Melo Villareal
Experience United Airlines Guam Marathon and SMS Cormoran Centennial Commemoration This April
If you are toying with the idea of visiting Guam, April is the best month to travel to this paradise. Two important events will be held in Guam within this month: SMS Cormoran Centennial Commemoration and Fifth United Airlines Guam Marathon.
Here’s everything we know about these highly-anticipated events in Guam:
SMS Cormoran Centennial Commemoration
Guam Visitors Bureau will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the German ship SMS Cormoran at Apra Harbor Guam back in 1917 on April 7. On the same day, Håfa Adai Expo and Packet Pick Up event will also be held.
To celebrate SMS Cormoran’s scuttling, a wreath-laying ceremony at sea will take place. The venue will be at the monument in U.S. Naval Cemetery, in which sailors who perished are buried. Good news is that tourists can join in this historic event through dive tours to the wreck site. What’s more, they can also participate in the history lectures that will take place at T. Stell Newman Information Center.
As a backgrounder, what makes Cormoran scuttling very popular is that it marked the “first shot” in the war between the Imperial Germany and the United States way back 1917. In 1943, during WWII, a Japanese freighter named Tokai Maru also sank on the same site, perpendicular to Cormoran. These incidents made Guam the only place across the globe where you can spot shipwrecks from WWI and WWII.
United Airlines Guam Marathon
The fifth United Airlines Guam Marathon happens on the 9th of April, form 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. You can even participate a running clinic by UGM ambassador and 2000 Sydney Games Olympic gold medalist Naoko Takahashi. Participants will also expect exhilarating activities, including live entertainment, sponsor booths, food and beverage concessions, cultural activities, shopping for official UGM and running merchandise, and more. On top of that, you will enjoy other perks, such as shopping incentives and other discounts. Sponsors of the UGM include the Pacific Islands Club and Guam Visitors Bureau.
Håfa Adai Expo
On April 7, from 12 NN to p.m., the Håfa Adai Expo will be held. This continues on April 8, starting 9 a.m. through 6 p.m.
BBQ Beach Party
That’s not all you will get to experience. A BBQ Beach Party will also take place at Governor Joseph F. Flores Memorial Park (Ypao Beach). Apart from the breathtaking view of Tumon Bay, you will also get to enjoy beach games, live concert performances, live cultural entertainment, and more.
If you wish to know more details on these events, head on over to www.visitguam.com/SMSCORMORANGUAM/ and www.unitedguammarathon.com.
