Hopi Runner, Caroline “Kadoo” Sekaquaptewa completed the Boston Marathon.

On April 18, 2016, the 26.2 mile Boston Marathon was held under a warm, sunny sky with thousands of participants including indigenous runners from the North and South America – Hopi, Raramuri, and other tribes. The Hopi Tribe was represented by Caroline Sekaquaptewa, Sipaulovi Village who placed number 781 with a time of 3:21:00.

The Boston marathon week started off with a conference at Harvard University titled “Native American Running: Culture, Health, Sport” to highlight the poorly known history of Native American running traditions. Many sports like soccer, lacrosse, and sledding have their origins in Native American games. The Raramuri and Tarahumara of Mexico and South American are known for their long distance ball races.

Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota) said he started running “to heal a broken soul”. Oren Lyons (Onondaga) said running is a gift. “The life we have is…