Kickstick Race (Zuni and Tohono O'odham Nations)
- A small carved wooden kicking stick or stone for each racer
- A marked course over open or rugged ground
Traditional races cover long cross-country distances, sometimes several miles, following natural terrain rather than a flat track.
Each runner starts with their own small kicking stick placed at their feet on the starting line.
At the signal, every racer sets off running while kicking their stick ahead of them with the top of the foot, never picking it up by hand.
Racers must keep their stick moving forward with repeated kicks, chasing after it whenever it bounces off the intended path.
The course can wind through open desert, brush, or hills, following a route agreed on before the race begins.
A racer who loses track of their stick must go back and find it before continuing, so pacing and control matter as much as speed.
The first runner to kick their stick across the finish line wins the race.