Know To Run: Yatika

When representation is everything, it can make a difference and have a profound impact when community is included in spaces that lack inclusion and diversity. Know to Run features Yatika Starr Fields, an Indigenous runner, artist and advocate, and the recipient of GU Energy Labs + Rising Hearts – 2022 Western States Endurance Run (WSER) 100 Race Entry. The exclusive, prestigious, and mainly white race is a 100 mile long ultra marathon. Yatika is the vessel and Indigenous representative that helps bring a better understanding of the land and the peoples who first cared for and who still steward the lands. This film celebrates all the firsts (first land acknowledgement, first Indigenous made poster, first Indigenous runners panel) and continues this kinship into 2024. This was an opportunity The Know to Run discussion will hit on themes of “what are land acknowledgements” and what it means to go beyond, their importance, the inclusion of local Indigenous communities being part of the conversations, making the running and outdoor community a more accessible and equitable place, and what the consultation process looks like. The WSER is a shining example of how to create more pathways to cultivate community in meaningful and sustainable ways.