The Hidden Runners of Copper Canyon

Nestled in the remote Sierra Madre Occidental mountains of northern Mexico lies a network of canyons four times larger than the Grand Canyon. This is Copper Canyon, home to the Rarámuri people, more commonly known as the Tarahumara. The name Rarámuri literally translates to "those who run fast" or the running people, and it's not an exaggeration. For centuries, this indigenous community has maintained a way of life centered around running—not as exercise or sport, but as fundamental transportation, communication, and cultural identity.

The Tarahumara live in one of the most rugged terrains imaginable. Their villages are scattered across vast distances, separated by deep canyons and steep mountain ridges. Before modern roads penetrated their territory, running was simply how they moved through their world. A Tarahumara runner might think nothing of covering fifty to one hundred miles in a single day to visit relatives, trade goods, or participate in ceremonies. They run to hunt deer, literally chasing the animals to exhaustion over the course of days. And perhaps most famously, they play a traditional ball game called rarájipari that can last for two days straight and cover distances exceeding one hundred miles.

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