Noli Indian School at the Soboba Reservation was the site for a Native American Trail Runners Organization (NATRO) event on May 18 that benefited their athletic and culture departments. Spearheaded by Sheldon Subith, founder of NATRO, more than 50 runners of all ages were met with enthusiasm and cool temperatures by emcee Manny Barragan.
Race Director Subith is hoping to make this an annual event that will grow to further expand the support of departments at the school’s campus that serves Native American students in grades 6-12. Offering a marathon, half marathon, 5K and a Kids 3K, Native and Open divisions were also offered. This gave everyone an opportunity to explore the picturesque Soboba Indian Reservation while enjoying time with family and friends. For serious runners, it gave them a chance to hone their skills on a trail course.
The course consisted of some hills, sand, rock, single track, stream crossings and fire roads at a 2,000+ elevation gain for the marathon and 1,000+ for the half marathon. Each participant was given an aerial map copy that showed the routes, which were marked with different colored ribbons for each race along the way for runners to follow.
The morning began with a blessing from Pechanga Band of Indians’ Robert Villalobos, who was joined by other members of the Nukwáanish Singers and Dancers.
He spoke about Háyyish, the very first race and said, “Running has been important for our people since the beginning of time. Run for whatever reason brought you here today.”
Joining Villalobos were Myra Masiel, Annalisa Smith, Delila Villalobos and Gavin Avila. The group often attends events at Noli to support the school and the students.
“We are all the same people, we just come from a different village, but we are all related one way or another,” Villalobos said.
Running has a long and rich history in Native American cultures, with traditions dating back to ancient times. It holds profound cultural and spiritual significance for many Native American tribes
Noli English teacher Emma Herrera, from the Pechanga Band of Indians, scored a second-place finish for Native females in the 5K race with a time of 43:12. “I’m not a runner,” she said. “I’m doing this to support the school.”
Her mother, Kelly Collins of Corona, said running is part of her normal routine. She ran a marathon in Havasu a year ago so she could cross off her bucket list. This day she chose to run the 5K alongside her daughter and future son-in-law, Elliot Chao.
“It was an hour’s drive to get here but it was worth it to support Emma and the kids at Noli,” said Collins, who was the second-place female in the Open division to finish the race.
Chao said he’s still recovering from knee surgery last year but said he considers any type of movement to be like medicine for him. “I played sports all my life and I enjoy running and supporting my fiancée.”
Kekai Bryant-Williams teaches math at Noli and interacted with all the runners at a booth she set up with healthy food options, swag, and informational pamphlets about the school so everyone there could learn about the beneficiary of their efforts that day.
Brett Jones, a chiropractor from Tucson, has been friends with Sheldon Subith since childhood and entered the race to support NATRO. His company, Kairos Training Culture, also served as one of the sponsors. A 2004 graduate of West Valley High School in Hemet, Jones challenged himself to run his first marathon. He completed the two loops of a 13.1-mile course in 7 hours and 42 minutes, alongside his running partner Lindsay Kolterman, of Arcata.
Chelsea Tortes tackled the half marathon and completed the run in less than three hours, besting the female finisher in the Open division by several minutes. She was the only female among the four Native division runners for that race. She said she has run 15K races in the past but not a half marathon, which is about 22K in length.
“I love running; it’s like therapy,” she said. “My sister Rachel does Ultras, and she really motivated me.”
Alyssa Siqueiros chose to run the 5K and was the first one over the finish line among the dozen Native division participants, completing the course in just about 29 minutes.
Three runners representing Golden Era Productions did very well. Wilson Equez, Johann Ohlsson and Ben Sproule all competed in the 5K, with Ohlsson finishing in second place in the Open division.
Muriel Dufresne, Community Affairs Director for the community partner, said they do a lot of events to support groups throughout the community.
Soboba Tribal member Rosemary Morillo took part in the 5K. She was joined by her daughters, Anita and Amy, her granddaughter, two grandsons and her nephew. She said she entered not to compete for the best time but to stay active. She and a few others chose to walk the course.
“We try to do something like this every month,” Morillo said. “I started the kids on this a long time ago. We started with the Susan G. Komen (Race for the Cure). It’s mostly just about being out there with everybody. The best part of it is that we’re able to be here for the day.”
Rick Pfeiffer, of Carlsbad, is well known in the running world and was the first NATRO runner of the day to cross the finish line, completing the 5K in just under 25 minutes.
“That was long for me for a 5K,” he said. “I usually am in the low 21s or high 20s,” the 74-year-old athlete said. “I run almost every day, generally a 5K but sometimes a half marathon.”
Pfeiffer said he hadn’t run any races since his recent one at the Galapagos Islands. Subith said Pfeiffer is considered to be a World Class runner in his age group.
Ronald Resvaloso, 13, and Jerimyah Saenz, 15, did well, finishing second and third overall in the Native division of the 5K race. Both keep active playing sports.
“The best thing you can do is keep pace and don’t slow down,” Ronald said. “The weather was perfect today, not too hot or cold.”
Georgi Shagoian travelled from North Hollywood to run the half marathon, which he has done two or three times before.
“I was searching on trailrunner.com for a race to run and found this one,” he said.
Brandon Burgess, of Colton, said he loves trail running. When he found the race and saw that it was benefitting the school, he entered the half marathon.
Tekla Diaz and Daize Burton, both young mothers, started working out together and decided to enter the 5K and let some of their children have fun with the Kids 3K race, which was not timed.
Keilee Subith, 11, was the top female finisher across both divisions when she finished the 5K race in 29 minutes flat. She said her father Ryan and grandfather Sheldon help with her training.
“I like to run,” she said. “Once the trail got downhill, it got pretty easy.”
Of the 20 runners who attempted the half marathon, Joe Sahagun crossed the finish line more than 20 minutes ahead of any other competitor with a time of 2:01:43.
“That was a good time for me for a trail run. I saw a coyote and a couple of deer out there,” said Sahagun of Springville, California. He completed his last half marathon in March. “I try to do one every other month.”
He starts each morning at 4 a.m. with a 5- to 8-mile run and does weight training to keep in shape. He is a U.S. Army veteran who works as a counselor for the Tule River Reservation and came to help support Noli Indian School.
Subith’s friends Manny Barragan of Lake Elsinore and Danny Gantt of Moreno Valley volunteered their time throughout the morning to handle announcements, music and presenting medallions to all the runners as they crossed the finish line.
Sponsors for the event included the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, Soboba Foundation, Karios Training Culture, Lemongrass Restaurant, Pala Band of Mission Indians and Soboba Tribal Kitchen.
NATRO’s mission is “Empowering Native American communities through the celebration of culture, connection to land, and pursuit of wellness through trail running. NATRO is committed to fostering inclusivity, preserving ancestral knowledge, and promoting physical and mental health for all Indigenous peoples.”
Roger Drews from Fusion Timing in San Diego, kept the results updated for runners to view on a screen at the timing booth. For full results, please visit www.fusiontiming.com.
Photos courtesy of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians
