When 24-year-old Kristian Jamieson runs, he always sees one person ahead of him.
“I always ask myself, ‘Would he be proud of what I’m doing?’”
Jamieson is an Upper Cayuga runner who will lining up against the elite field in Sunday’s Ottawa International Marathon, part of Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. Before relocating to Niagara, Jamieson grew up on Six Nations of the Grand River reserve — a place that is home to both himself and his great-great-grandfather, Tom Longboat.
“I always try to remember that, to honour him,” Jamieson said. “It’s such an iconic piece of Canadian history. Looking up to him, it’s one of the best feelings ever.”
“Just imagining Tom in front of me, running up this hill, and me trying to chase him and not get dropped behind … Those are little mental tactics I like to play.”
Tom Longboat was an Onondaga distance runner and Olympian. He was the first Indigenous person to win the Boston Marathon — the world’s oldest annual marathon — in 1907 with a time of two hours 24 minutes 24 seconds. Now, almost 120 years later, Jamieson is carrying on the legacy.
“I certainly hope that he would be proud,” he said.
Jamieson said his interest in running sparked during the COVID-19 pandemic. What began as a hobby turned into what he described as a “big game.”
“This one run I did, it was supposed to be a 10K run, but it ended up becoming a 30K run,” Jamieson said. “At the end of that 30K, I was dead, as you would expect, but it really opened my eyes to the idea of the potential that not only I have, but everyone has if they set their mind to something.”
While Jamieson heard stories about Longboat growing up, it wasn’t until he started running himself that he dove more into his ancestry.
“That’s kind of what kept me going and motivated. It was cool to have someone in my family tree to look up to and try to emulate,” he said.
For Jamieson, running is the “main pillar” that has kept him tied to his heritage and culture.
“I’m glad that I’m a native descendant and I get to represent not only my lineage, but also just the people of Canada, and specifically my home reserve,” Jamieson said. “It’s a real honour to be able to do that, not only inspiring other kids growing up on Six Nations reserve, but inspiring everybody from all cultures and walks of life.”
Just about a month ago, on April 20, Jamieson ran his second Boston Marathon with a finish time of 2:33:48.
“I was super stoked with that,” he said. “There’s something extra special knowing that Tom Longboat won this marathon.
“That just gives me so much confidence, when I’m out there running the streets, knowing that there’s a fuel I have that no other runner has.”
Jamieson says the respect he has for his great-great-grandfather becomes tenfold when he runs.
“You really get to realize how incredible an athlete not only he was, but also all these other runners back then, when they didn’t have modern shoes or the technology,” he said.
“Something that’s actually really cool is technically I ran faster than Tom Longboat because, when he did Boston, the course was 39.4 kilometres, and now it’s 42,” Jamieson added. “My average was 3:39 a kilometre, his was 3:40 a kilometre.
“It’s kind of bittersweet being able to experience what it’s like to run at that pace for that distance. Now the goal is to just keep the legacy alive.”
Jamieson says he draws a lot of motivation during marathons from his people.
“Running not only for myself, but also for my family and friends and my community,” he said. “And just thinking about how good it’s going to feel when you cross the finish line.”
According to Jamieson, one of the most important things when running is mindset.
“One thing I’ve learned by doing a number of races is you’ll be surprised of what your body is capable of. I remember that going into each race,” Jamieson said. “There’s always a little bit of doubt, but you remember your past.
“And just believing in yourself, that’s honestly it.”
Jamieson’s goal for the Ottawa marathon is to run a sub-2:30 time.
“We’re going to go out there, we’re going to push the limits, we’re going to see how far we can take it and how fast we can go,” he said. “Boston was four weeks ago, so being able to take off four minutes of my time would be amazing. I would be the happiest guy in the world.”
This weekend is “another stepping stone” for Jamieson, whose says the pinnacle of achievement would be a 2:24 finish time, or what he calls the “ultimate Longboat time.” He said he hoped to accomplish that at a marathon this fall.
“My birthday is in the fall. ‘2:24 at the age of 24’ sounds cool to say,” he said.
For Jamieson, it’s about taking it one race at a time.
“You’ll be surprised how far you can go with just refusing to give up. That’s been the mantra for me,” he said. “Running gives me a purpose and a joy, and I don’t get that anywhere else.”
“Running has saved my life in the sense that it’s given me real direction. If I can shed a little piece of that to someone else, I’ll be pretty happy.”
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