When Erin Tapahe, Diné (Navajo), completed the Boston Marathon Oct. 11, it was a personal triumph for herself, but it meant much more as the 125th running of the marathon was on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
“Being able to run on Indigenous Peoples’ Day was really important for me,” said Erin. “To be able to represent my people helped me make the decision to begin training for Boston.”
2021 had already been a busy running year for Erin. She had completed the 300-plus mile Running is Medicine relay race in May and the Utah Valley Marathon in June. Friends Erin had made training earlier in the year encouraged her to consider the 2021 Boston Marathon.
“I had to get back into training faster than most people would following a marathon,” said Erin.
However, the thought of being able to run Boston on a day set aside to celebrate and honor Native American peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures was what focused her to commit to her training.
Erin said he received overwhelming support in her training and fundraising with Team Red Cross.
“With the race being on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, people were very supportive and helped me reach my fundraising goal,” said Erin.
Erin’s first exposure to the Red Cross mission came during high school where local blood drives were held. At the time she was considering a career in health care and saw how maintaining a stable blood supply was important to local communities.
For more than 10 years, Team Red Cross has helped support the mission of the American Red Cross in Massachusetts by fielding a team of motivated individuals to run for a cause. This year’s team raised more than $260,000 to support our mission to relieve suffering in the wake of disasters across the United States.
