Oneida Nation of the Thames runner inspires others to pursue personal goals
By Shirley Honyust/ Yenahtli:yo
This is a reflection of the interview with Joel Kennedy, the work he has done that led up to earning him a place competing in the 2022 Boston Marathon, among a select group of runners in a 50 km run this year. Kennedy is the Coordinator of the Urban Indigenous Healthy Living Program at N’Amerind Friendship Centre in London, Ontario. He is from Oneida Nation of the Thames, Bear Clan.
In Boston, Kennedy will be running for a charity, BIPOC (who identify as Black, Indigenous or Other People of Colour) students which in turn awards scholarships to students help them stay in school, meeting financial and social needs, creating opportunities to learn, and enabling college students to help high school students with their studies. Kennedy’s runs are all for charitable causes.
In 2015, when he was tipping the scales at 300lbs, he was at a birthday party with friends and the conversation got around to “What are you doing now?” He gave some serious thought to the state of his health including his obesity that upped his risk for diabetes, which also runs in both sides of his family. It was then he came face-to-face with the fact that he needed to make some drastic changes in his eating habits and lifestyle to be in the best health for himself and his family.
Running is something he always wanted to do; however, he needed to walk first, so he began with 5-10 minutes at a time, working up to a stamina of 30 minutes, with the first goal of getting his weight under 300lbs. Doing this, he decided he could take part in a local run for a distance of 5 km. He finished last. Knowing he could do better than that, he came to realize that another task was accepting himself and learning to love himself while being in the moment every day of his life.
His next goal was running 5 km at work, where he got staff involved, and then community members joined him. The first name he gave to his team was the “Indigenous Runners Group” which later became the “Indigenous Runners Club” (IRC). He didn’t yet realize that he would be leading and learning at the same time. A total of 12 individuals ran a 5 km trek together and out of those, nine completed it.
In 2016, he became interested in the Longboat Roadrunners, a Toronto club that hosts events such as annual Toronto Island Run. Tom Longboat was in fact one of Kennedy’s early heroes. He had June, July, and August to train for the meet in September 2016. This club runs to honour the spirit of Onondaga runner Tom Longboat, a member of the Six Nations of the Grand River, Canadian soldier, and Boston Marathon Champion. In 2018, Kennedy took part in the run, Around the Bay 30 km, held annually in Hamilton.
Support for the IRC came through a couple of virtual events where shirts made by Antler River Trading Company, a local Indigenous-owned business, were created with the running club logo and sold at-cost to individuals promoting the IRC and for anyone who wanted one. In total, over 500 items were sold in 2017.
It was around this time that Kennedy enlisted the help of a coach who encouraged him to do a whole Marathon. There are six in total, 42,000 runners at the same time will run: in Chicago; New York; Tokyo; Boston; London, England; and Berlin, Germany. Kennedy’s most challenging feat was the run in Chicago, as he had sprained his ankle about three weeks before this. The distance was gruelling and it took its toll physically and mentally; it was the spiritual energy that pulled him through.
Kennedy’s first landmark is the 42 km run and the next will be the 50 km. Overall, he believes that the greatest landmark for him will be to compete in all six marathons; after Boston, there will be four left.
When asked about sponsorship, he was quick to say that Brooks Running Company donated demo running shoes to his club; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were unable to distribute them all. The overflow was then donated to a number of the evacuees who were relocated to London, Ont., during the fires that devastated Pikangikum First Nation in July of 2021.
Sharing truth is Kennedy’s gift, and his family and friends encourage him to share his journey with others. An equally important part of his life is coordinating a fathers’ night once a month through his Urban Indigenous Healthy Living program where fathers and kids get together to share in healthy lifestyle activities.
“I hope people can look at my journey, take from it and learn what they can accomplish. Not everyone has to be a runner to improve their health. Every person has their own struggles. People have connected with me, not just with running,” responded Kennedy when asked to share some words with others who have dreams and aspirations. “It all took time. Believe in yourself, share your truth – the good, the bad and more. You can attain your goals; maybe you just have to work harder than you thought. Push through your obstacles, whether they are physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. Accept opportunities as they present themselves, but don’t seek them out.”
Contact Joel Kennedy and follow him on Indigenous Running Club website as he follows his dreams, to Boston Marathon and on to the next challenge!