Tseshaht First Nation member ƛiniiḥak (pronounced Tli-nii-hak) ran the BMO Vancouver Marathon with her 27-year-old son Edward Johnson Jr. on Sunday, May 3.
Race day was hotter than expected as an early May heatwave surged over a sea of roughly 25,000 participants from over 60 countries with record temperatures of 26 C.
“My son and I had goal finish times going into the race, but we had a really good conversation, and made the hard decision to adjust our pace,” said ƛiniiḥak, who is also known as Janice Johnson.
“I’m glad that we did. We really slowed down our pace to manage the heat and to make sure we could enjoy the full distance,” she said.
ƛiniiḥak finished the women’s marathon in 5:08:33 and her son ran the men’s marathon in 4:42:17. This was her third marathon and her son’s first.
“I’m really grateful as a mom that I was able to experience this together with my son. It is something I will definitely remember for the rest of my life,” said ƛiniiḥak.
She said her son’s knee gave out with about 10-kilometres to go, but after seeking medical assistance, he started running again and was able to cross the finish line.
“He had a lot of determination. I am just absolutely proud of him,” she said.
For Johnson Jr., the most memorable moments of the race were “the hills and the incredible support from spectators along the way.”
ƛiniiḥak echoed the feeling.
“I honestly think a lot of us runners wouldn’t have been able to complete that race if the volunteers and spectators weren’t helping us along the way. They had squirt guns, people had hoses, spectators had ice cubes, they were giving out Freezies… It was just an amazing experience,” she said.
Friends and family could also livestream the BMO Vancouver Marathon and cheer from afar.
“They could track you when you’re on the course. Their support really helped us push through,” said ƛiniiḥak.
Training and motivation
To prepare for the 42.2-kilometre distance race, ƛiniiḥak says they had a 16-week training plan and did extra exercises to strengthen muscles. She said diet also played a key role.
“It took a lot of time and it took a lot of commitment, but it was so worth it because the feeling that you get when you are out there, it’s super hard, but it’s just such a great feeling to be able to accomplish something that is considered to be super hard,” she said.
ƛiniiḥak says running has always been an outlet that helps her process emotions and ground herself.
“After losing my youngest brother, the one thing that really helped me process that grief and just help be stronger was running,” she shared.
She compared running to life.
“When you’re running or when something happens in your life it’s not always going to be easy, but as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other you will eventually get to where you need to be,” said ƛiniiḥak, who is the manager of community engagement for the First Nations Health Authority.
To celebrate after completing the marathon, ƛiniiḥak said they “hobbled” to the Old Spaghetti Factory for a big plate of ribs and fries and lots of water.
Johnson Jr. says this won’t be his last marathon.
“Everyone should do a marathon. They’re actually fun,” he said, adding that he wants to focus more on strength training to build muscle and help prevent injury for the next one.
He also shared a race day lesson: “If it’s hot, don’t dump water on your clothing, it can cause chafing.”
ƛiniiḥak says they’re already talking about doing the BMO Vancouver Marathon next year. She says they inspired her youngest son Isaac, 21, to join. Her husband might join too, and her daughter is also thinking about getting into running.
“I just can’t help but think that wow, maybe one day we’ll be a running family,” she grinned.
