Illinois State senior middle-distance and cross country runner Kimathi Johnson is easy to spot in a pack of runners and it's not because of his height or a pair of brightly colored spikes. Johnson's signature race day attire includes something unique to him that no other runner typically wears – a bandana, worn around his neck.
The Oak Park, Illinois native wanted to wear something unique in college to honor his family, but he didn't know what exactly that was until each of his grandmothers gave him special gifts as he was transitioning from high school to becoming a Division I student-athlete at ISU. His grandma on his dad's side, Ethel Johnson, gave him a towel that was dipped in oil that she had blessed at her church, while his grandma on his mom's side, Debra Wilson, gave him a little bottle of oil that was blessed.
"I used to keep them both in my bag when we went to meets before we started going to so many meets where it rains," Johnson said. "I still wanted to find a way to remind myself that they were with me all the time, so I decided to wear a bandana around my neck as a tribute to those items not only to remind myself that my family was always there, but just as a symbol of family and have something that makes me different from the rest."
Being so busy with college and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson hasn't been able to see his grandmothers or any of his extended family as much so the bandana and writing the names of his family members on his spikes serves as a nice reminder of their support.
"It wasn't until I got older and older and accomplished more and more that I realized how much my family was there for me, even though they were far away," Johnson said. "I started looking for more ways that I could represent them and wearing the bandana was kind of the first way I did that for my grandma, specifically."
Johnson will lace up his spikes for the last time this season with eligibility remaining in cross country and outdoor track & field. Even though fan attendance will be limited this year, he knows that his family will be following along from afar.
The Redbirds will travel to Nashville, Tennessee for the Lipscomb Winter Classic this weekend, their first meet of the 2020-21 school year after the traditional fall 2020 season was moved to the spring because of COVID-19. This will be Johnson's first cross country race since 2018, however, since he redshirted the 2019 season. While there are a lot of unknowns regarding this season, two things are for sure – Johnson will be wearing his bandana and he'll have the support of his family.
In accordance with state and local guidelines, fans are currently not allowed to be in attendance at home ISU Athletics events. Game dates, opponents, times and locations are subject to change.
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