Regina’s Carol LaFayette-Boyd lives a busy life.
It includes work in researching and promoting Black history in Saskatchewan, setting world records in Masters athletic competitions, work in health care and social work, and everything in between.
However, it’s a lifestyle she said she embraces, noting her commitment to living a healthy life and passion for sharing the history of people of African descent in the province.
Her dedication to healthy living has resulted in countless awards and accolades, including setting records Masters track and field records on provincial, national and international stages, and being named World Masters Athletics Overall Female Athlete of the Year last year and in 2018.
“I’m 80 now and I feel better than I did probably when I was 35. I don’t have aches and pains like I did then and I’m continuing to do well. So it’s good to keep doing that,” she shared during her interview on Shaping Saskatchewan.
As impressive as it is that she’s still training and competing into her 80s, it’s the competitors who have passed the century mark that motivate her to continue on.
“Probably the most that inspires me are the 106-, 107-year-old women that are competing,” LaFayette-Boyd said. “The person that turned 107, I understand she just started when she was 100 to compete as a sprinter. So, I’m in it for at least another 27 years to keep up with those that have gone before me.”
LaFayette-Boyd’s tireless work ethic stretches past athletics to other interests in her life, including her work as the volunteer executive director of the Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum (SACHM) and the genealogist of her family.
She says it’s about doing what she can to contribute to society and to celebrate and preserve Black history and African heritage in the province.
“A lot of people didn’t know that people of African descent have been in the province since the 1800s, so that’s really kind of my passion,” she explained. “We also recognize the contribution of people who are coming now, like the people that are coming from the continent of Africa and other countries who are people of African descent and contributing to the province of Saskatchewan in some way.”
You can view the full conversation with Carol LaFayette-Boyd in our latest Shaping Saskatchewan feature.
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