Barefoot Ted, the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen and the Plight of the Raramuri

Barefoot Ted, the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen and the Plight of the Raramuri

I have learned quite a lot after reading Born to Run. I now know that running isn’t all about getting there first or quickly or racing at all. Running certainly doesn’t need to be forced or beaten; it isn’t anything to muscle your way through at all. Naturally, my experience and perception of running are completely at odds with this. I was taught to land on heels, roll through to toes take huge strides and push harder to go faster. Basically I was taught that running is a hard physical activity that must be made to happen; the harder you try the faster you go. Despite my knowledge to the contrary for the last year or so I have still somewhere at the back of my mind thought that maybe, just maybe everything the Efficient Running advocates would have me believe is wrong or complete bunkum OR maybe I’m just not cut out to be a more efficient runner who can run without fear of injury?

It has been a long hard road for me and reading this book helped restore my faith in my quest to be a better runner. The Rararmuri have a completely different attitude to running – they race, yes and they like competing but that is not why they run – they run because they enjoy it and it is what they do in order to get from A to B. Running is a mode of transport and a way of life for the Rararmuri and this book brought that fact home to me.  Furthermore it proved to me that anyone can reawaken that age old running instinct just like the Rararmuri if they have the time, dedication and patience.  Scott Jurek, Barefoot Ted and lots of other very accomplished ultra distance runners have found a way of running that is very close to if not the same style as the Raramuri. Looking at these people run I see that they do not percieve running as something difficult at all. Sure it gets hard like anything else does if you take it to extremes but the efficient way of running is in essence quite effortless and very enjoyable.

Reading the book I liked the way Barefoot Ted ran the race in Huaraches to experience the Raramuri way at first hand. I have been to the website, seen photographs and watched videos of the hike on the day before the race as well as the event itself. I would love to go there at some point, the book piqued my interest and the websites and everything brought it all to life for me. What a wonderful time they all had! It just shows me how enjoyable running can be and should be. It strengthens my resolve to find my way with my running. No longer will I try to make it happen, I will let my natural instinct come out, that’s all I and anyone else needs to do. We know how to run, we just need to clear our heads of all assumption and let it happen.  We were all born to run, it is in our genes. Saying we as humans don’t know how to run any more makes about as much sense as an eagle forgetting how to fly,  flying is what they do and running is  what we do.

Plight of the Raramuri

This video saddened me. These kind and gentle people need to be left alone to live in peace.

http://current.com/items/88898996_running-for-their-lives.htm

The World’s Greatest Runners

http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/index.php/the-worlds-greatest-runners/

Links

Article by Christopher McDougal, author of Born to Run

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E0DD1E3BF930A15755C0A9639C8B63

Adventure Trips/Ultra

http://www.caballoblanco.com/

http://www.barefootted.com/

http://www.scottjurek.com/

http://www.scottjurek.com/blog/