Caribou Legs reflects on completion of cross-Canada run

Caribou Legs, also known as Brad Firth, isn’t afraid to go the distance.

The runner, who is based in Vancouver but from Inuvik, N.W.T. just finished a cross-Canada run on the weekend. He set out on Mother’s Day to run across Canada’s 10 provinces. His cause: to bring attention to Canada’s missing and murdered women problem. That issue, which has largely affected First Nations communities has been going on for decades in the country. It regards the hundreds of unsolved cases of women who have disappeared in Canada since the 1970’s. “It has been a beautiful experience stepping in for the women,” he says. 

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For Caribou Legs, violence against women– particularly in his own community– is a close-to-home issue. His sister, Irene, died last summer as a result of domestic violence. That’s why he decided to run across Canada. 

His run finished just on Nov. 20 in St. John’s. Now, he’s on a bus as he makes his way back home to Vancouver where he says he will continue to educate others on the topic. “I feel pleased and satisfied and happy to get the message out,” he says. 

At the time of his interview, Caribou Legs had just passed Thunder Bay, Ont. as he makes his way home. After six months spent constantly covering ground, now is time for him to recover and look back on his endeavor. “I’m trying to stay positive, spiritual and grounded. I’m using the bus ride across Canada to reflect,” he says. 

In that time spent reflecting so far, he’s easily able to identify the highlights of the cross-country run. Atlantic Canada was the section of the country that he experienced in the final stages of the trip and he says that East coasters were the most supportive and that he enjoyed that area of Canada the most this time around. Getting to know those from the Maritimes was a positive experience and he values the hospitality and encouragement that he received while running there.

“A lot of runners came out and supported me,” he says. “It seemed like everyone in Atlantic Canada knew Caribou Legs was in their territory.” 

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While he says he’s tired now from completing this trip, it’s largely his mental and emotional strength that enables him to keep at it. Though he wasn’t always received well during this run, he places a lot of importance on keeping the attitude positive and welcoming. “In the morning, you wake up positive, give it out and it comes back to you,” he says. 

Running every day– sometimes distances above 80K– for six months is, obviously, an all-consuming challenge. Even though it’s done now, Caribou Legs is not at a loss in deciding what’s next. His run has been filmed for an upcoming documentary and so he will continue to participate in that when he gets home. Then, he’ll get back running and plan next year’s run. Right now, he thinks that the summer of 2017 will see another cross-country run, this time to honour child victims of residential schools. 

But in this period of reflection as he makes his way westward across the country, he’s still hoping that Canadians will learn something from his run for the missing and murdered women. 

“There’s a lot that I want Canadians to take from this run. The strongest message is that it’s about self worth and the ability to step forward and make a change,” he says. “We need more people coming out and being involved with the community.”