Longboat’s Inspiration Continues

Even though he won the Boston Marathon nearly 100 years ago, Tom Longboat continues to inspire Six Nations runners in Ontario. A new pilot project came to a successful conclusion in February, which evaluated the progress of 26 youths over the course of an 11-week period. The program was adapted from a Running Room Learn-to-Run clinic and designed specifically for children aged nine to 14. The emphasis of the program was to build confidence, endurance and strength without encountering injury.

The project also incorporated a weekly discussion about the history of Aboriginals in sport, which included Longboat’s period of marathoning dominance and various other successes at the Olympic Games. The combination of inspirational stories, discussions about healthy eating strategies and the 11-week running program delivered impressive results. The group went from running a one-mile time trial in the 50th percentile to the 75th percentile by the end of the program.

The project began last March by the non-profit Sport Matters Group. Running Room then offered its help, providing trainers. Nike chipped in by outfitting the runners through their N7 program, an Aboriginal outreach initiative. “Everyone involved wanted to give these kids the training to experience the thrill of a race and feel good about themselves,” says Chris Jones of the Sport Matters Group.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation also helped fund the project. Programs such as this could have a significant impact upon the health of the Six Nations community. A 2010 survey by the First Nations Information Governance Centre revealed that Aboriginal youth are not getting adequate access to healthy living programs.– Michael Doyle