SASKATOON, Sask. – The second edition of the Dakota Classic cross country race is set to take place on this weekend on Saturday, September 28, 2024, at the Whitecap Dakota First Nation. Through the collaborative efforts between Huskie Athletics and Whitecap Dakota First Nation, it will mark the second time a varsity race will be hosted in a First Nation community within Canada West, with the first being last year's inaugural edition of the event. Including athletes from the University of Saskatchewan, University of Manitoba, and University of Regina, student-athletes will race where earth, sky, water, and air meet.
 
In 2018, the Huskie cross country team met with the Saskatoon Residential School Survivors Circle, which embarked on an annual tradition of wearing orange competition uniforms in support of Every Child Matters and Truth and Reconciliation. Since 2019, competitors have joined in wearing orange and in 2023 the race moved to Whitecap Dakota First Nation, the first and only self-governing First Nation in Saskatchewan.

"The Dakota Classic is something that we can we can hold our heads high and be very proud of if it was a first step and others decided to join us on this journey," said Jason Reindl, head coach of the Saskatchewan Huskies cross country and track & field teams. "We were the first the first team and the first institution to take the initiative on with something like this. Now we see the CFL bringing in their indigenous logo across all teams and other schools bringing on their local indigenous artists to make varying jerseys for home and away events, it's special for our Huskie cross country program, our 2018 alumni, and 2019 members from Alberta, Calgary, Manitoba, Regina that joined us that first year."

"Since 2018, when we started wearing orange, the feedback that we continually received from the Saskatoon Residential School Survivors Circle has been so positive and meaningful to our student-athletes and our program."

The men and women each run an eight-kilometer race around a two-kilometer loop winding around the driving range at the Dakota Dunes Golf Links. A change to the 2024 edition of the Dakota Classic which will give spectators the opportunity to take in more of the event.

"The Dakota Classic was a really, really cool experience, especially for that to be my first meet as a Huskie athlete," said Huskie student-athlete Jaira Cross Child "I really liked what Jason said about the team getting together with the survivors circle, I think that's just such a perfect example of reconciliation, two people, two groups, coming together with a common goal and working together towards something big."

"Being part of the race and being able to see all that work come into fruition is just so special. I really like that I don't only get to race for my team and for my school, but also for my grandparents who attended residential schools and a lot of my relatives that went to the residential schools and all that inter-generational trauma. Being able to race not just for my teammates and not just for the school, but to race for them, I just felt very proud, very honored and very exited."

"I think sport is just so powerful, it can bring communities together, bring families and people all different backgrounds together. It doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter your background, your experiences, you just come together and have that opportunity because of sport. This event is a fantastic example of that and something I'm proud to be a part of."

On Friday night, teams from Manitoba, Regina, and Saskatchewan will have a team dinner at the Dakota Dunes Resort, featuring Indigenous education and cultural performances. The event gets underway with the community race on Saturday morning at 9:30 AM, followed by the men's race beginning at 11:00 AM and the women's race scheduled for 12:00 PM. Awards and closing ceremonies will follow the end of the men's race.