The 60th edition of the Servus Calgary Marathon was held on Sunday morning with 13,600 runners crossing the finish line. This year, marathon organizers invited an Indigenous running group to set up a tent at the finish line with members from several First Nations coming together to take part in the events. At 69 years old, Teresa Campiou is new to competing in half marathons but growing up in the Drift Pile Cree Nation ( ᒪᐦᑕᐦᑕᑲᐤ ᓯᐱᕀ mihtatakaw sîpîy) near Lesser Slave Lake, running was a part of life.
“We were quite a ways from all kinds of activities so we had to run,” recalled Campiou, who grew up working on her family farm. She crossed the finish line at the Servus Calgary Marathon on Sunday after running the half marathon. Campiou ran in her moccasins, as she usually does, and was wearing a ribbon skirt.
Story continues below advertisement She was also part of the Indigenous Runners’ Team at the Calgary Marathon. “While I’m running, I will call on my ancestors. I will communicate with my relatives who have passed on and it’s a way of bringing them closer to me without any interruption,” Campiou said.
The email you need for the day's top news stories from Canada and around the world. As she’s running, Campiou says she connects with her son, daughter and granddaughter, who have all passed away . More on Sports Hintz, Henrique both game-time decisions with Oilers looking to take 2-0 lead in WCF Goalie Stuart Skinner goes from pulled to.