Where do the best runners of the planet live?

Everyone has heard of the famous Kenyan and Ethiopian runners who take prizes in all athletics competitions.

But few have heard of the Tarahumara (or Taraumara) Indian tribe, whose representatives live on the border of Mexico and the United States of America. They are rightfully considered the most enduring runners of the planet. They are able to run a distance of up to 700 kilometers without serious effort and harm to health. The basis of their diet is plant foods. But sometimes they prey on wild animals - deer and roe deer. This is where their unique abilities manifest themselves. They simply drive the animal to exhaustion along mountain trails until the beast falls from fatigue. That is, they are more enduring than swift-footed wild animals! Running is an important part of their culture. Games and competitions are popular among tarahumara, during which they cover long distances. There is a known case when one Indian ran five days back and forth from one city to another. At the same time, he overcame 960 kilometers! And all this time he was eating and drinking water on the go.

What explains such amazing stamina? According to scientists, the whole thing is the lifestyle of this people. For many years and many generations, running was part of their traditional lifestyle. Inhabited in remote alpine places, they were forced to travel many kilometers to communicate with other settlements. To save time, they did it by running. The acquired skills were useful in hunting. According to researchers, this unique ability to run fast and for long runs helped them escape from the Spanish colonialists. Tarahumara simply hid in canyons, and no one could catch them.

This amazing stamina has been passed down from generation to generation. Interestingly, they run in simple leather sandals or shoes carved from old tires. In fact, they run barefoot along difficult rocky roads and sloping mountain trails. And they don’t need any special sports shoes. It is all about the physiological structure of their foot, which helps them withstand such enormous loads. The structure of their tendons and joints forms a cushioning arch, the absence of which ordinary people compensate for using comfortable sneakers.

Another important point, according to experts, is moderate, even meager by the standards of modern man, nutrition of tarahumar. The basis of their diet is plant food, and the use of animal products is extremely small.

And finally, the last thing that can explain the phenomenon of tarahumara is their attitude to running. The running process itself brings them joy. They do not overcome themselves, do not experience difficulties, do not run for the sake of receiving royalties or glory. They just love to run. Therefore, no matter how the Mexican authorities tried to bring tarahumar to the elite of world sports, they do not take part in major world competitions. Tarahumara Indians have been running for pleasure, passing this amazing ability to their children for many centuries.

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