Rotaract 5K Hallowen run draws 45

The 45 participants of the inaugural Halloween 5K Fun Run hosted by Rotaract Club of Saipan and Run Saipan pose for a photo in the starting line of the race last Saturday at the Garapan Fishing Base. (LEIGH GASES)

In the words of Andrew Gold, all things spooky, scary skeletons—45 of them—made their way to the Garapan Fishing Base last Saturday to celebrate Halloween and run for a good cause in the first 5K Fun Run and Halloween Costume Contest hosted by the Rotaract Club of Saipan with the help of Run Saipan.

Off the starting gate, a scary clown, a pink Squid Game character, a Jurassic Park-themed couple with their dog dressed as a T-Rex, a sumo wrestler, witches, zombies, superheroes, anime characters, and the like ran down the length of Beach Road from the Garapan Fishing base up to the Quarter, master Road turn-around point and back.

Rosemarie Chisato won first place in the wome division of the Rotaract Club of Saipan Halloween 5K Fun Run last Saturday at the Garapan Fishing Base.(LEIGH GASES)

In the end, the Top 3 men and Top 3 women winners for the fastest 5K run were awarded with prizes and the first ever Rotaract Club of Saipan finisher medal. 

Christian Lam, dressed up as a priest, came in first place with a time of 20:07, which is the fastest 5K time in any of the 5K runs held on Saipan. Second place was barefoot runner Chong Nam Lee with a time of 22:34, while third place was Shigeki Tenorio with a time of 22:47.

Christian Lam won first place in the men’s division of the Rotaract Club of Saipan Halloween 5K Fun Run last Saturday at the Garapan Fishing Base. (LEIGH GASES)

Lam, a 33-year-old software engineer who is visiting family, said that this is his first 5K run on Saipan. 

“Being in first place feels good, but I’m here to have fun and meet people and just hang out with other runners [because] that’s always fun… Maybe I’ll be back next year [and] I’ll try to beat my own record.”

About his costume, he said that “I’m currently visiting my parents. I grew up here and I’m staying at my parents house and I needed a costume. I found this somewhere deep in a closet; it was my costume from high school, so I’m just making use of it.”

In the women’s division, Rosemarie Chisato, dressed up as a zombie of some sort, came in first place with a time of 24:51; second place went to Terra Allen with a time of 26:25; and third place went to Heather Brook with a time of 26:29. 

For the Halloween Costume contest, all who dressed up and completed the run were eligible for the three categories: the funniest, scariest, and most creative costume. 

Leo Wania won the funniest costume as he was dressed up in a blowup sumo wrestler costume; Marcelita Maglalang won the scariest costume category as she was dressed in an all black hand-made costume of a trash bag filled with used COVID-19 masks, an unnamed runner won the most creative costume category, dressed up as a fairy godmother made from recyclable items.

Wania told Saipan Tribune that the inspiration for his costume was the fact that he likes the sport of sumo wrestling and was channeling Hakuhō Shō, his favorite sumo wrestler.

For Maglalang’s costume, she said she is happy that the pandemic is over, hence the inspiration for her garbage bag of masks and makeshift gravestone she carried with her that says “CNMI COVID-19 Free.”

Rotaract Club of Saipan president Richard Baleares said they’ve always wanted to do a fun run since last year when former Interact of the Philippines member, Ricky Castro, gave them the idea.

Baleares added that the “reason why we want to do this fun run is so we can promote cardiovascular activity and a better lifestyle… I love how the community is engaging and are starting to make small changes in their lifestyle, especially with Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ Fit to Lead initiative and with all the other 5Ks and run events that Run Saipan has been doing, so promoting a healthy lifestyle is definitely one of the seven areas of focus of Rotary International and want to target that. But also at the same time, we also wanted to raise funds for community service projects, as well as contribute a portion of the proceeds to Rotary International’s Polio Plus… Earlier this week was World Polio Day and it’s been an effort for Rotary International to eradicate polio for the past couple of decades.”