By paNOW Staff

Lac La Ronge Indian Band chief sets sights on Boston Marathon

Jun 19, 2016 | 12:28 PM

Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson’s passion for running may be helping her head towards the oldest annual city marathon in the world next year.

“I have been really working on my speed and my goal is to qualify this fall for the Boston marathon,” she said.

To qualify, she must run a full marathon for 3 hours 50 minutes.

“Right now, my best time for half marathon is 1 hour and 55 minutes which I did in Las Vegas and my best time for full-time marathon is four hours and 18 minutes,” she said.

Cook-Searson had never run until 2000. She started with the help of her friend, Rene Carriere who had come to La Ronge during the fall to teach.

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Carriere is an endurance athlete, well-known paddler and teacher.

“She would go run in the morning at six and after work,” Cook-Searson explained.

She added Carriere would always knock at her door at six in the morning asking to run with her.

At this time Cook-Searson weighed a little over 200 pounds.

“When I started I could only run a city block and my face would be so red,” she said. “But it got to a point I would wait at the door for her.”

By the end of winter, Cook-Searson was running three kilometres, increased her distance in little time and had even lost 20 pounds.

With this success, in 2003, Cook-Searson signed up to run in her first half marathon at Tisdale. This took her two hours 37 minutes.

Since then she has been improving her time and has run lots of half marathons, full marathons and even ultra-marathons. She also ran in the Sask. Marathon, May 29.

When asked what advice she would pass on to other people getting started, Cook-Searson said set goals and get out there.

She said it’s also important to wear proper shoes, and socks.

“Don’t go too hard.” she advised. “If you build up your muscles a little bit at a time, you’ll ease into it.”

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