Tarahumara Indians: what is the reason for the phenomenon of the best runners on the planet

Endurance is one of the most important qualities of any athlete. It is especially important for athletes running long distances. Athletes train for years so that they can cover tens of kilometers without rest. But there are people who already have this ability by nature. And these are not always individuals who win the “genetic lottery.” In Mexico there lives the Tarahumara Indian tribe, whose representatives are born marathon runners.

The tribe of natural runners lives in the southwestern Mexican state of Chihuahua in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains, called the Sierra Tarahumara. The villages of this people are located at an altitude of 1500-2400 meters above sea level. The Spanish word "Tarahumara" has Indian roots and comes from rarámuri, that is, "born to run." This is how representatives of the tribe have been called since time immemorial for their amazing ability to run.

It’s worth mentioning right away that these Indians are not sprinters at all and do not set world speed records. But they can run incredible distances without stopping to rest. For the Tarahumara it is not at all a problem to run 150-200 km without stopping, and over rough mountainous terrain.

Of course, not all Indians are capable of such feats. We are talking about physically healthy men and women. An officially registered case was when a representative of this tribe ran 960 km in 5 days. He covered 200 km every day, keeping his strength on the go with unleavened cakes and water.

For the Tarahumara Indians, running is part of their life. After running a couple of hundred kilometers, they do not need recovery, massage or special nutrition. A few hours later, the runner is fresh again and ready to continue on his way. For Indians, running is not a sport - it is a way of life and thinking. When setting out on a journey, they prefer not to walk, but to run.

For centuries, stories of fleeing Indians were classified as legends. The world learned the details of their life only in the 20th century. And in 2009, Christopher McDougle wrote a book about this amazing people, “Born to Run.” It was sold around the world in circulation exceeding 3 million copies in dozens of languages. The book sparked interest in the Tarahumara. Ethnographers, journalists and athletes began to flock to the Sierra Madre mountains.

Needless to say, the quiet life of the Indian tribe ended there. Representatives of the tribe began to be invited to ultramarathons, where they took first places. Just a couple of years after McDougle's book was published, it was difficult to find a publication or serious article on endurance and cardio training that did not mention the Tarahumara. Many scientific works also appeared in which the authors presented hypotheses about the origin of the amazing abilities of the Indians.

The Indians themselves claim that life itself forced them to run. For a long time, the Tarahumara tribe was considered peaceful and its representatives preferred not to engage in wars and conflicts. But their neighbors were not always friendly. Because of this, representatives of the peaceful people were often forced to flee.

With the beginning of the colonization of America by Europeans, their situation worsened. The Spaniards forced the Indians to work in gold and silver mines. Many times they captured Tarahumara villages and took the entire working population into slavery. This led to the previously peaceful people learning to show their teeth. In the second half of the 17th century, the tribe took up arms several times and staged bloody uprisings against the invaders.

During this period, the tribe suffered huge losses. Tens of thousands of Indians died in battles and because of epidemics brought by the Spaniards. The once numerous Tarahumara began to literally die out. They had to unite with other tribes to confront a common enemy. Some of the Indians, who did not want to fight, left their homes and hid in inaccessible mountainous areas. It was these people who were able to preserve their culture and religion.

The colonial era has passed, but life for the Tarahumara tribe has not changed much. The Spanish invaders were replaced by gold seekers, then drug traffickers, and with them violence. The Mexican authorities did not take the local population into account. In the places where Indians lived, paved roads, police and just random people appeared.

The Indians, accustomed to living separately, did not like this. And the Tarahumara once again collected their simple belongings and went even higher into the mountains. They were left with lifeless mountains and hot, dry canyons. Life in the highlands, with its thin air and scarcity of food and water, further developed the endurance of the Indians.

There is another important factor that influenced these people. For centuries, the Tarahumara hunted without using weapons. Their men gathered in groups and simply drove game until exhaustion. Scientists have not yet figured out why the tribe did not use bows, spears, and later guns.

The fact that the tribe’s villages are scattered over a long distance also played a role. They are often separated by tens of kilometers of sun-scorched mountains. Research has shown that life on the run influenced the anatomy and physiology of the Tarahumara. It turned out that Indians spend 10 percent less energy during exercise than people living on the plains.

The Indians of the tribe are all suitably short and thin. Their legs look especially thin, but they contain incredible power. Women look heavier than men. Although they are also very hardy, they have to run much less. They run the household and take care of the children.

The traditional clothing of the Tarahumara looks the same as that of other Indian tribes. These days they prefer to wear tank tops and shorts or jeans. But the tribe doesn’t like sports shoes. During their long races, the Indians wear leather sandals that look very primitive. They consist of a flat sole, which is simply tied with leather tape to the foot. It doesn't look very reliable, considering that you have to run on bare rocks.

But it turned out that Indian shoes are great for marathons. One athlete started using traditional sandals and was surprised by the results. The number of injuries has decreased significantly, and my feet have shrunk by almost 2 sizes! A reverse experiment was also conducted. Several Indians were put on expensive branded sneakers and asked to run in them. It turned out that the speed of the runners decreased noticeably and they began to get tired faster. In addition, even branded shoes specially designed for mountain running quickly fell to pieces.