Sun Runner finds grace in physical activity
Exercise helps her deal with past hardships
Barby Skaling's life began to turn around when she began making healthier choices. One of these choices was to join a Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival team.
The training included weights, time trials in the boat and running.
“It was intense,” she said. “I hated running. I'm not fast.” Then she saw the Sun Run on TV. “I wanted to experience this amazing-looking event. It looked like a fun thing to try running with a big crowd.”
She began participating in the Sun Run in the late 1980s. At the time, she was a single mom working at Vancouver General Hospital. She didn't know anybody else who was running in the race. “I just registered and ran with the crowd.”
She has been participating in the Sun Run ever since, off and on while still living in Vancouver, and consistently since 2006, when she moved to Prince George. Skaling, who is part of the Gitxsan Wet'suwet'en Nation, is originally from Moricetown, B.C. (Kyah Wiget), about 41/2 hours northeast of Prince George.
Prior to enlisting in the Dragon Boat Festival and Sun Run, Skaling was a substance user.
“I faced addictions,” she said. “I was broken. I didn't have any feelings of self-worth and did not care about myself in many ways.”
She now works with Carrier Sekani Family Services.
For the last 14 years, she has been part of the Indigenous RunWalkWheel Sun Run team. The Indigenous RunWalkWheel is a program administered by Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council, or ISPARC. Since 2006, ISPARC has delivered annual Healthy Living Leader Training Sessions in Indigenous communities.
The sessions include workshops for both Indigenous RunWalkWheel and Honour Your Health Challenge programs and are designed to build leadership capacity and promote healthy living.
“The Indigenous RunWalkWheel encourages our leaders and participants to build their fitness levels to prepare for a five or 10K walk or run,” said Susan Meier, the provincial co-ordinator of the program.
The program grew out of Sun Run training clinics.
“When we began, everybody would train to do the Sun Run. We were the largest corporate team with about 500 participants coming from all over B.C. But it wasn't feasible to get everybody to Vancouver year after year, so we created new events in communities.”
For many of the communities reached by ISPARC, the pandemic hit hard.
“It was difficult for leaders to get out there,” Meier said. “But they were resourceful. They went online, connecting through Zoom to encourage our participants to still do their run-walks and share through social media.”
About 100 people in the Indigenous RunWalkWheel program participated in last year's virtual run. This year, 125 people are registered across the province, as well as those signed up with groups or schools or bands. She figures about 90 will do the Sun Run in-person.
“We'll be wearing our red RunWalkWheel bandanas. We used to have a sea of bandanas.”
After taking part in last year's virtual edition, Skaling is looking forward to doing the Sun Run in person again.
“I'm trying hard to talk my husband into doing the walk, but I haven't got there yet.”
She usually comes down with the Carrier Sekani team by car or plane. There are about 20 people in the team, she says.
“I love training along with my co-workers,” Skaling said.
“This really brings us together and we are closer in our work relationship and have created lifetime friendships.”
As the person on the team with the most experience, she feels responsible for encouraging others.
“When Carrier Sekani had their own leader. We had another team.”
“I'm always there, whether I have a bad cold or injured myself falling, I still show up,” she said. “I believe I am an inspiration to my team.”
She just turned 71.
She is not a fair-weather runner, either.
“The worst cold that I ran in was minus-26. My eyelids were almost icicles, my hair was frosty from the cold. I don't think that I've ever stayed in because it was cold. I find that it's very refreshing if you bundle up and keep yourself warm. Running keeps you warm as well.”
She credits her physical activity, including hiking, skiing, cycling, and running, with helping her overcome hardship.
“With all my childhood trauma and physical abuses, I always go back to my exercise,” she said. “Everything in that realm has been my saving grace."