Wednesday, July 02, 2008 - 06:06 PM

J.D.M. STEWART, From Tuesday's Globe and Mail, 7.1.2008, A13, July 1, 2008 at 1:06 AM EDT

When was the last time you read something about any of Canada's aboriginal heroes?


Those at the Boston Marathon "Team Canada Boston Tea Party '07" had the honour of meeting with members of the longboat family. Very nice folk. Wonderful time had by all put on by MyNextRace.com. Thanks Peter!

Much has been written recently about the horrors and challenges faced by our native people in the residential school system, land claims delays and other obstacles that we, as Canadians, are trying to overcome.

Yet, it would be a shame if this were the only focus of Canada's aboriginal narrative in the public discourse. There are people and stories from our history worth celebrating, and Canada Day is the ideal occasion to shine a light on some of our native heroes from the past and present.

One hundred years ago this month, Tom Longboat took Canada's Olympic hopes with him to London, expecting to win the marathon. After 20 miles of running, the greatest marathon runner of the day unexpectedly collapsed and rumours abounded that he had been drugged. How could the best runner of the day not even finish the race?

The legend of Tom Longboat had already been well-established, however.

In 1907, he captured the Boston Marathon, breaking the course record by five minutes and earning a parade down Yonge Street in Toronto. Over the next five years, he would go on to defeat all of the top distance runners in the world.

It's hard not to be intrigued by the story of Longboat, an Onondaga from the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ont. He not only brought great distinction to Canada with his athletic accomplishment, but he also persevered during an age when being an aboriginal Canadian meant being subjected to the prejudices of the time. Longboat was referred to as everything from "Injun" to "obstinate," but throughout it all, he maintained his dignity.

In 1999, Maclean's magazine named him Canada's greatest sports legend of the 20th century. Befitting a hero, the Tom Longboat Award has been given since 1951 to the best aboriginal male and female amateur athletes in the country.