Neighbor News
Producer Runs in Honor of his Dakota Sioux Marathoner Inspiration
Roxbury Runner Honors the Native American Marathoner at the Start Line and during Boston Marathon 2021 on Indigenous People's Day
HOPKINTON, MA - In 2008, the BAA’s Tim Kilduff was good enough to assign Boston Marathon bib #26,737 to Emmett “His Many Lightnings” Eastman of South Dakota. This enabled the 76-year-old Dakota Sioux to realize his dream of once again running the Boston Marathon, the first time being 1972.
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 the boy was born. Throughout the second half of his life, Emmett clocked thousands of miles participating in marathons around the world.
At the time of the marathon, 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 these two significant people in his life.
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“Every step is a prayer,” Eastman was known to say. He ran in memory of people like 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 race, Emmett rejoined the walk.
He would say “I run for those who cannot run,” recalls Ted Resnikoff of Roxbury, MA, who had the privilege of filming “His Many Lightnings” when he ran on April 21st, 2008. The independent producer 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 everyday attire and was sometimes also worn with or under his regalia, including when Eastman stood before Queen Elizabeth in England during her 2012 Jubilee celebration).
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Inspired by the spirit, purpose, and determination of the Dakota Elder, Resnikoff himself took up running and hasn’t stopped since. This year as Resnikoff prepared for his 11th consecutive Boston Marathon 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.
This year Resnikoff will carry on Emmett’s tradition as he carries Eastman’s number with him in honor of the legendary athlete whose lifetime of runs, walks, and pow-wow dancing inspired others everywhere he was present.
Eastman happily lived by the credo: “Life is a Celebration.” His running took him around the world, and appropriately, his life is being celebrated around the world as well through live-streams of his transition to his next adventure. Journey well, Ta Wakanhdi Ota (His Face of Many Lightnings)!
Learn more about the legendary Dakota Sioux Emmett “His Many Lightnings” Eastman: