JAMES Munnis, Donovan Brennan and Hanoul Sky Lee finished first in their respective divisions of Run Saipan’s Veterans Day 5K 2024 at Micro Beach on Monday morning.
Following the 5K course of the Saipan Marathon, participants took off from Micro Beach and proceeded to the old Pacific Trading Company building before heading back.
James Munnis (Air Force) finished first to top the male division of the veterans category with a time of 21:19 followed by Jason Pixley (Navy) at 24:22, and Matthew Furan (Marine Corps) at 25:02.
Munnis dedicated over 30 years to military service, including 10 years of active duty in the Navy, followed by 12 years in the Navy Reserves and the Air National Guard.
Asked what the Veterans Day 5K event meant to him, he said, “Oh, it’s just great. I like to support active duty and getting people interested in the military because there’s so few doing it nowadays.”
Munnis added, “Back when I joined, it wasn’t a big deal. My brother also was in the Air Force, but none of our family before that, so we just kind of went into it on our own and loved every minute….”
Munnis, who turned 60 this year, said the event turnout was not what he expected. “We were pretty surprised when we were signing up, seeing how many people have signed. To get up at 6 a.m. on a holiday — to come out and do this, that’s great,” he said.
Joining Munnis in the spotlight were Donovan Brennan and Hanoul Sky Lee who topped their respective divisions of the armed forces category (active duty/reserve, National Guard, inactive reserve).
In the male division, Donovan Brennan (Guam Army National Guard) came in first with a time of 23:01 followed by Terence Leung (Army Reserve) at 23:06, and Daryll De Luna (Army Reserve) at 23:52.
“It always feels good to win, but today was just about showing support to our veterans,” Brennan said.
He said he also wanted to see how much he could push himself. “I think this event is great. Trying to get veterans, current military personnel, their families and the community to just come out and get more active. Running and working out are great stress relievers and can really clear your mind,” he added.
Asked if he runs regularly, he said, “No, I do not run on a regular basis. Even if I do, it is usually only for a mile. I wanted to just take it easy with this run, but I’m too competitive, so I tried to push myself a little more.”
He added, “I told [Run Saipan President] Ed [Dela Cruz Jr.] I wanted to do this 5K with my weight vest, but he told me I should run it instead. Surprisingly, here I am with the gold.”
Brennan 33, enlisted into the Guam Army National Guard in Dec. 2023.
Other winners
In the women’s division of the armed forces category, Hanoul Sky Lee (Army Reserve) finished first with a time of 28:59 followed by Jamerie Paras (Army Reserve) at 32:02 and Angela Muna (Army Reserve) at 32:47.
In the open public category, the male division winner was Victor Nash Santos, who clocked 18:46 while Takeru Jim came in second at 19:18 and Landen Taflinger was third at 20:38.
The female winner was Akiko Miller with a time of 22:07. In second and third were Krista Hawley at 24:38 and Addalee Taflinger at 24:42.
Run Saipan President Edward Dela Cruz Jr. shared his appreciation. “Thank you to all our veterans for their service,” he said. “This event was in honor of you and everything you have done for our country. Thank you to our running community coming out in force to honor our veterans today. Run Saipan is proud to be kicking off Veterans Day with a run honoring our heroes.”
Dela Cruz also thanked Northern Marianas Athletics, the Department of Public Safety, Saipan International School, Project Buddy Check, NMI News Service, Marianas Variety, Saipan Tribune, Marianas Health, Life in the Sun, the Commonwealth Healthcare Center, Rep. Thomas John Manglona, Lao Zhang, Norman Tanghal and James Sablan of Marianas Variety as well as the race officials, volunteers and support staff for another successful event.
As part of the National Diabetes Month observance, Run Saipan and Northern Marianas Athletics joined the health coalition of Marianas Health, CHCC, Life in the Sun, the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, the Pickleball Federation of the NMI and Northern Marianas College in activities that aim to combat diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.
The events include a health walk, pickleball and running clinics, the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa 5K and the Turkey Trot.
The top three winners of the armed forces category pose for a photo during the awards ceremony of Run Saipan’s Veterans Day 5K 2024 at Micro Beach Monday morning.
Participants pose for a group photo at the conclusion of Run Saipan’s Veterans Day 5K 2024 at Micro Beach Monday morning.
A runner holding the U.S. flag and two other participants approach the finish line of Run Saipan’s Veterans Day 5K 2024 at Micro Beach Monday morning.
James Munnis finishes first in the veterans category of Run Saipan’s Veterans Day 5K 2024 at Micro Beach Monday morning.
