Dakota Marathoner Honored by Runner at Boston Marathon

HOPKINTON, MA – The Boston Marathon is traditionally run in April on Patriots Day. Due to postponements, this year the race fell on Indigenous People’s Day. Ted Resnikoff of Roxbury ran his 11th consecutive Boston race today in honor of the Native American who inspired him to take up the sport.

Emmett “His Many Lightnings” Eastman first ran Boston in 1972, and again in 2008 when independent producer Resnikoff documented the Dakota Sioux Elder’s journey. Eastman was 76 years old at the time. He ran “for those who cannot run” and believed “every step is a prayer.” He ran in memory of others.

This year Resnikoff ran in memory of Eastman who journeyed on one week ago today on October 4th. Eastman had hoped to run the Boston Marathon one last time next April at the age of 90. Resnikoff wore Eastman’s name and 2008 number along with his own bib #10640.

In the Native American tradition, Resnikoff was smudged with the smoke of sage and sweet grass by Emmett’s relative, Daniel Eastman, of Hopkinton who hosted the elder in 2008.

Resnikoff was honored to carry with him the name and number #26,737 in memory of the man who inspired him to run the 26.2 mile race and 27 others.

Running became a huge part of Emmett Eastman’s life at age 40 following the loss of his wife and their eighth child, who both died when their son was born. Throughout the second half of his life, Emmett clocked thousands of miles participating in marathons as well as sacred walks and runs around the world.

At the time of the marathon in 2008, Eastman was participating in The Longest Walk 2 to raise awareness about environmental issues, but he took time off from the cross country walk to run Boston in memory of two significant people in his life: His sister, Fern Mathias, an American Indian Movement organizer who passed in 2002, and Dakota Sioux Elder, Floyd “Red Crow” Westerman, activist, musician and actor who appeared in “Dances with Wolves” among other films, and made his transition to the spirit world just five months before the 2008 marathon.

Following the Boston run, Emmett rejoined the cross country Longest Walk 2.

He would say “I run for those who cannot run,” recalls Ted Resnikoff an independent producer who had the privilege of filming “His Many Lightnings” when he ran on April 21st, 2008. He captured the runner at several points along the 6 ½ hour challenging journey that earned Eastman his Boston Marathon medal. (From that day forward, the BAA medal became a part of Eastman’s every day attire and was sometimes also worn with or under his regalia, including when Eastman was before Queen Elizabeth in England as part of the 2012 Jubilee Celebration).

Inspired by the spirit, purpose and determination of the runner from South Dakota, Resnikoff himself took up running soon after filming Eastman and hasn’t stopped since.

As he trained for Boston he found himself thinking of Eastman even more than usual. When he learned that Eastman had passed on October 4th, just shy of his 90th birthday, he was moved to run for him this Indigenous People’s Day.

Eastman happily lived by the credo: “Life is a Celebration.” As was repeated at the legendary athlete’s funeral, Sunday, October 10th, his lifetime of runs, walks and pow-wow dancing touched others everywhere he participated. His running took him around the world and his life is now being celebrated around the world by all those he inspired, like Ted Resnikoff.

As Emmett would say,

Journey well, my friend!

~ Ta Wakanhdi Ota (His Face of Many Lightnings)!