Reznet

Inaugural 'Chasing the Sun' 10K Race, Pow Wow Take Place May 1-3

By Deana Jackson of Red Note, Inc.

PHOENIX—The creators of Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI), the first all Native American basketball tournament certified by the NCAA, in partnership with the Arizona Cardinals, Ak-Chin Indian Community and the University of Phoenix, will host the inaugural NABI "Chasing the Sun" 10K Race and Pow Wow at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., May 1-3.

The Native American-themed event, the first to ever be held in an NFL stadium, is open to the general public and everyone is welcomed and encouraged to participate in this three-day celebration of Native American people, culture and traditions.

The "Chasing the Sun" event derives its name from a childhood memory that Hopi Vice Chairman Cedric Kuwaninvaya shared with NABI managing partner GinaMarie Scarpa during a board meeting of the Arizona Commission of Indian Affairs. Kuwaninvaya invited the board to his Hopi Village of Sipaulovi, also known as Second Mesa. Kuwaninvaya is of the Sun Forehead clan and is a full-blooded Hopi native. Standing atop the mesa overlooking peach orchards, Kuwaninvaya remembered how, as a boy growing up in the village, his father would wake him up before dawn every morning to run down past the peach orchards, stop at the spring to splash water on himself, and run back before the sun came up. Sometimes the sun would come up and he would try to beat it before the rays engulfed his whole village. His father called it, "Chasing the Sun" and believed the ritual warded off the spirit of laziness. The running encourages and develops physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.

The NABI "Chasing the Sun" 10K race was created to encourage implementing exercise as a part of daily lifestyle and to promote health and wellness in Native American communities. The "Chasing the Sun" 10K race begins at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 2. Native American performances and entertainment will mark the 10K route. 10K first-place winners will receive $500, second-place winners will receive $250, and third-place winners will receive $125. All 10K recipients will receive a commemorative T-shirt. In addition to the race, the NABI "Chasing the Sun" 1 Mile Family Health Walk/Run will commence at 7:30 a.m., which is free and open to the general public.

The NABI "Chasing the Sun" Pow Wow was created to celebrate the Native American people, culture and traditions, and to share the beauty of Native American music and dance with all cultures. The pow wow kicks off on Friday, May 1, with grand entry beginning at 7 p.m. Admission is free on Friday night, May 1. Admission for Saturday and Sunday is $12 per day with free admission to seniors 60 and over and to children 6 and under. Pow wow contestants from all over the world will compete for over $100,000 in prize money, making "Chasing the Sun" a definite stop on the national pow wow circuit.

By word of mouth and advertising, which has included radio and mall ads, television coverage, billboards and street team promotion, the NABI "Chasing the Sun" 10K and Pow Wow is quickly emerging as a major contender for the biggest pow wow in the world.

"There is a lot of positive buzz out there for this event," said Jason Coochwytewa, owner and president of Red Note Inc., the production company behind the media drive for "Chasing the Sun." "The pow wow community has heard about our event from all over the United States and Canada. We even have participants who are registering at other pow wows for our pow wow. In addition, we also have a wonderful international head staff for the pow wow. They are the who's who and the best of the best of the pow wow industry."

The "Chasing the Sun" event is already enjoying favorable projected attendance numbers, with the host hotel, The Renaissance in Glendale, nearly sold out of rooms, more than 100 artisans and vendors confirmed, sold-out food vendor slots, and several hundred pre-registered pow wow dancers and 10K runners. NABI is expecting hundreds more dancers and runners to register on the day of the event.

Even though "Chasing the Sun" has not yet even seen its opening day, the event has garnered so much support and media buzz that NABI announced that the 2nd Annual "Chasing the Sun" 10K and Pow Wow will kick off on April 15-18, 2010.

"We are about a week out from our event and we feel really good about it. We've been getting a lot of phone call and inquiries. A lot of people are really excited for this event and predicting that this is going to become the biggest pow wow in the world. We are already looking at how we can make this event even bigger for next year!" Coochwytewa added.

NABI is pleased to announce that the "Chasing the Sun" 10k and Pow wow is an "alcohol-free" event. For more information and 10K and pow wow registration, visit the NABI Web site. Proceeds from the "Chasing the Sun" 10K and Pow wow will benefit the NABI Foundation.

Deana Jackson is a public relations consultant for Red Note, Inc., a Native American-owned and -operated multimedia, entertainment and production company promoting the NABI "Chasing the Sun" 10K Race and Pow Wow.