​APIA, Samoa – For Faumuinā Maryann Penn, lining up for her first full marathon at the 8th Sāmoa International Marathon on 4 July brings together the culmination of a journey that began on the athletics track at St Mary's College, Vaimoso.

And on Saturday 4 July, Maryann will run her first marathon alongside twin sister, Faumuinā Eleanor Penn. They are the only Sāmoan women in this year's marathon. They are the first set of twins to run a marathon in the country, a record that will probably last a long time. 

Another staggering record - Maryann will run the marathon on Saturday only six days after completing her second half-marathon on Sunday 28 June. That was the Wellington Half-marathon.  

Maryann and Eleanor first discovered their love of running during their school years, competing in the 400m and 800m events. While neither considered themselves elite athletes, both developed a passion for endurance running and the discipline that sport brings.

As she entered her senior years at college, Maryann made the difficult decision to step away from sport and focus on her academic ambitions. The sacrifice paid off. In 2017, she was awarded Dux of St Mary's College and received a scholarship to New Zealand to study Building Science at Victoria University of Wellington.

Since then, Maryann has built an impressive professional career. She has worked as an engineer with the Land Transport Authority and later as an Assistant Project Manager with RPS. She is currently completing a Master of Architectural Science (Project Management) at Victoria University of Wellington under a prestigious Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship.

For a time, she thought her academic commitments might prevent her from participating in the Samoa International Marathon. However, with her degree concluding at the end of June and a return home to Samoa approaching, the timing aligned perfectly.

Although she had considered pursuing sports such in Powerlifting or CrossFit, Maryann chose to return to running as a way to stay active. That decision reignited a passion that had been dormant for years.

In June 2025, she completed her first half marathon in Wellington, an experience that rekindled her love for the sport and motivated her to pursue even greater challenges. She soon encouraged both her partner and her twin sister to join her in the Auckland Half Marathon later that year.

Since then, she has steadily built towards her first marathon by competing in events throughout New Zealand, including the Wellington Round the Bays 8.8km, the WHAC Honest 10 Run, and the Wellington Half Marathon.

Sharing the marathon journey with her twin sister makes the experience even more meaningful. 

"Being a twin has always been both a challenge and a blessing," she says. "We naturally push each other in many aspects of life, from our career paths to our fitness journeys, and that shared drive has brought us to this point."

As the only Sāmoan women entered in this year's marathon, the Penn sisters are helping to break new ground and inspire others to embrace endurance sport.

For Maryann, the race is about much more than completing 42.2 kilometres.

"Running this marathon feels like a full-circle moment for me. It is not only a personal milestone but also an opportunity to represent where we come from and to inspire others, especially young people and fellow twins, to challenge themselves and pursue goals that once felt out of reach."

On 4 July, when the Penn sisters stand together on the marathon start line, they will carry with them a track record of of preparation, dedication and perseverance.

More than that, they also carry the pride of family, community and country.


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APIA, SĀMOA – Adam is preparing to run his very first marathon at the 8th Sāmoa International Marathon, marking a major personal challenge in what is already a big year as he celebrates turning 40.

Originally from Australia, Adam and his family have made Sāmoa home, happily living and working here while becoming familiar faces at Sāmoa Events races and many other events over the past two years.

Despite his growing love for running, Adam admits he had never previously been drawn to the marathon distance.
“I’ve never had an interest in running a marathon before,” he said. “However, after seeing the unique experience of the Sāmoa International Marathon when I ran the 10 km with Natalie last year, it sparked the idea of running the marathon here.”

His preparation has included only two half marathons: one last year and another in the lead-up to the marathon as a dress rehearsal. Earlier this month, Adam and Natalie Moore both completed the Lalomanu Half Marathon, giving them another strong test before race day.
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On marathon day, Natalie will play a key role in Adam’s journey. Every full marathon runner in the Sāmoa International Marathon is accompanied by their own support vehicle, and Natalie has chosen to give up her own goal of running the half-marathon so she can support Adam from start to finish.

“Yes, Nat has decided to sacrifice her ambition of running the half-marathon on the day to support me,” Adam said. “It’ll be Nat and at least one of my kids in the vehicle to support me and support her in that role.”

Adam’s sporting background began in a country town in Australia, where sport was a major part of community life.
“Sport was the main thing to do and it produced a lot of good sportsmen,” he said. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of those.”

He played a wide range of sports growing up, including tennis, soccer, rugby league and Australian rules football. But like many adults, full-time work changed the rhythm of sport in his life.
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“Getting my first full-time job ruined my sporting career,” he joked.Since then, Adam moved between different sports before discovering a love of running in Sāmoa. That journey began with the Perimeter Relay and has now led him to the start line of his first full marathon.

For Adam, the 42.2 km challenge is more than just a race. It is a celebration of family, fitness, life in Sāmoa and taking on something that once felt unlikely.
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With Natalie and his children supporting him on the road, Adam will set out on 4 July hoping to complete his first marathon in the country that helped inspire him to run.

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Runner Profile
Sāmoa International Marathon 

APIA, SĀMOA - Faumuinā Eleanor Penn is taking on her first full marathon at the 8th Sāmoa International Marathon, inspired by a desire to challenge herself while proudly representing her aiga, villages, church community and beloved Samoa.
Eleanor, the youngest of seven siblings, currently cares for her father while balancing training, church commitments, work, and family obligations. She works as a Representative for Downer and serves as a Mass Coordinator and collector at St. Luke’s Parish, Flat Bush, in Auckland, NZ.

On the 4th of July, she will return home to tackle the marathon distance alongside her twin sister, Faumuinā Maryann Penn. This is one of the most inspiring stories in this year’s race.

As the only Sāmoan women entrants in the marathon, the sisters are a powerful example of courage, determination and leadership for Sāmoan women everywhere.

A former Sports Prefect leader at St Mary’s College, Vaimoso, Eleanor has always enjoyed an active lifestyle. She competed in athletics during her school years in the 400m and 800m, and today enjoys gym training and hiking Mt Vaea.

In 2025, she completed the Auckland Half Marathon “Run The City” and placed 2 nd in the Project 56 Final Week Transformation
Challenge in South Auckland.

Eleanor says her greatest motivation is to inspire young people, particularly her nephew Max Penn, who first introduced her to the Sāmoa International Marathon.

Eleanor sees the race as an opportunity to demonstrate determination, resilience and Sāmoan pride, and as a pathway for young people to develop healthy lifestyles.

On race day, Eleanor will carry with her the support of her mother, Unasa Florestina Penn, her family, and the many communities that have shaped her life. These include her villages of Vaimoso, Alafua, Lepea, Iva and Siufaga, Savai'i, as well as her church communities of St Luke's Parish, Flat Bush, St Therese of Lisieux, Vaimoso, and the Vailoa Community SMSM Sisters. She also acknowledges the encouragement of Sr Johanna Penn-Keil, Fr Benedict Francis and Sr Jane O'Carroll (SM) throughout her journey.
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Samasoni Nimarota never planned to run a marathon. Yet in 2016 he completed the inaugural Sāmoa International Marathon in Savai'i with no training and no preparation, creating one of the event's most memorable stories.

That year, only two runners were officially entered in the marathon: Bobby Caerni and Daniel Afoa. Bobby went on to win the race, the very first marathon held in Savai’i.

With the race starting at 4:00 am, Daniel Afoa asked Sam to accompany him on the long and dark stretch between the lava fields and Pu'apua village.
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While the one police vehicle followed the leader, Bobby, Sam stayed by Daniel’s side. What started as a simple gesture turned into a full marathon—Sam kept running all the way to the finish.

Despite having no long-distance training, Sam completed the race in 4 hours, 39 minutes, and 49 seconds—an impressive time that still ranks 14th out of the 45 runners who have completed the Sāmoa marathon since 2016. He finished just 15 minutes behind inaugural champion Bobby Caerni despite having done no marathon training. 

Sam’s strong general fitness helped him. He was already an excellent swimmer and a regular competitor in triathlon events and trail races in Apia. Still, the marathon took its toll—bad blisters on his feet slowed him down significantly.

Reflecting on the race afterwards, Sam said, “I had no plan to run the marathon. I was just keeping Daniel company through the dark stretch between the lava field and Pu’apua. But once the sun came up, I kept going. I wanted to finish.”

Sam and Daniel remain the last local runners to run a marathon in Sāmoa. 

What began as a simple act of support for a friend became a marathon finish that still ranks among the best performances in the event's history. Nearly a decade later, Sam's unexpected run remains one of the great stories of the Sāmoa International Marathon.

The legend continues.


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