Kristian Jamieson is a 24-year-old elite Indigenous marathon runner from Six Nations of the Grand River reserve outside Brantford, Ont., with running royalty in his genes.
The great-great-grandson of running legend Tom Longboat – the residential school survivor who won the Boston Marathon in 1907 – Mr. Jamieson will line up next Monday in Boston, hoping to channel the Canadian sports icon on the world’s most famous course.
“Following in his footsteps and continuing his story makes me feel alive and like I’m going towards something purposeful,” said Mr. Jamieson, who recently ran a 2:39 marathon in practice near his home in London, Ont. He would need to finish Boston under 2:24 to beat his ancestor’s winning time.
One of the most famous athletes of his generation (and the subject of a Heritage Minute profile), Tom Longboat followed his Boston win by competing for Canada at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, where he collapsed before the finish line from exhaustion. Despite the loss, he went on to win other international races. He joined the military in 1916, where he was a messenger for the Canadian Armed Forces in France and Belgium.
Tom Longboat with a strong lead in a 1921 race at Hanlan’s Point in Toronto.Turofsky/Supplied
“When I’m running long distances and want to quit, I remember this superhero of a man is in my bloodline,” Mr. Jamieson said. “I’ll never be as great of a runner as him, but knowing who he is, and who I am adds fuel to the fire and keeps the dream alive.”
Mr. Jamieson’s dream extends beyond running. Growing up on the Six Nations reserve, a community of more than 25,000 without many health care necessities, he didn’t see a dentist until he was seven years old, by which point cavities had affected most of his teeth.
Now a third-year student at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University, he hopes to return home and improve dental care in his community.
“The first time I saw a dentist was terrifying – lots of kids with bad teeth screaming and crying,” Mr. Jamieson recalled.
But when he finally found a dentist in Niagara Falls, the calmness he felt under the hand of a skilled technician was eye-opening and profound.
“I knew I wanted to provide the same feeling and care to other Indigenous people because First Nation communities suffer from systemic diseases like obesity and diabetes, which affect gums and teeth, and increases risk of gum disease, gingivitis and your bones breaking down.”
Mr. Jamieson’s cousin, Cindy Martin, lives on the Six Nations reserve in Ohsweken, Ont., 30 kilometres south of Hamilton. She said Mr. Jamieson faced challenges growing up on the reserve, including instability at home and struggles in school. Ms. Martin believes his rise – along with his decision to avoid alcohol, cigarettes and drugs – makes him someone the community not only roots for but needs.
“Native people across North America need to know that we have runners following in their hero’s footsteps,” said Ms. Martin, 53, who is undergoing cancer treatment and will follow the race from home.
Tom Longboat with trophies in 1907.Charles A. Aylett/Library and Archives Canada
Ms. Martin has held an annual Longboat run for more than 20 years in Ohsweken and plans a race this June honouring Bill Davis, a Six Nations Mohawk marathon champion and Mr. Longboat’s mentor.
“I admire Kristian, and think it’s wonderful and inspirational that we have a great new marathon runner named Longboat – it’s about time.”
Time, and how to traverse it over 42 kilometres quickly, is nearly all Mr. Jamieson has been thinking about as race day approaches. He knows he’ll need to average 3:25 per kilometre to run 2:24:30 on a course known for unforgiving hills and unpredictable weather. But he has a strategy for when the race tests him: remember what he has survived, how he got here and who he is.
“I think of Tom when I’m running, think of myself as a little kid, and ask: What are you fighting for? Growing up wasn’t easy for me. This marathon is hard, but parts of your childhood were harder, and if you can get through that, you can get through this – you’re not going to stop because you’re a fighter,” said Mr. Jamieson, whose tattoos read “Forgiven” and “Chosen” on either side of his neck.
“Running is so good for those things: You learn to persevere, talk to yourself and learn how to calm and control your mind down and battle it out, and another thing that helps is smiling – when it sucks, you force yourself to smile.”
Mr. Jamieson’s coach is Derek Silva, a sociology professor at Western University who met Mr. Jamieson at Hamilton’s Around the Bay road race when the young runner whizzed past him. (Tom Longboat won the race in 1906; last year, Mr. Jamieson finished 17th.)
Mr. Silva said his eager protégé is susceptible to over-use injuries: “He pushes a little too much.” However, the coach also believes that Mr. Jamieson has the potential to lower his great-great-grandfather’s marathon record (the current Canadian men’s marathon record is 2:05:36, held by Cam Levins from Vancouver Island).
“2:24, I think, that’s almost the floor of his potential in the next couple of years because he’s so tenacious,” Mr. Silva said. “He not only wants to soak up information, he wants to go out and perform.”
Regardless of what happens in Boston, Mr. Jamieson knows he’s running for much more than fast times and acclaim.
Reunited with both parents, he said he has found intentionality in running and in Tom Longboat’s nearly mythical example.
It’s this credo, he said, along with his Christian faith, that helps him make good choices, such as attending dentistry school, eating cleanly and living a straight-edge lifestyle. A close follower of Indigenous affairs, he wants to bring Tom Longboat’s legacy back to Canadian reserves and inspire the next generation of Indigenous children.
“One thing about Longboat that stood out to me is that he always stayed true to himself,” Mr. Jamieson said. “He didn’t let other people influence him or get in his way, and that’s what I try to live by. I tell people when I return home to Six Nations, never give up on your dreams.”