Today I was gifted with a profound experience i'd like to share.
In 2006 I joined a group of youth who had organized a relay run to start in Vancouver BC, and end in Anchorage AK. This run was named as a Prayer Run for World Peace. An eagle staff carrying such prayers would be run the length of this relay to end in Eklutna a Native community just outside of Anchorage. Each day of the run we would begin and end with ceremony. It was a very powerful run and changed how I would carry my body across the land as a runner, forever.
Today started out as just about any other day slowly getting my bearings and like everyday I smudged and prayed. Unlike most days however I knew I would be going for a long run which would likely be painful, being that it would be twice as long as any run i've done in the last several months. When I plan for a run like this, knowing I will suffer for much of it the prayers of that day always include asking that the suffering I choose for myself will take away from the suffering of so many others who suffer without choice. Also, as I wipe my legs down with an eagle feather carrying the smoke from the medicines; I carry a prayer to the eagles̓ spirit to watch over and provide strength for the people. As this is something that has always been done for me. And so I went for my run up the Bonaparte River, then up Hat Creek until I hit 90 mins, already feeling sore and tired, then turned around running back. And so the hurt began, every step on the pavement one step further than i've run in months. When things get really hard and I feel like walking I recite this prayer again, because the persistent pain in my legs and lower back and even arms is by choice. Trudging along my steps getting shorter, and arms driving me forward more than my legs it seems, I reach my cut off point allowing me a few minutes to walk home. A good run, very hard and very sore but satisfied. Then as I make my way home I look up, and sure enough there are 10 eagles soaring over the valley.
Righteous, nor any other word I know can begin to describe the power of living in a place your ancestors lived for thousands of generations. I have been here for 8 months only, yet I can already feel that my spirit is home. xwexwéyt.s ḱwesélkten
- Ryan Day
- Secwécwpemc-ken ri7(I am Shuswap), Chief, Economist, Distance Runner, and Secwepemc Health Researcher/Co-ordinator/Policy guy. I've run a 30:24-10k, 1:06:23-half, and 2:19:55-full marathon but am most proud of the World Peace Prayer Day '06 relay run to Anchorage from Vancouver I participated in. This blog is primarily about running but I will post photos of the many places I like go on the tmícw of my maternal ancestors, Secwépemcul'ecw.
