THE TARAHUMARA PEOPLE - THE TRIBE OF STONE AGE SUPERATHLETES (THREAD)

The Tarahumara Indians call themselves Rarámuri.

According to Etymology, Rarámuri means "those with light feet".

This term refers to the oldest tradition of the Tarahumara Indians:
- running.

The Tarahumari hunter, with nothing on but his rawhide sandals and a breech-clout, will start in pursuit of a deer and run it down after a chase of hours in length; the thin crust of snow impeding the animal so that it finally succumbs to its persistent enemy.

They occupy one fourth of the southwest of Chihuahua State (approx. 50 thousand sq. kms.) in one of the highest peaks of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. It is also known as Sierra Tarahumara with an altitude between 1500 and 2400 m. above sea level.

With widely dispersed settlements, these people developed a tradition of long-distance running up to 200 miles (320 km) in one session, over a period of two days through their homeland of rough canyon country, for inter-village communication, transportation, and hunting.

The Tarahumara may be the finest natural distance runners in the world" - University of Arizona archeologist Michael Jenkinson.  

Curiously, the Tarahumara smoke and drink before they race.

Some believed that the Tarahumara were part of the Aztec race who were left behind when the Aztec migrated south. They live in the northern parts of mexico.

The name Tarahumara means: "where the night is the day of the moon"

Dale Groom, M.D., "Probably not since the days of the ancient Spartans has a people achieved such a high state of physical conditioning."

The indian tribe has a simple way of life and believes in a simple law called 'the attitude of humble silence' = love, humility, hope + joy

The Tarahumara wear barefoot stlye 'Huaraches' to run in.

They are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps passing over the instep and around the ankle.

Western running footwear is hindering your natural running gait.

Lessons from the Tarahumara:

1. DO NOT WASTE ENERGY

American ultrarunning legend Scott Jurek, spent time with the Tarahumara in Mexico’s Copper Canyon in 2006. He observed that nothing is wasted with these runners.

“What really stood out to me when I ran with them is the efficiency with how they live their lives as well as the efficiency while running,”

“They are really about not wasting energy or calories"

Focus on what gives you happiness or progresses you in life.

IGNORE THE REST

2. WORK AS A TEAM

One of the most important lessons of the Tarahumara: collaboration makes you stronger and happier.

The Tarahumara always race as a team, not as individuals. They feed off each other’s energy and camaraderie, but there’s also another benefit:

by pacing yourself to the group, you reduce the risk of going out too hard and blowing up.

Exercise performance has been shown to improve when performing with other people.

Train together, encourage friendly competition and grow with others.

3. RUN WITH A CONTAGIOUS JOY

For the Tarahumara running is a joyful and sacred experience with a powerful spiritual significance,”

“Their traditional running is about working together in teams, celebrating as a community and honoring one another.

Their laughter while running their traditional races was contagious and inspiring.

"When we came back to the States and examined the faces of people running, we noticed pain, suffering, and unhappiness"

Bad form = running pain = associating running as stressful + pains

4. EMBRACE SIMPLICITY

The Tarahumara don’t rely on GPS watches, heart-rate monitors, pace calculators, detailed training plans or a special shoe that best matches their running stride.

Keeping things simple allows them to focus exclusively on running.

Focus on the basics, don't get too mired down in the details until you're several years deep into exercise and eating healthy.

The big rocks - consistency, sleep, clean diet, pushing yourself. All of these come first before the minutiae and details that confuse beginners.

“The Tarahumara treat running as a fine art, something to be learned slowly and perfected over a lifetime,”

“The goal isn’t necessarily to become fast; it’s to become good. Artists don’t obsess over speed; they obsess over mastering skills."

Similarly, I believe that all forms of exercise are an opportunity to hone a skill, to concentrate and to spiritually develop through pushing your previous boundaries.

The more you learn about moving your body lightly and efficiently, the closer you’ll be to running like the Tarahumara.

Return to a more natural gait and spiritual appreciation for exercise.