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October 24, 2011

Art Contest For a New Mascot at U. Of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Filed under: Education,News Alerts,Sports — Tags: Basketball, College News, Culture, Football, Hockey, Lacrosse, Mascot, Track & Field — ICTMN Staff @ 5:30 pm

Students For a NEW Mascot, a new registered student organization on the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana campus, is gaining traction and attention. It’s important to note that these students are not concerned with the retired “Chief Illiniwek” mascot that has been the subject of so much controversy in the past. The Students For a New Mascot are moving beyond the Chief; their goal is to fill the void of a lack of an official mascot.

The group has begun to solicit artistic submissions from the campus and surrounding Champaign-Urbana community. Artistic submissions will be screened for compliance with NCAA guidelines by members of the group, and the top 5 posted on a dedicated website for anyone to vote for via an online ballot. The group will then petition the University of Illinois administration to officially adopt the new mascot.

What’s interesting is this group doesn’t seem to in total agreement with the school that the Chief mascot was, at best, thoughtless, and at worst, racist.

“Although some of us feel the past “Chief Illiniwek” mascot was appropriate and respectful, and some of us do not; we all agree that a new mascot would be a positive move forward. Additionally, we feel the loss of income for the University of Illinois due to lack of a popular mascot is especially problematic in the current economic climate,” the group states on their website.

“The NCAA has banned the Chief mascot; they are not allowing us to reinstate it. I and everyone else has their opinions on that situation, but what really matters right now is we don’t have a mascot. What better way to get a new one than to empower the students to come up with it?” said the organization president Thomas Ferrarell in a press release.

Their promotional efforts include selling popcorn balls and registering students into the official University of Illinois organization data base at a tent in front of the Illini Union Monday, October 24^th through Friday, October 28^th. Contest guidelines, entry forms and the web-site address will be made public in the next couple of weeks and the group plans to have all of the submissions in and votes tallied in time to announce the new mascot on Valentine’s Day.

There is little doubt that at this point they’ll select a mascot that isn’t offensive to millions of American Indians, and instead choose one that does the required job of any mascot: give school spirit a name and a face, just not one that generalizes any person, tribe, or nation.

Perhaps you’re a student at University of Champaign-Urbana, Illionis, and you have a mascot idea? If so, here is the contact information for the organizers:

Contact:
Thomas Ferrarell
Students for a NEW Mascot – President
847-393-3983
tjferrarell@gmail.com

Contact:
Karen Sixkiller
Students for a NEW Mascot – Treasurer
217-722-9145
karen6killer@gmail.com

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October 10, 2012

Chinle Educator Named 2012 Monsanto Fund Rural Teacher of the Year

Filed under: Education,Genealogy,Navajo Nation,News Alerts,Sports — Tags: American Indian History, Boarding Schools, Chinle, College News, Culture, Educator Spotlight, Educators, Native American Education, Native American students, Northern Arizona University, Running, Track & Field — ICTMN Staff @ 8:00 pm

Chinle High School teacher Shaun Martin running.

Shaun Martin has known since he was 12 that he wanted to be a teacher and now his efforts are being recognized. First as Arizona’s Rural Teacher of the Year for 2011 by the Arizona Rural Schools Association and now as the 2012 Monsanto Fund Rural Teacher of the Year by the National Rural Education Association (NREA).

“He’s a very inspirational person to everyone he meets,” NREA Executive Director John Hill told Indian Country Today Media Network when asked why Martin was chosen.

“We nominated Mr. Martin for one reason, he embodies the spirit and qualities of a leader,” Dough Clauschee, Chinle High School principal, said. “His foundational belief system surrounds the Navajo culture and his actions reflect that of a caring adult to our students. He has demonstrated that he believes in a healthy mind, body and spirit, and he sends this message out to the students through his teaching, coaching and running.”

And running is something Martin started doing with his father when he was just 4 years old. “I never questioned why I had to run every morning at such a young age, I just ran,” Martin said in his biography. “One summer morning after the run, before fifth grade, my father told me why we ran. ‘As a Navajo man, you must use running to prepare yourself for the future. Running will strengthen your spirit, strengthen your mind to deal with any type of hardship and keep your body healthy for a positive life ahead. Running in the morning to meet the sun and holy people is how we celebrate life, it’s how we pray and it’s a mentor to teach us about life.’”

Martin’s father, Allen, spent his childhood running away from boarding schools until he was shipped off to a program in Utah to finish high school where he was too far from home to run away. It was there that Allen learned how to live in both worlds.

“They cut all his hair off and made him conform to ‘their’ way of life,” Martin said. “Being born and raised near the north rim of the Grand Canyon, he was a free spirit. He was taught to live like the generations of Navajo people before him. The boarding school could not make him forget his past nor lock him in… My father used distance running as a catalyst to teach me all he knew from both worlds so I would not have the same hardships.”

Martin focused on school so he could accomplish his goal of becoming a teacher. During his senior year of high school Martin was recruited at a Division I university and got an academic scholarship from the Navajo Nation. He attended Northern Arizona University (NAU) and decided to major in health promotions for school and never looked back.

He graduated from NAU in 2004 and was hired at Chinle High School to teach freshman physical education and to coach cross-country and track and field.

“It was everything I envisioned as a seventh-grade boy,” Martin said in his bio. “I was a student all my life, with a flick of a switch, I was now the teacher. I was now the coach. I was now the role model.

“I vowed to teach the most valuable trait I learned in my lifetime, the trait of turning negative into positive. No matter how bad a situation may become, you have to find a positive.”

And he’s done well, as Clauschee says he’s a positive role model for all the students at Chinle, especially the male students.

“He provides a solid foundation for males to believe in themselves thereby giving them some much needed support,” Clauschee said. “The students’ smiles and attention on him only proves they have that rapport with him and he provides that much needed partnership, parental support, and teaching that every student deserves. He is our teacher of the year, but much more—our friend, colleague, and daily reminder of what we all need to be.”

The Monsanto Fund award comes with a $2,000 honorarium for Martin and $1,000 for his school district to purchase instructional materials and supplies.

Martin will be honored at the NREA Annual Convention October 11 to 14 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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November 7, 2011

Indigenous Sights from the 2011 New York City Marathon

Filed under: News Alerts,Sports,World News — Tags: Culture, Indigenous, Track & Field — ICTMN Staff @ 7:45 pm

It was a gloriously beautiful day for the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6th. One of the greatest days of the year in New York (you will not find another day in the year where strangers are as kind, and supportive, of each other as you will during the marathon) is also an opportunity for the city to celebrate it’s many nationalities and heritages, including indigenous people who come from far away to compete, or who live in the city and come out to support the runners.

No indigenous group traveled farther to compete in the NYC Marathon then the Australian runners who made up the Indigenous Marathon Project. All 11 of former world champion marathon runner Rob de Castella’s Indigenous Marathon Project runners completed the marathon yesterday, coming from some of the most remote communities in Australia to compete in one of the world’s largest marathons.

Supported by the Australian Government, De Castella’s nonprofit SmartStart for Kids established the Indigenous Marathon Project in 2009. As Running Times Magazine reported, the former marathon world record-holder and four-time Olympian launched the Marathon Project to discover and develop distance runners from the indigenous population of Australia. De Castella lists one of his ultimate goals as having a indigenous marathon runner on the Australian Olympic Team, hopefully as soon as 2016.

Much like Notah Begay’s efforts to promote healthy lifestyles in Indian Country here in the states, De Castella’s project’s aim is foster the same kind of healthy living amongst indigenous Australians, who suffer from a similar disproportionate rate of diabetes, drug and alcohol abuse amongst their communities as American Indians do in the United States.

“The difference in life expectancy between white Australians and indigenous Australians is about 15 years, and that’s just a disgrace,” Castella told Running Times Magazine, “There is so much poverty and social unrest and drugs and violence and social dysfunction in the indigenous communities, and we as a nation have to do something. And I really think running, and especially the marathon, has the capacity to change lives.”

In yesterday’s marathon, all eleven of his runners completed the grueling 26.2 miles, an impressive feat for anyone. This year’s team included four women. The runners were Nadine Hunt, Bianca Graham, Bridgette Williams, Sam Shepherd, Arian Pearson, Patrick Keain, Reggie Smith, Nathan Sutherland, Michael Purcell, Kiwa Schilling and Caine Schofield. Here’s a shot of the team:

Indigenous Marathon Project team 270x180 Indigenous Sights from the 2011 New York City Marathon

Indigenous Marathon Project team from Australia

Along the marathon course, you’ll hear many languages—Spanish, Japanese, French, Hindi…the list is extremely long. It’s a day where New York gets to celebrate its incredibly diversity. Here’s runner John de Guzman, who completed the marathon wearing this headdress:

Screen shot 2011 11 07 at 12.26.18 PM 270x214 Indigenous Sights from the 2011 New York City Marathon

John De Guzman in headdress

For a sense of the scope of the marathon, here’s a shot from above the Verrazano Bridge, which connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn, and where the marathon begins.

Marathon View from Above 270x179 Indigenous Sights from the 2011 New York City Marathon

Marathon View from Above the Verrazano Bridge

Here is a man carrying the Chilean flag, and carrying some extra weight in the form of his running atire.

Marathon Chilean runner 270x179 Indigenous Sights from the 2011 New York City Marathon

Chilean man carries flag

Thousands of people run to raise money for charities. Here’s a runner who Notah Begay III would find much in common with.

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January 5, 2012

Meet 10-Year-Old Xavier Guillory, Nez Perce Track and Field Star

Filed under: News Alerts,Sports — Tags: Culture, Track & Field, Track and Field — ICTMN Staff @ 6:30 pm

Xavier Guillory returned from the National Track and Field Championships held in Wichita, Kansas last summer with a medal in the 800 meter finals with a 7^th place finish in a field of 45 runners. He also finished 13^th in the 400 meters out of a field of 38 of the best runners in the nation in his age bracket. The top eight finishers in each event won medals.

Xavier is an enrolled Nez Perce tribal member and the son of Raphael and Gloria Guillory, both Nez Perce tribal members who now live in Spokane. His dad, Dr. Raphael Guillory, is a professor at Eastern Washington University (E.W.U.), his alma mater. The Guillory’s have five youngsters and Xavier, at 10, is the middle of their five youngsters and the only boy in the family.

“Xavier is one of the fastest kids in the country,” his dad comments. That likely comes both from excellent coaching and family genetics. His dad played at Lapwai High School on the reservation when they won 76 straight basketball games and took State three straight years. He went on to start at free safety on the E.W.U. football team which won the Big Sky championship.

Xavier’s granddad played football at the University of Idaho, then turned pro with the Dallas Cowboys till a knee injury ended his career in pre-season.

Gloria was also an athlete, playing three sports at Lapwai and being named All-State honorable mention in basketball.

That inheritance, combined with excellent coaching at the Spokane Mercury Track Club, probably combines for Xavier’s success. But his favorite sport? “It’s football,” he exclaims.

“You’ll always see him with a football in his hands,” his dad says.

Xavier is looking forward to the Nationals again next summer which will be held in Baltimore. “I want to run the 200, 400, and 800 meters,” he says. He just barely missed qualifying for the 200 at regionals this year but says, “I think I can get in at the 200 next year.”

He’s also an excellent student. “We heavily emphasize the education end,” his dad says. “I think the academic side is the more important.” Good advice for all young athletes.

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April 6, 2012

Micah True’s Death may Have Ripple Effect for Rarámuri Indians

Filed under: Health & Wellness,News Alerts,Sports — Tags: Culture, Mexico, Micah True, Rarámuri, Track & Field, Track and Field — ICTMN Staff @ 5:00 pm

The cause of death for Micha True, the ultrarunner who’s body was found last Saturday along a mountain stream in a remote part of the Gila Wilderness, is still uncertain. Preliminary results of True’s autopsy have yet to be released, and the only thing examiners have said thus far is there were no obvious signs of trauma for the 58-year old.

What is starting to look less uncertain, however, is the potentially negative affect True’s death will have on his Copper Canyon Ultramarathon, the proceeds of which benefited the community of indigenous people who live in the Chihuahua region of Mexico, the Tarahumara (known as the Rarámuri) Indians. The race also helped to keep alive the Rarámuri’s ancient running culture by setting up both the Ultramarathon as well as smaller races throughout the community. The international attention brought to the Rarámuri provided funds for maize, seed corn, and cash-awards for participating Rarámuri runers (men and women alike). In 2009, more than 200 indigenous runners participated in the race.

As we reported earlier, True was the race director of the Copper Canyon Ultramarathon, and was an inspirational figure for the locals as well as those who often traveled great distances to take part in the races. True spent much of his year living among the Rarámuri.

The grueling 50-mile race through the unforgiving terrain of the canyon includes dirt roads, rivers, a climb of 9,300 feet both up and down into the deep canyon. The Rarármuri are renown for their long-distance running ability. Sports Illustrated reported on Monday about True’s death clouding the future of this proud race he helped create, and the incredible ability of the Rarámuri:

“For True, the Copper Canyon race was just as much of a celebration of the simple act of running as it was a chance to help feed the Tarahumara. True would travel back to Boulder, Colo., where he would move furniture and do other odd jobs for a few months to raise money to purchase tons of corn for the participants. The local government eventually began matching his contributions, and this year, prizes of corn and food vouchers were awarded to every finisher. For some, the race can take six hours.”

Chris McDougall, author of the 2009 Born to Run, in which True was immortalized as the runner Caballo Blanco, told Sports Illustrated that True understood there was “some really powerful, ancient wisdom still alive down in the canyons.” Telling SI that while some might view the Rarámuri as antiquated and quaint, McDougall pointed out that their settlements aren’t plagued by “violent crime, heart disease and cancer are unheard of and being active deep into old age is commonplace.”

“What Caballo realized was you could say whatever you want about that kind of a culture, but the fact is they have conquered many things that are defeating the rest of us,” McDougall told SI.

So what can be done to save the race that True dedicated his life to? True’s friend and fellow Copper Canyon guide, Evan Ravitz, reached out to Indian Country Today Media Network to share with us how people can help keeping the ultramarathon, and the support it provides the Rarámuri, alive:

Micah True (AKA Caballo Blanco), an old friend and fellow Copper Canyon guide, started both the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon and Norawas (“friends”) to benefit the Rarámuri Indians who are among the best distance runners on earth. His race introduced hundreds of international runners to Mexican Indian ways and a better way to run -and live.

The Raramuri are barely surviving the worst drought in Mexican history (which now extends into the U.S.), the drug war, the World Bank’s timber projects, and NAFTA. Micah died last week on a run in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. It’s unclear whether the race will continue, so donations to www.norawas.org are urgently needed to buy corn and other crucial staples for the Raramuri.

The Associated Press reports that there is a memorial run today in True’s honor in Boulder, Colorado. A one-hour run will take place today at Chautaqua Park, followed by a memorial at 6 p.m.

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January 14, 2012

Navajo Craig Curley Juggles Work and Training for Olympic Marathon Trials

Filed under: Business,Health & Wellness,Navajo,News Alerts,Sports — Tags: 2012 Summer Olympics, American Indian Runner, Craig Curley, Culture, Headline News, Healing, Health Events, Health Tips, Houston, London, Long Distance Runner, Marathon, Navajo Runner, News, Nideiltihi Native Elite Runners, Olympic Marathon Trials, Track & Field — ICTMN Staff @ 11:01 am

This morning, Craig Curley, a Navajo long distance runner from Kinlichee, Arizona (near Ganado), will compete in the Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, Texas with the country’s elite.

The three men and women first to cross the finish line with qualifying “A” standard times for the trials will represent the United States in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, held July through August 2012.

Curley hopes his years of training and dedication will pay off today. In preparation for the trials, Curley ran “doubles”—once in the morning and once in the evening—nearly daily. “My running template of my day tends to be splitting my running into one run in the morning and one run in the evening. I do this mostly because I like running on different surfaces outside. Two a days enables me to cover as much ground on various trails, roads and sometimes the track, and Southern Arizona offers some amazing trails.”

CraigCurley Navajo Craig Curley Juggles Work and Training for Olympic Marathon Trials

Craig Curley (Courtesy of NNER)

And Curley doesn’t stop there. “I also put in time at the gym for core strength and strength training. I use free weights or the medicine ball and concentrate on fixing any muscle imbalances. This type of cross training acts as a precautionary excercise to keep injuries at bay.”

Juggling his running regimen with his part-time work schedule has been no easy feat. “I have a funky schedule most days because I work part time and I pick up any extra hours when my job requires some extra help,” Curley told Runners Feed.

Luckily for Curley, the work environment is conducive to his lifestyle and goals. “I help people get fitted for running shoes and my coworkers are very supportive of my training,” Curley shared. “I appreciate having a job where I can get to know my community. The moral support I receive is very special.”

Additonal support comes from Nideiltihi Native Elite Runners (NNER), which sponsors American Indian distance runners in the Four Corners Region. NNNER “helps with the cost of travel to races, lodging and gym access,” Curley told Runners Feed. “More significantly this organization is geared toward helping the youth on the Navajo Reservation. NNER is one way I keep in touch with the my hometown and reach out to the community with my running.”

So what does this go-getter do to rejuvinate? “Other than that I pepper in all other hobbies on my downtime, which consists of watching a rerun episode of Rifleman or Man VS Wild and doing yard work because it relaxes me.”

Even though running has the potential to send Curley to the 2012 Olympics and powerfully impact his life, at the same time, it grounds him and keeps him connected to his Native roots.

“As a Native American, growing up I was shown how to value life and cherish the world that surrounds me. Even though this is a small part of the Native American Tradition and Culture, the mindset can be applied to running,” Curley said in an interview for NNER’s blog. “You run to care/cherish your body and in return you get the exercise that benefits you to live a healthy lifestyle. In addition, in the Tradition it says to pray in the morning when you run…however you can hear the complete sermon from a different source, but the teaching of the Tradition is there for youngsters to develop a sentimental connection to the natural world in hopes that the youngsters will learn to respect/value all the gifts of the world.”

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October 24, 2011

Nike N7 Helps American Indian and Aboriginal Youth Through Sport

Filed under: Canada,First Nations,Health,Health & Wellness,Inuit,M√©tis,Sports — Tags: Baseball, Basketball, Football, N7 Program, Nike, Pro Athletes, Seven Generations, Track & Field — ICTMN Staff @ 11:00 am

Begun in 2000, inspired by the Native wisdom of the Seven Generations, Nike’s N7 program is one of the premier national initiatives for keeping Native youth physically active. Supported through a portion of profits from sales of the N7 Collection, as well as by private donations, the program’s namesake fund has generated more than $1 million to help Native and aboriginal nonprofit groups provide access to sport for young people.

The ultimate goal? To spur these newly energized youth to act as catalysts for positive change in their communities.

As if that were not ambitious enough, the program also helps tribal sports teams flourish nationwide and in Canada. “Today in the U.S., 300-plus communities use N7 products to promote sport and physical activity,” says Sam McCracken, N7’s general manager and chairman of its board of directors.

Building N7 has been a transformative experience for McCracken, who grew up on the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Reservation in Poplar, Montana. He is quick to point out his “humble beginnings” at the athletic-footwear-and-apparel company: “I started in the distribution center.”

Almost immediately, though, McCracken seemed destined for greater heights. In June 1997, the same month he joined Nike, he was asked to take a volunteer role in leading one of the company’s several diversity programs—in this case, the Native American Employee Network. McCracken set about preparing a business plan to make athletic gear and sport more accessible to Native and aboriginal youth. His dedication paid off: Three years later, Nike promoted him to manager of Nike Native American Business, named N7 in 2007 with the launch of its first shoe, Nike Air Native N7.

“I took advantage of the opportunity Nike gave me, and it blossomed into Nike N7,” he says. “I always tell Native youth to look at the opportunities in front of them and take advantage of those.”

To create Nike Air Native N7, McCracken and his colleagues collaborated with the Indian Health Service to do foot scans to meet the specific fit and width requirements of the Native American foot. “That was the dawn of the logo, which has resonated into today.”

N7 collections have since evolved, featuring footwear and apparel in turquoise, black, red, yellow and other colors associated with Native culture. The holiday collection will be unveiled this fall at the National Congress of American Indians’ 68th Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon. And the Fall 2011 collection includes designs by artist Bunky Echo-Hawk, of the Pawnee Nation in Oklahoma and Yakama Nation in Washington. Among the items are graphic T-shirts featuring a traditional Native warrior holding a basketball in a strike pose.

Beyond encouraging Native youth to get up and move, the N7 program aims to decrease the disproportionate rates of obesity and diabetes among American Indian and aboriginal populations. It is a goal that has a special meaning for McCracken.

“My mother had type 2 diabetes,” he says. “While staying at her bedside, holding her hand as the Creator took her away, I knew I didn’t want other people to go through that experience. Here, I’m providing access to disease-prevention coordinators throughout the U.S. to empower them to do their jobs better.”

From the start, N7 has attracted a wide spectrum of supporters, including Native athletes who advocate for American Indian and aboriginal youth participation in sport. Going by the title of N7 Ambassadors, they include Jacoby Ellsbury, center fielder for the Boston Red Sox, and Sam Bradford, quarterback for the St. Louis Rams. Other prominent names are Navajo long-distance runner and hopeful 2012 Olympic marathoner Alvina Begay, and Northern Cheyenne, Eastern Shoshone, Pawnee and Sioux basketball star Tahnee Robinson.

For McCracken, the relationship has been most rewarding. “Most of these folks have come to us about being involved,” he says. “Alvina and Tahnee are great supporters of the vision, sharing what sport has done to elevate their lives.” Indeed, the general manager has found that the benefits work both ways: “I’m helping them fulfill some of their dreams and visions of giving back to the community where they grew up.”

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November 21, 2011

Red Cloud Athletes Qualify for National Cross-Country Meet

Filed under: Education,News Alerts,Sports — Tags: Culture, Native American students, Student Spotlight, Track & Field, Track and Field — ICTMN Staff @ 9:00 pm

Two Red Cloud High School athletes will join more than 3,000 other competitors in South Carolina on December 10 at the 2011 United States of America Track & Field Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championships.

To qualify for the national competition, sophomore Daniel Lucero and freshman Percival I’atala came in first and fifth respectively at the USATF Dakotas X-Country Championships held November 5 in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

“Now that we are heading to nationals, I know that we will be going up against some of the fiercest competition in the United States, but it is these kinds of meets that push me to do better,” Lucero said. “I am going to train as hard as I can.”

Lucero finished the Intermediate Division 5K run with a time of 18:22 and I’atala finished with a time of 23:26.

“It was a hard meet because it was really windy, so I’m glad we finished,” I’atala said. “I’ll be finding ways to increase my speed before South Carolina.”

They will be representing the Dakotas Region in the Intermediate Category, which includes youth born from 1995-1996.

Their coach at Red Cloud, Matt Rama, couldn’t be prouder of them. “It’s a tribute for these young runners to receive an opportunity like this, they worked hard all season long. I am proud of their dedication not only to Red Cloud, but to running and the spirit of the sport.”

The Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championships brings together youth from 16 regions to compete in six different age groups.

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February 26, 2012

Run Like the Rarámuri: Grueling UltraMarathon Helps Tarahumara Indians Through Turmoil

Filed under: Environment,News Alerts,Sports,Travel — Tags: Culture, Tarahumara Indians, Track & Field, Track and Field — ICTMN Staff @ 6:30 pm

Every March runners from across the world trek to the Copper Canyon in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico for a grueling endurance test–the UltraMarathon. The canyon is home to the Tarahumara Indians, also known as Rarámuri, who are renowned for their long-distance running ability and the basis of Christopher McDougall’s famous 2009 book Born to Run.

The UltraMarathon course follows a combination dirt road and single track trail beginning and ending in the plaza of the old town of Urique, running on rolling dirt road up and down the Urique river with diversions on single track trail up and down beautiful, lush arroyos. Described this way, the race sounds like a pleasant sightseeing jog. But that isn’t the case. Some might even say you need to be a little crazy to enter.

Runners must conquer a 50-mile race through the unforgiving terrain of the Copper Canyon, a remote and harsh landscape. The race consists of a 21-plus-mile loop up-river, followed by another 18-plus-mile loop down-river, then continues up-river again on rough dirt road out and back to the Tarahumara village of Guadalupe Coronado for another 10 miles, before ending in the plaza of the town of Urique. The estimated total climb is 9,300 feet, nearly two miles, in the deep canyon, with equal descent.

Run Like the Rarámuri: Grueling UltraMarathon Helps Tarahumara Indians Through Turmoil

A Tarahumara Indian running in Mexico's remote Copper Canyons

Ready to sign up?

Race director Micah True, famously depicted as extreme runner Caballo Blanco in Born to Run, gives the “ground rules” for the race on his website CaballoBlanco.com.

No set entry fee—[a donation]. No [Limited] aid —[actually, there is now plenty of aid!]. No course markings [There will be some at key junctions and we will all pre-walk the course the Thursday and Friday prior to the weekend]. No awards [but self-satisfaction]–The Rarámuri will win prize money, corn and beans. No commercial interests. [IF allowed, PLEASE give back and share the results with us]. No filming/photography without permission [which would require sharing the results with us and giving something back to the Rarámuri]. No wimps, whiners or weenies allowed [except the (race director)!] No expectations [but of beauty!]

Please realize that:

Here in the land of the Tarahumara ANYTHING is possible!

These days, however, that optimism is being tested. The Tarahumara are being hard-hit by one of the most severe droughts they have ever faced, which is causing food production in the region to drop to dangerously low levels. Many Tarahumara men, women, and children are now facing starvation. Record low temperatures have only made the situation worse. Relief organizations are mobilizing to provide urgently needed supplies.

One Heart World-Wide (OHW), a San Francisco based non-profit organization, is aiming to raise $20,000 to support the Tarahumara community during this critical moment. One Heart World-Wide currently works with the Tarahumara, implementing programs in maternal and child health. Because pregnant women, nursing mothers and infants are especially vulnerable to food-shortages, OHW immediately felt compelled to send aid. OHW is teaming up with FECHAC, a local partner in Mexico, who will be responsible for distributing aid to the affected families.

True sees the UltraMarathon as another way to help. In a recent interview with Running Times, he said (the race) “is an opportunity to help the Rarámuri help themselves. It’s about the old traditions of farming and the old traditions of running and for them to know that people respect those things. … Using our race as the main stage–with smaller races among the villages on a regular basis, with prizes of cash and corn, to encourage the young ones to run, and others to run again, to remember and re-realize what a good and positive thing it is.”

The prizes of corn and crop seeds are particularly important this year, and are generously awarded. True’s website explains. At the awards ceremony, “the Top 10 Rarámuri [Tarahumara runners] will be handed huge cash awards and notice of the award of mixed corn and beans to the various settlements of the top 10 runners. The corn/beans awards at the 2010 race turned out to be the value of 120,000 pounds of corn! The cash awards were over $11,000 dollars. All finishers after the top 10 will be awarded 500 pounds of corn. Any stateside runner that finishes in the winnings will have the opportunity to present his/her prize as korima [a gift/sharing] however he/she wants, to be given/shared with the finishing Rarámuri or towns-people.”

This year’s race will take place March 4. A pre-race donation of $150 or more will reserve a spot for a runner, and a post-race donation is always appreciated, based on what the individual participant can afford and what the value of the experience was to the runner, notes the website. For those who mayn’t be up to tackling the full UltraMarathon, shorter runs will also be staged, including 18-, 20- and 40-milers. Participants who donate receive a special “CLUB MAS LOCO” T-shirt.

Crazy never felt so good.

For further details on the UltraMarathon, including registration forms, plus a wealth of information on Copper Canyon, Caballo Blanco and the Tarahumara Indians, visit CaballoBlanco.com. McDougall’s book on the Tarahumara Indians, Born to Run, is available at Amazon.com and bookshops nationwide.

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August 24, 2012

Runners to Compete in Annual Turning Stone Races This Weekend

Filed under: Business,Gaming,Health & Wellness,News Alerts,Sports — Tags: Culture, Headline News, Health Events, News, Track & Field — ICTMN Staff @ 2:34 pm

In August 2011, the Oneida Indian Nation launched the inaugural Turning Stone Races. The event was so successful that this June the tribe announced a three year extension of the annual running event. The tribe is hosting the second annual Turning Stone Races this weekend, August 25-26. Races consist of a half marathon, a 10K, and a 5K run.

“The Turning Stone Races offer something for everyone from the long distance runner to those who prefer a shorter distance,” said John Mathews, marketing president of Eident Sports, which manages the race. “We’re very excited about our three year extension with Turning Stone Resort and the Oneida Indian Nation to host the event.”

All races start and finish on the grounds of the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, the heart of Central New York, and take runners on a picturesque journey through farmlands and wooded areas of Upstate New York. Nearly 120 individual prizes are up for grabs for men and women of various age brackets as well as wheelchair competitors. All finishers receive a medal for their participation.

To learn more about entry fees for each race—which includes hydration and fueling stations, medical support, baggage handling, security, and an official shirt—visit www.turningstoneraces.com. After each race, runners will receive refreshments and awards presentations.

Results will be posted immediately following the race, as well as on the resort’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Guests can stay for a discounted rate during Race Weekend with options between the luxurious The Lodge, comfort with a view at The Tower, classic lodging at The Hotel, modest comfort at The Inn, or recreational fun at The Villages RV Park.

Turning Stone also offers gifts to race runners—a “thank you” for participating in what the tribe anticipates becoming a premiere running event in Central New York. In their registration packets, runners will find coupons for free and discounted goods and services at Turning Stone Resort Casino and SavOn Stores. The coupons feature deals at SavOn Stores and Turning Stone Resort venues including retail shops, the Showroom, Season’s Harvest Buffet, the Corner Market, Sportsplex golf and tennis domes, and Ahsi Day Spa.

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