Run, Doc, Run!

“Run, Doc Run!” and run he did, as Saipan International School headmaster Dr. Ron Snyder, a streak runner, reached the “Gump Day” milestone of running 1,170 days in a row, or the sum of three years, two months, 14 days, and 16 hours—just like Forrest Gump did in the 1994 movie.

While Gump ran everyday across the United States almost five times before being tired and deciding to return home again, Synder ran a mile or more a day wherever he was at that time—despite the pandemic, traveling, and sickness.

On his “Gump Day,” which was actually 1,172 days last Thursday because it’s a leap year and he counted the 16 hours as another day, Synder ran his mandatory mile from the old Marianas Resort in Marpi with his best friend, pet dog Gilligan, friends, and family by his side.

Synder, sans Forrest Gump costume because it didn’t arrive on time, tried to replicate Gump’s last run with a group of people and mountains in the background, and with Saipan’s Suicide Cliff in the background, it was the perfect picturesque spot for his “Gump Day” run.

The 57-year-old started running everyday on Dec. 28, 2020 and has logged countless miles since then. With reaching his “Gump Day,” he said he had only originally wanted to run 30 straight days, then it became 90 days, then one year, then it became 1,000 days. Now, upon completion of “Gump Day,” he wants to make it past the first tier of streak running, but he has no plans to stop.

Right now, Snyder is a Neophyte, someone who’s run everyday between 1-5 years. The next tier is Proficient (5-10 years), then Well Versed (15-20 years), Highly Skilled (20-25 years), The Dominators (25-30 years), The Masters (30-35 years), The Grand Masters (35-40 years), The Legends (40-45 years), The Coverts (45-50 years), and The Hills, (50+ years).

Snyder said that his favorite spot to run is the Marpi area, hence he commemorated his “Gump Day” there, and because it was the closest thing to Gump’s final run in the movie. His other running spots, since he currently lives in Sadog Tasi, are either at the Gov. Eloy Inos Peace Park, the American Memorial Park, or the Beach Road Pathway.

As for the CNMI’s running community, Snyder said he’s impressed with how it’s developed over the years. “Ed [Dela Cruz Jr.] has been streak running forever; I started three years ago, but now we have a lot of people in the two-year mark, in the one-year mark, and a lot of people starting their streaks this year,” said Snyder.

Snyder has actually been running with an infection on his left leg for about a week, and said streak running is tough, but that anyone can start a streak by running just a mile a day. “You can keep the streak going with 10-15 minutes of your time, and just keep going. I was hoping to run a lot farther today, but not with my leg the way it is,” he said.

On how he keeps pushing and running everyday despite the many obstacles, he said, “I mean now, it’s kind of a habit. It’s just part of my routine. I know I need to run my mile, and I’m going to go out and do my mile. At the very least, it’s a mile. I like to go two plus miles, but on days where I’m busy with work or sick, a mile would do it.”