FORTY Star Wars fans showed up in costumes to participate in the May The 4th Be With You, CNMI run Sunday at American Memorial Park.
Among them were mother and daughter Doemiko and Miriam Flores who were the first to complete the mile-long course with an unofficial time of 13 minutes. Time was not recorded for the event.
“We recently moved to Saipan, and so my daughter had never ran a race and I hadn’t run in a while,” Doemiko said. “But we love Star Wars and it’s supposed to be a great way to just kickstart our running lifestyle here and introduce her [Miriam] to running.”
Both were dressed as Princess Leia.
Miriam said “the course was good — long but not hard.”
According to her mother, “Our focus was to have fun, so when we reached the finish line we were pleasantly surprised [that we finished first].”
Northern Mariana Athletics’ Edward Dela Cruz, who started the Run Saipan Club, was one of the event’s organizers. He also finished first in the five-kilometer event.
“We’ve always wanted to do a big Star Wars event,”
he said, referring to Mount Carmel School president Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero and Saipan International School headmaster Dr. Ron Snyder.
“In December, Dr. Snyder asked if we could do a Star Wars race for May The 4th Be With You weekend,” Dela Cruz said.
NMA and the Commonwealth Coalition of Private Schools Association then worked together to make it happen, Dela Cruz said.
“It’s a good healthy activity for the community, and it gets people to come out and celebrate Star Wars. Actually, I think this is the first ever Star Wars event held in Saipan,” he added.
Dela Cruz said he has been a Star Wars fan since he was four years old.
On Sunday, Dela Cruz wore the costume of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. “I believe this costume is the maturity of my nerdism,” Dela Cruz said. “I’ve memorized everything about the films so I feel like this costume embodies how much I know about Star Wars.”
With Dela Cruz and Deleon Guerrero, Ron Snyder, the race coordinator, was a member of the Rebel Team Alliance. He was an X-Wing Fighter while his dog was dressed as “R2K-9.”
Snyder said he would like to recognize the support of CCOPSA Sports, NMA, Run Saipan Club, the Marianas Visitors Authority, American Memorial Park, and all the race participants in the creation of a fun and memorable event.
The costumed runners take off.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
Doemiko and Miriam Flores pose after completing the one-mile May The 4th Be With You, CNMI run at American Memorial Park on Sunday.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
Edward Dela Cruz, left, and Galvin Deleon Guerrero, right, pose with young Storm Troopers.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
