Triathlon Samoa marked Samoa’s 64th Independence Day celebrations with a 21km Independence Day Relay on Saturday morning, drawing 12 teams to the race.
Newly elected President, Laulusā Leilani Faletoese, described it as both competitive and community-driven.
Laulusā said the relay was included in the week-long programme of sporting events to commemorate Independence. The race began “at 6 on the dot,” with athletes checking in from 5 am, and finished earlier than expected because many of the runners were experienced.
“It was really fun. The vibe was definitely fun. Everything was very well organised, and all the runners had to do was run," said Laulusā.
The course was centred on the Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) fale. Teams completed two loops, with runners starting from STA, heading to Munich, and returning. Laulusā said the first section was repeated three times, with the first leg a little over 4km and the second just over 3km, bringing the total distance to approximately 21km.
