Brooke Bates is a wound care nurse at San Juan Regional Medical Center. She’s also an avid runner. In fact, she loves running so much that she recently ran a 50-mile ultramarathon. Now, she’s striving to double that distance.
“Racing has taught me that my body is a lot stronger than I think. You can push yourself to go farther,” Brooke said.
Brook Bates runs through Antelope Canyon, AZ
Brooke, a wife and mother of two teenagers, hasn’t always had this passion for running. She started in 2019 to improve her health. When the pandemic hit in 2020, staying healthy became her top priority, motivating her to run every day.
“I had read that running boosts your immune system and with the devastating effects COVID had on the Navajo population, I wanted to be healthy. I wanted to be able to take care of my patients,” Brooke said.
Her first race was a relay for the Shiprock marathon, and she gradually worked her way up to a half marathon in Monument Valley. Once she completed that, Brooke knew she could do more. Her first full marathon was the Shiprock marathon held virtually during COVID.
Brook Bates waves as she races through Bryce Canyon, UT.
“I made my own 26-mile route, running from my house up to Kinsey trail and back down to the hospital. I was very self-motivated,” Brooke shared.
Once Brooke completed the marathon, she signed up for more races. That led to her running the Dead Horse Ultra 50K. From there, she was determined to tackle 50 miles. Running had become much more than a way to stay healthy. It was a way for Brooke to honor her Navajo culture.
“Running has a lot of cultural connections for me. In the Navajo culture, we run in the Kinaaldá ceremony when we come of age. It blesses young women with strength to be successful as they grow up,” Brooke said. “The connection to the land is another thing I like about running. I give thanks to my ancestors for allowing me to run on this land, be alive, breathing the air and drinking the water.”
Brook Bates is photographed at the finish line in Moab, UT.
Although running has a lot of cultural ties, Brooke doesn’t see a lot of Native women represented. Thanks to social media, she connected to a group called Native Women Running. They have built a nurturing community promoting Native women runners, increasing their visibility in the running world.