On the occasion of the Seventh International Conference of Ministers and High Representatives Responsible for Physical Education and Sport (MINEPS VII) that will take place in Baku (June 26-29), on June 25 a Mexican delegation arrived in the Azerbaijani capital.
Two Mexican athletes, ultra-marathon runners, Lorena and Mario Rodríguez honorably represent both Mexico and the community they come from – Tarahumara or Rarámuri, which means foot runners: rara (foot) and muri (run). The Rarámuri have stood out as high-endurance runners.
They inhabit the part of the Western Mother Mountain range (Sierra Madre Occidental) that crosses the state of Chihuahua and the southwest of Durango and Sonora; As they inhabit a very wide space, their territory is also called Sierra Tarahumara. They have their own language, lifestyle, customs, clothing, crafts, etc.
The internationally famous runner, Lorena Ramírez, has conquered several ultramarathons. She is currently considered the fastest woman in Mexico, she is also admired for doing sports without tennis shoes or proper clothing, since she only does it with her typical clothing and huaraches (typical footwear) that help her run distances of more than 100 kilometers.
Her incomparable strength in her legs is thanks to the hard training she does in the Sierra of Chihuahua. She must travel at least 10 kilometers every day to be close to her cattle, since she is a shepherd.
The athlete represents an example that motivates the new generations of Rarámuris. Young competitors from that Mexican territory will be talking about their achievements, as well as Lorena who is loved and admired throughout the world.