SASKATOON — Over the weekend, Rhonda Thomas set out on a sunny Saturday morning run.
But she didn't choose one of Saskatoon’s many popular running trails.
Instead, Thomas wove her way through the city’s downtown and inner-city core.
The elementary school teacher from Pelican Lake First Nation called it a healing run.
Her route once completed was in the shape of a medicine wheel.
Thomas began at Kiwanis Park at 5:30 a.m. and ran five kilometres north before returning to the starting point then did the same for the other cardinal directions before doing a circle around the entire area.
“I was thinking about the youth, about mental health and addiction, and this idea (of running the medicine wheel) came together,” she said.
It took her eight hours to complete the 50-kilometre route.
Thomas says she hopes the healing run will resonate with all people.
“The circle brings everyone together,” she said. “Mental health and addiction doesn’t just affect First Nations people, it affects everyone in the community. This is about bringing people together to heal. To see us as a whole, because we’re all a part of Mother Earth.”
Thomas completed the difficult run fueled solely by her unwavering desire to raise awareness about mental health, homelessness, and at-risk youth.
“A year ago, the Creator said to me, ‘You need to run for the community and be in the community’,” she said, once it was all over. “The little bit of pain I go through while running is nothing in comparison to the pain that some of our [youths] are going through. I pray for them while I run. For them to find a life that isn’t as difficult as the life I had. That is why I run.”
Once Thomas completed the circle she was met by a gathering of supporters who celebrated the rest of the day with powwow dancing demonstrations, tipi teachings, motivational speakers, food, and music.
Her own challenge with addiction is why she works hard to help other vulnerable youth.
Thomas was in Grade 6 when she ran away from home and started drinking. Domestic violence had a negative impact on her life and became a teen mom at 15.
“Grade 6 is a pivotal year for our youth,” she said. “It’s where my life went in a negative direction. I became a Grade 6 teacher to show my students how to live a different life.”
Based on her own experience and knowledge, Thomas knows when a youth is struggling based on their in-classroom behaviour.
She addresses obvious cries for help in positive ways, like introducing meditation, reading, and practising thankfulness.
“I saw a change from the beginning of the year to the end, even in things like language and identity,” she said.
Thomas can now share the story of her 50-kilometre journey with her students. She admitted there were moments when her body was begging her to quit.
“As much pain as you’re in, your body can withstand it,” she said. “It’s your mind that you have to control and say, ‘Yes. We can do this.’ Once you have that mentality, there’s no pain. It’s powerful. Once you own that, you can do anything.”
