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Anna Pangelinan runs to stay fit and healthy. The great-grandmother has often been mistaken for a 50-year-old, but she’s a proud 71 years young. Jojo Santo Tomas, jsantotoma@guampdn.com

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Anna Pangelinan isn’t hiding any secrets. There’s no hidden fountain of youth, no magic tonic, no exact diet, nor any penchant to take it easy and watch the world happen from a plush leather recliner.

She takes life as seriously as a heart attack. Every day is a blessing, offering another opportunity to exert her body. It’s the same mantra that led her to run regularly sometime starting around 1975.

A family history of heart disease and diabetes made it a no-brainer.

She’s experienced the death of family, friends, classmates and colleagues, plus many more acquaintances and contemporaries. The number rises every year.

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“It breaks my heart. It gives me concern that they have died in their younger years, and I feel like, ‘Perhaps if they had gotten into running or walking or jogging earlier in their lives, they may have lengthened their stay on this Earth,'” she said.

First race

She started running with her neighbor and good friend, doing a mile or two at a time, gradually increasing distance and time. The mileage grew and in 1980, Pangelinan decided to stray off her beaten paths and officially enter a timed race, running with and against others of all ages, shapes, and sizes.

It would be her first of many — too many to count — road races offered by the Guam Running Club. From the start, she wanted to go big. She would wear a race bib for her first race, but it was definitely not a baby distance race.

“Oh my goodness, that was so long ago. I’m not really sure which one, but I know it was a Guam Running Club race,” she said. “It might have been a half marathon or a full marathon.”

It was a full, 26.2-mile marathon. 

As your first organized race?

Oh yes.”

But of course, I had been running prior to that.”

Running resume

That was Anna Pangelinan in her mid-30s, undaunted by any race course. One stride at a time, repeat as needed, and then repeat some more. She ran her first Guam Marathon in either 1980 or 1981, and then and ran it again 22 years later — just a few years shy of 50 years old.

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Age? Pshaw. Her resume includes more marathons, including the famous one in Hawaii that draws thousands of 26.2-milers from around the world. She ran her first Honolulu Marathon in 2002 and defied Father Time by finishing the Honolulu Marathon again, 13 years later. Then she did it again. Her third marathon in Hawaii was last year, in 2018, as a sprightly 70-year old.

She didn’t limit herself to just distance races. She ran as part of relay teams, she ran in the jungle, she went all out for Liberation Miles, she climbed Nimitz Hill and she ran the southern loop of Guam, She raced the length of Tumon beach, did half-marathons, and finished a few Gate-to-Gate runs. In runner’s lingo, the latter meant running from Andersen Air Force Base to Naval Base Guam — about 21 miles as a tired, blind crow flies.

 She ran in Nebraska too, and she’s raced in every one of the dozens of Saturday morning charity 5Ks.

Honored

She earned the GRC’s greatest honor bestowed upon one of its hundreds of members — the GRC Runner of the Year. She won the award in 2017 and again in 2018.

The GRC might consider an early start on the 2019 plaque. Pangelinan has already finished every GRC event in 2019 and she wants this year to be the first one she has perfect attendance.

Almost 40 years after her first timed race, running remains fun and exhilarating, she said. And the excitement doesn’t stop at the finish line.

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“Running has been so fulfilling for me in many ways. One of these is meeting people and making lasting friendships. I totally enjoy the camaraderie and bantering we do after each run, and all the congratulatory hugs and kisses,” she said.

It may have been a personal health concern that brought her to her first starting line, but it was the finishes that brought her back, time and time again.

The running club introduced her to the scenery of Guam, viewed in detail with no dashboard or window tint to distract her. The club introduced her to best friends, to ribbons and trophies and plaques, and medals too.

Of course, there were the T-shirts. Lots and lots of them, the wearable trophies that declared which one of the 20 or so GRC races was officially in the books.

It wasn’t long before she would meet up with other runners during the week, in her day job as an educator. Friendly people would approach her and tell her that they always heard her name on weekends. She beams.

“The fun part is hearing my name called, for placing first or second in my division,” she said.

Age no factor

At 71, with almost no competition for her on Guam, hearing her name and receiving an award is guaranteed.

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“My contemporary? My one competition is Julie Yamamoto,” Pangelinan said. “So when Julie runs, then I get second place. Julie is a strong runner, but she doesn’t run any long distances as I do; she only runs 5Ks.” 

Pangelinan was recently mistaken for a 48-year-old, and people’s guesses that she’s in her 50s are common. She’s still young enough to blush when that happens. She certainly feels as young as others think, but that’s not at all why she’s still active in this game.

“When people tell me that I’m an inspiration to them, I think that maybe by seeing me run on the road, they can also get into running. And I have heard that,” said Pangelinan. “Hearing fellow runners tell me that I am an inspiration to them? That’s heartwarming and at times brings tears to my eyes.

“I feel I have motivated someone to get healthy.”

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