Running Tarahumara Indians |

I was sad to hear the other day about the death of 58-year-old Micah True, also known as Caballo Blanco, the ultra marathoner who went out for his regular 12-mile run in the Gila Wilderness area in New Mexico and never came back. He wasn’t known to have any health issues and he’d run all over those trails like they were his backyard playground. As I write this, the autopsy is pending.

I first became aware of him when I read BORN TO RUN by Chris McDougall. I posted about this remarkable story back in July 2010. If you haven’t read it, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. It’s the account of True’s residence with the Tarahumara Indians in the harsh Copper Canyons in Mexico. The members of this tribe think nothing of 100-mile runs for fun. They are the world’s most natural ultra-marathoners. And they do it practically barefoot.

BORN TO RUN sparked the interest in shoe mechanics and caused the spike in sales of barefoot runners. At least for me.

True was the race director of the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon, which sends runners through the desert for 50 punishing miles.

With his death, the fate of future races is up in the air. That’s a shame because he loved the area and the race so much. I hope it doesn’t go away and someone steps up to turn it into his legacy.

Hal Higdon runs and writes about running. He said, “The marathon never ceases to be a race of joy, a race of wonder.”

I have the feeling every time Micah True ran it was a race of joy.

Title: BORN TO RUN

Author: Christopher McDougall

→ Devour it

Nibble till it’s gone

Spit it out

BORN TO RUN is a funny, suspenseful, entertaining, and educational book. It’s not a food memoir, but rather Christopher McDougall’s quest to figure out why his feet hurt when he ran. His search led him from doctor to doctor and finally to the reclusive Tarahumara Indians living in the inaccessible Copper Canyons in Mexico.

I’m not a runner but I stumbled upon this book while watching McDougall’s interview on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart.

The Tarahumara are a fascinating people. They wear sandals and run hundreds of miles just for fun in an inhospitable climate. They have no crime, no depression and none of the big killers that the ‘developed world’ has — cancer, heart disease, diabetes and such.

McDougall also describes long distance racing. Not wimpy little 26-mile marathons, but footraces of 100 miles! I’d never heard of such a pastime. And the key seems to be to ditch your sneakers. All those high-priced running shoes do more harm than good. The theory is that all the stability and mechanics they build into the shoe means your body isn’t required do what it’s meant to do.

He talks about research studies that show regardless of training surface, running speed, motivation, weekly mileage, body weight, or history of injuries, the common denominator in injuries was the cost of the running shoe worn. “Runners in shoes that cost more than $95 were more than twice as likely to get hurt as runners in shoes that cost less than $40.”

But here’s a shoe McDougall talks about that mimics barefoot running …

Isn’t that a hoot?! (It is, however, more than $40.) They have oodles of styles and colors, both for men and women. BTW, Vibram … I’ll absolutely start running if you send me a pair of these! Just sayin.

I said this wasn’t a food memoir, but there is practical and instructive nutritional information in it.

Anyway, the result of McDougall’s quest is a highly entertaining history of the Tarahumara, of the shoe cartel, and of the science of running. You won’t want to put it down till you know who wins the final race.

Do you run? Would you try running barefoot? Will you send me a pair of Vibram Five Fingers shoes?

Tag Archives: running Tarahumara Indians

A Race of Joy

BORN TO RUN