Joe Keeper

Joe Keeper
Full name	Joseph Benjamin Keeper
nation	Canada
birthday	January 17, 1886
place of birth	Walter Lake,  Canada
size	170 cm
date of death	29th September 1971
Place of death	Winnipeg , Canada
Career
discipline	Long distance running
Best performance	5000 m: 15: 28.9 min; 10,000 m: 32: 00.4 min
society	New Norway

Joe Keeper (full name: Joseph Benjamin Keeper , born January 17, 1886 in Walter Lake, Manitoba , Canada , † September 29, 1971 in Winnipeg , Manitoba, Canada) was a Canadian long-distance runner of Native American origin.

Early years

Joe Keeper was born a member of the Norway House Cree First Nation , a Cree tribe in Walter Lake. When he was 13, he was sent to the Brandon Reservation School. Keeper developed a keen interest in athletics, especially long-distance running.

Athletic career

Joe Keeper completed his first race in 1909 in an indoor competition over a mile, in which he finished second. The school principal Joseph Jones recognized the talent of the young man and began to coach him. The following year, Keeper moved to Winnipeg to join the North End Athletic Club . On May 7, 1910, he celebrated his first victory in his first race, a seven-mile road race. In 1911 in Fort William (Ontario) he improved the Canadian national record over 10 miles to 54:50 min. He was nominated to represent the Province of Manitoba for the Dominion Championship in Montreal . He was the best Canadian in the three mile race, but had to admit defeat to a US runner.

In 1912 he was selected for the Canadian Olympic team to participate in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm . In Stockholm he should compete over 5000 and 10,000 meters.

On July 7th, the prelim over 10,000 meters started. Of the twelve starters, the best five runners qualified for the final. Keeper took second place behind the Finn Hannes Kolehmainen in a time of 33: 58.8 min. In the final on July 8th, he finished fourth, just 1:16 minutes behind the winner Kolehmainen, who set a new world record. To date, no Canadian athlete has achieved a better placement at the Olympic Games in this discipline.

On July 9th, Goalkeeper started in the 5000 meter run with six other opponents. The best three runners qualified for the final here. Keeper finished second with 15: 28.9 minutes and started the final on July 10th. While his teammate Alexander Decoteau took sixth place (the Finn Kolehmainen was again Olympic champion), Keeper had to give up the race.

Personal best

• 5000 m: 15: 28.9 min (July 9, 1912 in Stockholm)
• 10,000 m: 32: 00.4 min (1912)

Life after exercise

After the Olympics, Keeper continued his career as a long-distance runner. But in 1916 he joined the Canadian Army. For two years he served in France with the 107th Engineer Battalion as a reporter. He was awarded the medal for bravery. After the war, Keeper returned to Winnipeg and worked there as a carpenter. A short time later he moved to the northern part of the province and worked there for the Hudson's Bay Company . In 1951 he retired. With his wife Christina, whom he married in 1926, he had four sons and three daughters. One of his daughters is the actress and former politician Tina Keeper .

Joe Keeper died on September 29, 1971 at the age of 83.

Honors

The Manitoba Runners' Association hosts the Joe Keeper - Angela Chalmers Memorial Run every spring. In 1984 Joe Keeper was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame . He was also inducted into the Manitoba Runners Hall of Fame and the Tribune Sports Hall of Fame .

Web links

• Joe Keeper in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• Biography in the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame

Individual evidence