It was Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30, 2021, and over 600 runners came together in Edmonton for the Orange Shirt Day Run/Walk. Along the trails, there was a sea of orange, teepees at the starting line and wooden medals at the finish line.
Anita Cardinal, Edmonton-based Nêhiyaw (Cree) ultra-trail runner, race director, lawyer, and founder of the Indigenous Runners Red Trail Running, pictured above, remembers the organization’s first Orange Shirt Day Run/Walk. “I’ve never seen that before. I think I sat and cried for a week. It was so healing to bring our community together, to honour, remember, and learn.”
Cardinal has always been a runner. She founded Indigenous Runners Red Trail Running five years ago to include more Indigenous people in the sport. Cardinal says that the racing environment initially did not feel like a welcoming space to her. After her first race in her early 30s, she began to realize the real lack of Indigenous people at the start lines. “It was a lonely place, because I didn’t see very many people who looked like me,” she says. “I think that’s what attracted me to ultra running. If I’m going to be alone, I might as well be alone, right?”
Cardinal’s organization combats this sense of loneliness by fostering an inclusive, safe community for Indigenous runners. At the 60th annual Calgary Marathon in May, a team of Indigenous runners joined to run together. Cardinal says they wore their running ribbon skirts and shirts. “We stood proud and together in unity, in ceremony, and in healing,” Cardinal says.
Cardinal is not alone in noticing the limited representation of BIPOC individuals in the running space. Crossing Lines, a grassroots collective founded this year, specifically advocates for the representation of BIPOC people in the ultra-running community. Matthew Geofroy, one of four founding members of Crossing Lines, noticed a lack of people of colour at the starting lines of Ultra races.
“Until you see someone who looks like you doing something, you are not necessarily sure you can do it,” Geofroy says, pointing out the necessity of their organization’s work.
Not only is Crossing Lines about crossing colour lines, it is also about crossing the start line. Kortnee Borden, a founding member of the group, says, “When it comes to ultras, you may not finish. Just crossing the start line is a big accomplishment in itself.”
Crossing Lines encourages BIPOC individuals to join the ultra-running community by removing some of the barriers associated with the sport. They provide resources like customized coaching plans, knowledge sharing sessions and financial assistance for registration fees, demonstrating their support for their budding community. This month, Crossing Lines will hold its inaugural event in Michigan by racing in Run Woodstock.
In Toronto, twins Alex and Vince Huynh saw the missing representation of Asian Canadians in the running space. Vince felt this starkly after participating in a number of run clubs. “It’s 2024. It was a bit of a shocker that the running community did not have that space for Asians,” Vince says.
Alex and Vince launched the Asian Toronto Running Club in April to promote a diverse and inclusive community for every runner, regardless of their background or fitness level. “We want to ensure that BIPOC individuals feel seen and valued,” Alex says. The group is already one of the fastest growing run clubs in Toronto, with over 150 active members. They encourage Toronto runners to join their community.
In October, the Asian Toronto Running Club will be running the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. They look forward to representing Toronto’s Asian communities at the start line.
The Ultra Black Wellness Society, known on Instagram as Team Ultra Black, also promotes diversity within Toronto’s running scene. Growing up after moving to Canada as a refugee at age six, co-founder Diana Anyim says she did not spend much time with her parents as a child, as they were busy with work and education, but they were adamant about her playing sports.
She says, “Being part of a team teaches you to have personal goals but also understand the value of support and unity.” Anyim brought the values of wellness and community into the organization. “We’re a group of Black athletes, who encourage each other and our peers to prioritize their wellness,” she says.
A registered non-profit, the organization launched in 2023 with an ultra-relay marathon from Toronto to Montreal. Now, their goal is to run an Ultra group relay or complete a group challenge every year. Once runners join Team Ultra Black, they are not alone in their training. “We are a community, and we value the growth of one another,” Anyim says.
Anyim calls for more inclusion in Canada’s running world. “It’s important for everyone to see people who look like them, in various spaces, including running,” Anyim says. “Our goal is to create a collective of inspiring Black wellness advocates to be ambassadors of positive change in our communities.”
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