Tom Longboat, a Canadian indigenous running hero celebrated at the Heritage Minutes

One of Canada’s greatest long-distance runners will be further honored at the Heritage Minutes on June 4, this year. Created by Historica Canada, Minutes is a program designed to help viewers learn and reflect on Canadian history. June 4th is celebrated in Ontario as follows: Tom longboat DayAnd a commemorative event is held annually by Six Nations to pay homage to him.

Longboat earned his first race, 5 miles, in 1906, from which his running career expanded. Onondaga’s long-distance runner was born in 1886 in the Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve near Brantford, Ontario.

The longboat was sent to a housing school in Brantford at an early age and fled twice before finding a home to settle with his relatives. His athletic ability began to increase his fame after his first victory in Caledonia. He continued to win the 1906 Around the Bay Road Race in Hamilton and won the Ward Marathon in Toronto between 1906 and 1908.

Longboat gained international respect when he won the Boston Marathon at the age of 19 in 1907. He broke the course record at the time for more than five minutes and won the race at 2:24:24. The longboat participated in the 1908 Olympic Marathon and suddenly collapsed near the finish. Shortly thereafter, he turned professional and became a world champion in 1909.

Onondaga runner Tom Longboat from the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario in 1907. The Longboat dominated the prestigious and lucrative world of long-distance running in the early 1900s and is one of the most famous Canadian athletes in history. #NationalIndigenousPeoplesDay pic.twitter.com/VAUnnzJzkr

— Old Canada Series (@oldcanadaseries) June 21, 2020

Despite facing racism and discrimination in his race, Longboat won almost every race he participated in. Throughout his career, he broke all Canadian running records from miles to marathons.

Longboat enlisted in the army in 1916 and served in Vimmy Ridge and Passendale.

Tom Longboat (right) during World War I in France. A long-distance runner from the Onondaga tribe from the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario, the Longboat was arguably one of the most famous athletes in the world at the time. The long boat was injured twice and once (continued) pic.twitter.com/wZs6GRu0oP

— Old Canada Series (@oldcanadaseries) November 8, 2021

Historica Canada has collaborated with the indigenous production company Nishi Media to produce the following Heritage Minutes. Anthony Wilson Smith, President of Canadian Historica, said the longboat “World champion runnerA pioneer in training methods, a hero of war, and an inspiration for his resilience to discrimination. “He has been inspiring athletes across Canada to this day,” Wilson-Smith adds.

On the screen, the longboat is depicted by Joshua Ozic, a member of Kitigan Zibi Anisinabeg First Nations. Heritage Minutes were created primarily by indigenous crews. Ojik explains his role in recreating “a legendary figure like a longboat” in honor, highlighting the challenges that longboats have overcome in his lifetime.

Longboat died in 1949 and was appointed to both the Sportens Hall of Fame and the Olympic Hall of Fame in Canada after his death. Tom Longboat Heritage Minutes Historica Canada websiteSocial media, etc. Youtube..