Rarámuri Runners

The Rarámuri (or “Tarahumara” in colonial-speak) people have made running a central part of their culture for generations.

Running over long distances in the Mexican state of Chihuahua and around Copper Canyon, the Rarámuri run as a necessity and as a form of prayer.

In 1993, a few Rarámuri runners decided to enter the famed Leadville 100 in Colorado and went on to win in ‘93 and ‘94 — wearing their customary huarache sandals instead of the running shoes their competitors wore.

Even amid shoe sponsorships of the Leadville 100, runners shunned free shoes in favor of making their own with scraps of tire they found in a local landfill.