Jarvis Googoo

The 2026 Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Summer Games (NSMSG) were held in Sipekne’katik First Nation. The 5K (which is normally the only event that I do) was on a Wednesday (August 19). Due to timing/conflicts with other things, I was unable to participate in the 2024 and 2025 NSMSG. The last time I did the NSMSG 5K was in 2023 in Millbrook. This was the first time that the NSMSG were held in Sipekne’katik since the mid-1980s.

Going into any NSMSG 5K, the tricky thing is that you usually don’t know what the course will be like (although Millbrook did post the route a few days before the race). As the host community changes every year, so would the 5K location. That said, what I liked about Sipekne’katik was that they posted the start and finish – along with a map – online on August 13. In what would be a first for me (and maybe the NSMGS), it was Point A to Point B. Aside from the Legs at the Cabot Trail Relay and a few marathons, I hardly ever run such a route. As I’ve visited the community many times, I knew that there were some good flat spots along the way, albeit a few hills.

For the Shakeout, I did CORE beforehand and had my 20 minute run with a bit of rain, which reminded me of the 2016 games. That evening, I was reflecting upon why I was so nervous going into tomorrow. I’ve done countless races, and yet, I tend not to get the best sleep before  the NSMGS 5K.

Confession time; of all the races that I do (from local short ones to marathons abroad), I get the most anxious every time I’m going into the NSMGS 5K. I’ve done other events where regional superstars to world champions to Olympians were also in them, yet I always went into these thinking to simply give it my best and to aim for a new personal best or to finish in under a certain time. But with the NSMSG 5K, while the previously mentioned goals are always there, winning the race and the gold for We’koqma’q is my priority. Albeit doing some yoga the night before, I had a rough sleep. I’m also wondering if I had a bit too many carbs for a 5K (three cups of rice followed up a couple of packages of rice crackers – I don’t even consume that many for a Saturday Long Run).

On race day, Kerri drove us over. Entering the community on Robinson Road, I got a chance to see the course in reverse, both the flatness and the hills. But I’m at a point where I’m good with hills given I’ve train and race on them. The start and finish line shifted a bit, so we were to begin on the dirt for a few hundred metres, but the rest of the race was pavement. There was no chip-timing on this one. Instead, we all got a number and stop watches were to be used. Things were scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. I did my drills and then went for my 3K warm-up run at 9:31 a.m. When I got back, registration was still happening and we were to have a delayed start. I saw both new and familiar faces. It looked like a pretty decent crowd size (which made me happy). To pass some time, I chatted with other folks.

For this one, the road wasn’t closed per se. But rather, we would have police escorts for safety and they ensured other vehicles stopped for the runners. We lined up for around 10:20 a.m. as one of the organizers explained things, more on the timing, and how things would work. At 10:22 a.m., we were off.

Just like the 2023 NSMSG in Millbrook, I had an initial scare. One person was keeping up with me from the start. As per three years ago, I once again thought that I had some serious competition and that I was at risk of not winning gold. Feeling the pressure, I kept up an outright fast pace, and ended up earning some short distance Strava personal bests (which is what also happened at the 2023 NSMGS). I had a short back-and-forth, and then after 400 metres (one of my Strava personal bests), I held onto the lead by the time I hit the pavement and I wasn’t going to let that go. Soon enough, I stopped hearing other footsteps; only my own.

At the 1K mark, I saw my pace, beating my last 1K personal best by 0:02 seconds. Fun I thought, but this ain’t over yet. I need to win this one for We’koqma’q. As I knew that I had a comfortable lead even this early, I found myself scaling back a tiny bit. Another fun thing was that around the Church Street area, I saw Chief John Leonard Bernard in his truck, who yelled out some encouragement as I ran by him. Along the entire 5K, it was nice having people cheer you on, either from their parked vehicles or standing by the side of the road.

For this race, I tried some new shoes; the Adizero Adios Pro 4. While they were okay for both the shakeout and running uphill, I almost learned the hard way how they weren’t great for downhill. At just around the halfway point, we got to go down on Hollywood Drive. But I felt my right foot slipping on the insole, and with that, my big toe pounding against the end of the shoe. Yikes! It could have been the socks that I was wearing, but like the Vapourfly 3 shoes that I wore for the 2024 Toronto Marathon, it didn’t sit right. Eventually, once I got to the flatter part of Hollywood Drive, things were good and stable again. 

Days later I tried them again. They are just awful, and I ended up selling them to a friend a week after the race.

Shortly after hitting 4K and going up Meadow Drive, it was the final kilometre of the race. But this was going to be an uphill finish. Fine with me as I’ve completed other races this way before (e.g., Blue Nose Marathon 2021 and Marine Corps Marathon 2022). Around 4.4K, I faintly heard Gonna Fly Now, which provided some nice motivation to get to the end. Speaking of which, it got a tad bit confusing at the finish. While I saw the crowd and tent, too many people were shouting in so many directions, and I wound up not crossing the pavement to dirt finish line, but instead, went left for a few metres. The person accounting for those who did the 5K marked me as finished though, and as I heard, my time was 17:23. Not a personal best (except for a bunch of ones within the first 1K), but good enough for first by several minutes. I wasn’t hard on myself for not earning a personal best. The goal was gold.

Once done, I went into a gradual slow run, walk, and then into a stop. Not only was Kerri there to greet me for the finish, but my mother also made the trip (which meant a lot to me) along with her new fur-baby Tazz (so very cute). Speaking with organizers and spectators, soon others were finishing up the 5K and we were celebrating them. Once everyone was done, a bus took the runners back to the top to the starting point for a group photo (although Kerri gave me a ride). After pictures were taken, I did a 3K cool down and was able to shower at a friend’s place (as I didn’t want to go back to Kjipuktuk for one).

After cleaning-up, we went to the main area. Given that the organizers would need time to figure out how everyone placed re their division (we also had some runners who just registered that morning), we were in Sipekne’katik for a while. This was a nice opportunity to check out some of the vendors, games, and the We’koqma’q tent area, catching-up with friends, family, and or meeting new folks. The medal ceremony took place at 5:00 p.m. While it was nice to receive it, by that hour, we were quite spent (especially as we haven’t really eaten that whole day). So we left after I got my gold and went home. To further the celebrations (and mindful that I was too tired to cook), we ordered some sushi.

Wela’lin Sipekne’katik and to the organizers and everyone involved with the 2026 NSMSG.