This Manitoba teen is running to bring awareness to the largest execution in U.S. history

Tao Moody, 17, from Birdtail Sioux First Nation, getting ready for the start of the Manitoba Marathon on June 18, 2023. (Supplied photo)

A Manitoba teen has been putting his feet to the pavement to help raise awareness about issues that have impacted Indigenous communities.

Tao Moody, a 17-year-old from the Birdtail Sioux First Nation, competed during the Manitoba Marathon on Sunday, running in the 50K Ultra event.

"I knew I could do it, even if I wasn't the fastest and I just kept myself going," said Moody.

He started out with a fast pace and was in contention to finish near the top of the group before his legs started to cramp with about 10 kilometres to go. Even with the pain, he still managed to finish the race in under four-and-half hours, which was good enough for sixth in the 50K Ultra group.

He said he received a lot of support from his family leading up to the race.

"(They said) our relatives above are watching down on you, so don't give up. So I just kept myself going."

As part of his running attire, Moody could be seen with "38+2" written on his shirt over his heart. He said the numbers are to signify those who were killed following the U.S.-Dakota War in 1862.

According to the University of Minnesota, the war was brief and was between Dakota First Nation people in Minnesota and settlers in the area. The war started over broken treaties and in the end 38 Dakota men were hanged, which the university said is still the largest single execution in American history.

Two other men who were in Canada were later brought back to the United States and also executed.

Moody said it isn't an incident that is shared much when talking about Indigenous history.

"That's part of our history," he told CTV News.

Moody said he is also running to help raise more awareness about diabetes in Indigenous communities.

He said he has a number of family members who have the disease and are on dialysis. He said his brother used to run for that cause and Moody is now following in his footsteps.

He has only been a long-distance runner for the past year, but that hasn't stopped him from taking on the biggest challenges in the running world.

He previously ran 100 km last winter in the United States, which he did to bring awareness to the Dakota 38+2. Now he plans to do a six-day run in September for Every Child Matters.

When asked how many kilometres he plans to run for that event, he said he doesn't know the distance but plans to run all six days.

Training also isn't something he focuses on much, he just runs.

"Just have an orange or two and then get going. I don't really train myself for anything like that. I just do it."