SIX NATIONS – The Third Annual Zombie Run, one of the most awaited for festivities of the season, commenced on Sunday, October 30 with runners and zombies taking over Chiefswood Park.
New additions to this year’s event included an obstacle bouncy castle and two spooky pavilions decorated by supporting businesses for runners and zombies to enjoy. But it isn’t the course alone that has changed.
Artie Martin, one of the Zombie Run co-ordinators, said that this year’s focus for the donations and funds is the Haudenosaunee Camp in Standing Rock, U.S.
“Coming up with the reason for this event this year was kind of hard for me, I didn’t see any [individual] in dire need of help,” said Martin, who has been helping to organize the event every year since it began. “But when stuff started getting crazy at Standing Rock, my friend Harv was down there. Harv, Shilo, Wes and Harv’s wife Brandy; they went down there and so many things were going on,” he said.
Martin explained that he would receive messages from Harv explaining how much the camp could use help. This prompted Martin to focus this year’s run towards both awareness and to send the donations to the Haudenosaunee Camp in Standing Rock. This years run raked in a whopping $2670.
“I know they’ll put this money to good use. I feel good,” he said, including that he is very thankful for the help from all directions. “There’s been a lot of help from the community,” he said. “They see the need. People want to help and so they’re helping and doing what they can do to support.”
Current reigning Miss Six Nations Shauna Clause said she “was filled with such pride and love” for her community and it’s members as she attended the event from start to finish.
“I was amazed with how many of our youth I saw participating in this event,” said Clause. “It was so great to witness and be a part of all of the hard work that is being done by community members to support the water protectors in Standing Rock,” she said.
Clause said that she knows many here in Six Nations would love to support Standing Rock and physically be there but, the majority cannot.
“This event was a great way to show our support from here at home and I am very proud to have been apart of it,” she said. “Nya:weh to the Zombie Walk/Run organizers, the participants and all other supporters for such an awesome event.”
Aside from the serious and emotional value of the event: congratulations goes to Neveah Maracle for running the five kilometre course first in 33 minutes and winning a zombie t-shirt and six month membership to Tiger and Dragon Martial Arts. Hatyes Whitlow fundraised the most donations and won a Six Nations Health Promotions basket, and Travis Skye won a Zombie Run t-shirt for being “everyone’s favourite zombie”.