross Country Championships, marking the first time Palau has hosted the regional competition.
Ngirchomlei, a senior at Palau High School, clocked 18 minutes, 29.56 seconds in the race held Oct. 23-24. Garrett Welge of Belau All Island finished third in 18:56.54, while Jan Tibigar of the JFK Islanders from Guam won in 18:15.01.
The two-day championships brought together 124 runners for boys’ and girls’ 5-kilometer races and a 2-by-1-mile relay. Visiting teams included the JFK Islanders and Guam Adventist Academy, both from Guam.
Ngirchomlei said he was pleased to finish among the top three but believed he could have achieved a better time and result.
He said he started the race conservatively, following a pacing strategy that caused him to hold back too much energy. That approach left him unable to close the gap with the runner ahead of him.
“I’m glad it happened now that I’ve learned from it, so I wouldn’t make the mistake again,” he said.
Having competed in other locations, Ngirchomlei said the API race was less challenging than some of his previous competitions. He also appreciated the opportunity to compete against runners whose abilities were closer to his own.
As he prepares to graduate from high school, Ngirchomlei said he plans to continue running and hopes to represent Palau on the national team.
“I definitely see my future self competing in the sport of running and plan on continuing to race for our national team,” he said.
Welge, also a high school senior, said he gave the race his best effort but made mistakes during the competition. He was particularly struck by the changing pace and positions of runners throughout the race, as competitors pushed to catch those ahead of them.
“The biggest thing that I was surprised at as a runner was how dynamic the overall flow of the race was,” Welge said. “There were people dropping off and moving up, constantly trying to reach the next guy. It was fun.”
Welge said the experience reinforced two lessons: There will always be faster runners to learn from, and athletes must move forward after each competition, regardless of the result.
“I learned two lessons from this race, one, there’s always someone faster than you out there and two, after the race you gotta move on,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it was good or bad, reflect then move on.”
Welge hopes to qualify for collegiate competition as he approaches graduation, continuing to develop his running skills and compete at a higher level.
“I’m going to try my absolute best to try and be able to qualify and compete in college,” he said.
He added that he plans to keep running even if he does not pursue the sport competitively at the collegiate level.