WATCH: Jac Cashin defies Down syndrome limits at Saskatoon track meet

When Jac Cashin’s family walked into Costco last week, they weren’t expecting to be approached by a fan of their nine-year-old son.

“This boy comes up and he’s like, ‘Hey, I saw you race last weekend! You killed it!’ and then gave him a fist bump,” Jac’s dad, Francis Cashin, recalled. “I asked Jac, ‘How did this make you feel?’ and he said, ‘I’m strong.’ ”

Jac is a Grade 4 student at Holliston School in Saskatoon. He has Down syndrome, but he isn’t letting it slow him down.

The young running enthusiast recently participated in his very first relay race and left the crowd in awe, boosting him to near-celebrity status in his neighbourhood.

While Jac is now a healthy and active boy, that wasn’t always the case. He was born with a heart defect and had open heart surgery when he was three and a half months old. He recently had his tonsils and adenoids removed to treat sleep apnea.

While the limitations that come with these diagnoses may prevent some people from participating in intense physical activity, Jac continues to push the limits of what is believed to be possible for people with Down syndrome.

Jac’s love for running was sparked last year when Holliston School registered a group of students in the Saskatchewan Marathon MaraFun program.

After expressing interest in taking part, Jac was partnered with an education assistant and the pair began training together over the lunch hour each day.

The multi-week program wrapped up with a 2.2-kilometre run. All of Jac’s hard work paid off, and he was able to complete the race.

“There (were) a couple hundred people cheering him on, which was pretty great,” recalled Francis. “You could tell he was pretty tired at the end, and as soon as they started cheering his name, he got that extra wind.”

The support Jac received from the crowd kicked his love of running into an even higher gear, and gave him the confidence to sign up for his school’s track and field team — without telling his parents.

They learned about Jac’s latest running endeavour through a call from his daycare. The centre informed them they would need to make arrangements to have someone stay with Jac after school once a week for track practice.

“We’re like, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. Jac’s not racing.’ We reached out to his classroom teacher and that’s when we found out that Jac joined the relay race team,” Francis laughed.

There weren’t enough boys interested in forming a boys team, but that didn’t stop Jac’s school from ensuring he could participate.

Sheena Hushagen, vice-principal and relay race coach at Holliston School, put together an unregistered team that consisted of Jac and three female students, who jumped at the opportunity to run with their friend and classmate.

The team trained twice a week in the lead-up to Jac’s first ever track meet — the 2024 Saskatoon Kinsmen Indoor Games at the Saskatoon Field House in mid-March.

As Jac’s mom Meghan Ritchie sat in the stands at the event, she overheard a heartwarming conversation between some of Jac’s schoolmates.

“They were like, ‘Oh, Jac’s race is next!’ and they were just as excited as I was to cheer him on,” Ritchie said. “That was really amazing.”

Watch Jac finish first in his heat at the Kinsmen Indoor Games

Jac participated in two races during the meet. Francis says the first race, which was also the first time Jac ran on a real track and field surface, was remarkable to watch.

“All he did was have his head down, run as fast as he could with a baton in his hand and stay in between the lines,” Francis said. “I don’t think the crowd really understood why there was a boy running in the girls race, and then they realized that he had some form of disability. Then the crowd got into it the second time he ran.”

The spectators roared as the second race drew to a close. Jac zipped down the track and crossed the finish line, finishing first in his heat. The energy in the Saskatoon Field House was electric in the moments following the race, and it was clear to Ritchie that everyone in the room could feel it.

“The officials smiled, the people on the sidelines, people in the stands, the teams … everybody was just so positive,” she said.

Ritchie said watching Jac take part in the relay race was an inspiring example of inclusion.

“To see him in an activity that he so clearly loves and seeing everybody cheering him on … there (were) just tears — happy tears,” she said.

When asked how participating in the race made him feel, Jac said: “Me happy. Jac fast!”