Dinée Dorame: Correr es mi cable a tierra

With this blog post, NYRR welcomes Dinée Dorame, the first member of our Contributors Circle. Through this diverse group of runners, we aim to empower and serve the holistic running experience. Over the coming months, we will share Dinée's journey to the TCS New York City Marathon and beyond. We will also welcome additional members to the Contributors Circle, which will focus on under-represented communities.

Shí éí Dinée Dorame yinishyé. Tábąąhá nishłį́, Naakai dine’é bashishchiin, Tótsohníí dashicheii, Naakai dine’é dashinalí. Be’eldííl Dah Sinil kééhasht’į́.

My name is Dinée Dorame. I am Edge of Water clan, born for the Mexican People clan. My maternal grandfather is Big Water clan and my paternal grandfather is Mexican People clan. I reside in the place where the bell sits up high (Tiwa Territory also known as Albuquerque, NM).

Ákót’éego Diné asdzáán nishłį́. In this way, I am a Navajo woman. It’s important to start every introduction with these words. These are the words that ground me, the words of my culture and family, the words that let other Indigenous relatives know how we are connected. I received my first clan, Tábąąhá, from my mother and grandmothers because Navajo culture is traditionally matriarchal, but my other clans come from both sides of my family. I was always taught that it’s important to present myself authentically in all spaces, whether I’m the only Native person in a room or among many relatives, because it allows me to connect – to Diyin Dine'é (The Holy People), to new relations, to readers and listeners, to all of you.

Growing Up with Running

First and foremost, I am a Navajo woman, but I am also a runner, daughter, sister, writer, and storyteller. Most people know me as the creator and host of The Grounded Podcast with Dinée Dorame, but I’m coming to you here as a first-time marathoner. I’ve partnered with New York Road Runners to bring you all my personal stories and reflections as I prepare to toe the line at the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon this November. This past June, I started the journey by completing the Mastercard New York Mini 10K where I had the opportunity to meet the New York Road Runners team, soak in the sights of Central Park, and make my formal return to road racing since the pandemic started. Getting to participate in such a historic race, founded to celebrate women in sport, was incredibly empowering.

It feels like the perfect time to be writing this because after communicating with listeners all around the world through the podcast for over a year, I’m now able to expand on that work through collaborations, in-person events, and new creative endeavors. While regular podcast episodes aren’t going anywhere, I am taking this time to reflect a bit on what brought me here in the first place.

I grew up with running at the forefront of my life and experienced it in many contexts. As a Navajo person, I learned at a young age that running is incredibly important in our culture. Typically, running in the direction of east at sunrise is a way to give prayer and thanks to the holy people and the land at the start of each day. It helps strengthen the mind, body, and spirit while also providing physical endurance. In addition to this, I am also the daughter of a lifelong high school track & field coach. My dad was a Division I runner for the University of Colorado - Boulder, so I was also raised around the competitive sport. My parents did their best to blend these two different experiences for me and remind my sister and I that running can represent many parts of ourselves.

Grounded by Community 

When I began planning The Grounded Podcast in 2020, I knew I wanted to find some way to capture the complexities of running in these conversations, both as an Indigenous person and as someone who holds various cultural identities. Thanks to the Tracksmith Fellowship, I was able to document the stories of athletes of many different levels, paces, and backgrounds, from Olympians to everyday runners. I got to pick the brain of four-time Olympian Meb Keflezighi about marathoning, chat with Alison Desir about the importance of mental health in the wellness industry, reflect on my mom’s experiences in Indian residential boarding schools, and listen to what pushed Oglala Lakota runner Billy Mills across the finish line to win gold in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

I got so much feedback from listeners about how these stories changed their lives, inspired them to start running for the first time in their life, and gave them the strength to go further. For those letters, emails, and messages, I am so incredibly grateful. But what many people may not know, is that these conversations also changed my life. When I started the show in 2021, I was actually injured. I couldn’t run or express myself in the usual way, so the conversations I had kept me motivated to rehab and rebuild while staying focused on the long-term goal– to finally run the New York City Marathon.

Now, you may be wondering, why New York? I was born and raised here on Tiwa lands, also known as Albuquerque, NM. On my mother’s side, we are originally from Tséhootsooí (Ft. Defiance, AZ on the Navajo Reservation) and on my father’s side, we are of Yoeme (Yaqui) descent with many relatives residing on/near the homelands of the Mescalero Apache tribe in Southern New Mexico. However, in 2010, my life changed when I was admitted to Yale University, an Ivy League institution across the country that I had never imagined myself attending when I was a kid. This meant moving to the East Coast to start a new chapter. I still remember traveling to college by myself in the fall of 2011, stumbling through Grand Central Station, a bright-eyed 18-year-old catching the Metro-North to New Haven. I immediately felt at home in the fast-paced environment.

My Running Journey Continues 

My dad always taught me the best way to get to know a place is by running its pathways, streets, and landscapes. Little did I know in 2011, I would actually spend seven years of my life living on the East Coast. Four of those as an undergraduate student and three of them as an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale. During that time, I got to know my own surroundings even better, traveling to New York City during holiday breaks when I couldn’t afford to travel home or heading there on the weekend to find a new spot to map out a run.

Of course, New York City quickly became my refuge – a place that allowed me to process being homesick, struggling from time to time in school, or dealing with culture shock as a young college student. Although I was far from home, I spent the better half of those seven years entering local 5ks, training for my first half marathon (which I would later run in Central Park), and finding joy through movement outdoors during some tough, cold winters.

Today, I find myself back in Albuquerque, where I returned in 2018 to be closer to my family and community. I am now the Associate Director of College Horizons, a national non-profit organization where I get to help Indigenous high school students apply to college and find their own academic fit. In this work, I find that it's truly a privilege any time I get to return to the East Coast. As a Diné person, I am taught to treat the land with respect and give back to it when it gives to you.

Although my journey wasn’t always linear, nor did it always take place on my own homelands, these are still places that in some part helped raise me. Manahatta (New York City) provided solace when I was away from my family and home. For that, I feel it’s important to return and document this personal milestone with all of you. This is my way of giving blessings to the lands and people there that kept me grounded for so long.

Follow Dinée at @dinee_pink22 and @groundedpod.