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A.J. West holds Hawaiian-style Fun Run

Published 1:30 am Friday, May 15, 2026

By Ryan Sparks The Daily World

PHOTO BY RACHEAL ROSE Runners take off at the start of a Fun Run race at A.J. West Elementary School on Friday, May 8 in Aberdeen.
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PHOTO BY RACHEAL ROSE

Runners take off at the start of a Fun Run race at A.J. West Elementary School on Friday, May 8 in Aberdeen.

PHOTO BY RACHEAL ROSE Runners take off at the start of a Fun Run race at A.J. West Elementary School on Friday, May 8 in Aberdeen.
PHOTO BY RACHEAL ROSE Miller Junior High School runners race alongside A.J. West Elementary School competitors at a Hawaiian-themed Fun Run on Friday, May 8 in Aberdeen.
PHOTO BY RACHEAL ROSE Former A.J. West Elementary School teacher David Seymour, who started the Fun Run in the 1980s, cheers on participants during the 2026 iteration on Friday, May 8 in Aberdeen.
PHOTO BY RACHEAL ROSE Runners participate in the A.J. West Run Run on Friday, May 8 in Aberdeen.
SUBMITTED PHOTO A.J. West students await a turn in the driver’s seat of an Aberdeen Police vehicle while talking with Sergeant Brendan King ahead of the A.J. West Fun Run in Aberdeen.

Nearly 150 grade school students participated in the 5th Annual Fun Run at A.J. West Elementary School on Friday, May 8.

Funded by a grant from the Washington Education Association’s Chinook regional office, 148 runners navigated the approximate one-mile course, joined by several former alumni and current Miller Junior High School runners and cheered on by former teacher David Seymour, who originally started the event in the 1980s.

In the days leading up to the race, McGruff the Crime Dog and Aberdeen Police Sergeant Brendan King made a visit to the school, letting kids take turns sitting in an Aberdeen Police vehicle and turning on the siren.

The Aberdeen PD was represented during the race by officer Kyle Hoffman, who rode his bicycle with the runners.

After the Hawaiian-themed race, students were treated to a barbecue.

Two races — grades kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth grade — were featured at the event.

Fifth-grader Mateo Soria won the 3-5 race with a time of 7:26.5, the fastest time of the day.

Alan Cuatra-Silva won the K-2 race with a time of 8:26.9.

The top-10 runners in each race are as follows:

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Grades 3-5 (top 10)

1, Mateo Soria, 5th grade, 7:26.5. 2, Chris Ruiz-Lopez, 5th, 7:35.9. 3, Darwin Palacios, 5th, 7:40.9. 4, Joesselyn Chavez-Meraz, 5th, 8:02.0. 5, Harlow Stensgard, 5th, 8:25.9. 6, Brian Colburn, 4th, 8:31.9. 7, Josyah Hunter, 4th, 8:36.7. 8, Travis Nocita, 5th, 8:41.9. 9, Orlando Arce, 4th, 8:44.1. 10, Iker Sanchez, 3rd, 9:07.7.

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Grades K-2 (top 10)

1, Alan Cuatra-Silva, 1st grade, 8:26.9. 2, Vesuvius Tetzlaff, 2nd, 8:47.1. 3, Diego De Jesus Torres, 2nd, 9:00.6. 4, Liam Schlott, 1st, 9:19.9. 5, Hunter Veach, 2nd, 10:17.0. 6, Kendra Ayala, Kindergarten, 10:25.0. 7, Brandon Gomez-Ramirez, K, 10:29.3. 8, Mia Calles, 2nd, 10:48.7. 9, Alex Celaya, 1st, 10:57.1. 10, Santiago Padilla-Lopez, 2nd, 11:07.6.

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