Father-daughter duo survives Zombie 5K
The father-and-daughter duo of Travis and Lovel Speath—sans costumes—traversed the “zombie”-infested Beach Road Pathway and came out on top of their respective divisions in the 2nd Annual Run Saipan Zombie 5K at the Garapan Fishing Base last Saturday night.
Travis was first place in the men’s division with a time of 26:23—just a second ahead of Beau Bauer at 26:24. “Neptune”—or Dr. Ron Snyder with his heavy garb of netting, spray paint, and a wig—came in third place with a time of 28:54.
Lovel was first place in the women’s division with a time of 26:50; second place was Isla Grant at 26:51; and third was Savannah Grant with a time of 27:23.
There was also a costume contest after the race with Snyder unsurprisingly grabbed first place in the men’s division and won a 48-oz. Yeti bottle, Bauer (Forrest Gump) was second place for a Hydroflask, and Kraig Church came in third for a Yeti plastic water bottle. All prizes were provided by All Star Sporting Goods and The Athlete’s Foot.
In the women’s costume contest, Liz Church (Luigi or Mario Bros) won first place, Savannah Grant won second, and third place was Catalina Frink.
Travis said after the race that the race was “a lot of fun. The zombies jumping up behind the trees and bridges made it extra exciting—a little extra motivation to pick it up between zombies, so yeah it was a lot of fun.”
He added the event was great and had missed the first one last year because he was off-island, but his wife and kids loved it and decided to come back for the second annual. On why he and his family didn’t wear costumes, he said it was because they were double-booked on a busy sports-filled Saturday. “My kids were at a soccer game right before, so I couldn’t make it all work today,” he said.
For Lovel’s part, she said the course “was really fun. There were a few parts that I didn’t really like because I was barefoot where I stepped on a few pinecones.”
When asked which race she liked better—last year’s or this year’s, she said, “I like them equally because last year I liked how they were trying to chase the flags and this year I liked how they were making it spookier.”
Simon Necesito, Run Saipan race coordinator, thanked the Marianas High School National Honor Society for volunteering as the course “zombies.” He then acknowledged Run Saipan president Edward Dela Cruz Jr., who is off-island, on how tough it is to coordinate a race from the bottom up. “I have a newfound respect for Ed on what he does for Run Saipan. It’s a lot,” said Necesito.
Necesito then said the turnout of the race wasn’t much because there were a lot of Halloween events happening at the same time. There was also the Japanese Autumn Festival the same night.
Participants of the Run Saipan 2nd Annual Zombie 5K race, including best Halloween costume winner Dr. Ron Snyder as Neptune, center, pose for a photo before the start of the race at the Garapan Fishing Base last Saturday night.
-LEIGH GASES
Top 3 of the women’s division in the Run Saipan 2nd Annual Zombie 5K race, from right, third place Savannah Grant, first place Lovel Spaeth, and second place Isla Grant,pose for a photo with race director Simon Necesito, left, at the Garapan Fishing Base last Saturday night.
-LEIGH GASES
From right, second place in the men’s division and costume contest Beau Bauer, first place in the men’s division Travis Spaeth, race director Simon Necesito, and costume contest third place Kraig Church, pose for a photo after the Run Saipan 2nd Annual Zombie 5K race at the Garapan Fishing Base last Saturday night. Costume contest first place Dr. Ron Snyder left before the photo.
-LEIGH GASES
Run Saipan volunteers from the Marianas High School Run Club and MHS National Honor Society, who served as “zombies,” pose for a photo before they scare runners of the Run Saipan 2nd Annual Zombie 5K race at the Garapan Fishing Base last Saturday night.
-LEIGH GASES
From right, women’s division costume contest first place Savannah Grant, race director Simon Necesito, second place Liz Church, and third place Catalina Frink pose for a photo after the Run Saipan 2nd Annual Zombie 5K race at the Garapan Fishing Base last Saturday night.
-LEIGH GASES
