AMBE Tom Longboat Run 2024!

Akwesasne Mohawk Board of Education took to the trails for their annual 2024 Tom Longboat Run. On Friday May 31, Tsi Snaihne students gathered on their school grounds for the 2024 Tom Longboat Run. A few days later, on Monday, June 3, Kana:takon School students donned their running shoes for their own Tom Longboat Run at Generations Park.

Thomas Charles Longboat (Gagwe:gih), distance runner, Olympian (born 4 July 1886 in Ohsweken, Six Nations of the Grand River; died 9 January 1949 in Ohsweken). Tom Longboat was an Onondaga distance runner from Six Nations of the Grand River. One of the most famous athletes of the early 20th century, Longboat pioneered training methods that are still used today. He is considered one of the first celebrity athletes in Canada, and his athletic successes are known across North America and overseas. He was a leader in establishing marathon running as an international sport and won many marathons in record-breaking times, beating competitors from all over the world. Longboat was the first Indigenous person to win the Boston Marathon (1907). He competed for Canada at the 1908 Olympic Games. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.

Photos courtesy of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Communications Team.