Like mother, like daughter.

Reila Bird sprinted past the competition, literally, when she competed at the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Track and Field Championships (SATFC), and now she sits in the stands, watching her daughter, Juleah Duesing, do the same.

Bird joined track club when she was in grade 9.

"I had a natural ability," she recalls, and loved running because it was an individual sport and she excelled at it. 

She competed at the 1993 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) and won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 400m, and 4x100m relay.

Two years later, she competed in NAIG again and again won four gold medals.

Unfortunately, the 400m at those games was her last competitive race because she had stress fractures in both her shins, landing her in a hospital in Minnesota.

"It was devastating," she remembers, because she was starting university next year and had wanted to join the University of Saskatchewan track team.

Now she helps coach the Queen City Striders (the club her daughter trains with) and says that helps fill the void of not running and competing. She says even just attending the SATFC helps, and is considering training and competing in the open category in the future.

For now, the focus is on her 11-year-old daughter. Duesing's favourite sprint is the 150m (because it's "an easy sprint to do"), but she also competes in long jump, 800m, and the 60m, which she won at the most recent SATFC in Saskatoon.

Duesing says she sets goals to keep improving. She usually places in the top three in her events.

Her competitive nature came from a young age. When she was in grade 1 or 2, she saw her mom's medals, and in a Mother's Day card, she wrote, 'I want to be like my mom because I want to win as many medals as her.'

Duesing will be competing in NAIG this summer in the 150m, 80m, 800m, and long jump. Her mom says her own father got her involved in sports.

"Juleah’s third generation First Nations," she explains (they are from the George Gordon First Nation). "She got involved because of me and my dad, who got me involved. If I hadn't gotten her involved, we might lose that cultural aspect."

Nahanni Adams-Lindberg also became a runner because of family connections. Her twin brother used to run with her, though he's now a boxer. Her older brother runs, and both of her parents used to run as well.

Now in grade 11, Adams-Lindberg has been running competitively for two years, though she's been running her whole life. She says it clears her mind, and she always feels refreshed after a run.

Adams-Lindberg prefers long distances: her favourite races are the 1500m and 3000m, both of which she'll be competing in at this summer's NAIG in Regina. At the most recent SATFC in Saskatoon, she placed third in the 1500m.

"I was happy with my race," she said after it was over. "The laps went by really quick."

A dedicated runner, Adams-Lindberg lives at Regina Beach, attends Lumsden High School, and three times a week travels into Regina to train with the Queen City Striders. She also runs on her own twice a week.

Being a long distance runner, Adams-Lindberg has the discipline to work through the pain.

"It's all in your mind," she says, noting she doesnt plan to stop running.

"Even if I don't compete (after I'm done school), Ill just keep doing it to keep fit."