To commemorate Indigenous People’s Day, Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland went for a run.
Not just any run, but this year’s 26.2 mile Boston Marathon.
Haaland penned a Boston Globe editorial that was published the day before the race in which she said that her participation in one of the country’s biggest sporting events is an honor.
“This year, the marathon is held on Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” the secretary wrote. “It’s a day to celebrate the rich traditions, diverse cultures, and resilience of Indigenous communities across our country. I am honored to join those runners. My feet will pound the ancestral homelands of the Massachusett, the Mashpee Wampanoag, and the Pawtucket people and will follow in the footsteps of Indigenous runners who have participated in this race over its 125-year history.”
The marathon was held Oct. 11, the first time in more than 900 days.
The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the competition, which returned with some modifications due to the ongoing global public health emergency but ended in a very familiar way, NBC Boston reported.
According to the station, Haaland completed the marathon in 4 hours, 58 minutes.
Boston Athletic Association President Tom Grilk presented the secretary her medal at the finish line.
It’s the first time the Boston Marathon wasn’t held in April as part of the Patriots’ Day holiday that commemorates the beginning of the American Revolution, NBC Boston reported.
In recognition of Indigenous People’s Day, the event honored 1936 and ’39 marathon winner Ellison “Tarzan” Brown and three-time runner-up Patti Catalano Dillon, a member of the Mi’kmaq tribe, according to the station.
The race was a respite for Haaland, who spent the beginning of October working on the Bureau of Land Management’s return to Washington, D.C., from Colorado.
Interior Newswire reported that the BLM will shift its headquarters to the nation’s capital while its current post in Grand Junction, Colorado., will serve as regional headquarters for the agency.
Before that, Haaland was in San Diego to promote the Biden administration’s "America the Beautiful" initiative.
She touted the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge, which she visited on Sept. 28, as a model of the initiative’s purpose, Interior Newswire reported.
“As we work to address inequitable access to the outdoors for communities of color and underserved communities, places like the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge serve as a model of what it looks like to create inclusive spaces that all people, regardless of their background, can access,” Haaland said.
