Indigenous Rarámuri Women Leave The Speed Project Participants in Awe with Remarkable Relay Run
Wearing traditional huaraches and sandals, six indigenous women from the Rarámuri community of Chihuahua left the participants of “The Speed Project” speechless. The women ran in relays approximately 340 miles between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Veronica Palma, Ulisa Fuentes, Lucia Nava, Rosa Parra, Argelia Orpinel, and Lucia Nava took third place in the marathon. Each runner completed 35 miles without stopping, day and night. While one competitor ran, the others had time to hydrate and rest.
Lucia Nava, in particular, ran the marathon relay just three months after giving birth.
The Rarámuri runners proved that nothing is impossible
The six Rarámuri women completed “The Speed Project” marathon in 52 hours and 22 minutes in Las Vegas. The race, which is by invitation only, starts at the Santa Monica Pier and ends at the Las Vegas welcome sign.
The six Rarámuri women answered the invitation and came down from the mountains of Chihuahua to show the world how it’s done.
After all, running is in the blood of the Rarámuri community.
In fact, their name means ‘light runners’
Native to northern Mexico, in the state of Chihuahua, the Rarámuri settled 15,000 years ago in the western Sierra Madre. Since colonial times, they have used the protection of the mountains to preserve their culture and traditions, including running.
This tradition stems from the surrounding ecologically harsh environment. However, for hundreds of years, Rarámuri men and women have competed in uninterrupted day and night running distances of more than 200 km.
That’s why the Speed Project was a perfect fit for the women of the “Ra Ra Ra” team.
To participate, they tried to raise 500,000 pesos (about $30,000) through a page on Donadora.org. Although they only managed to raise less than half, the runners received $6,000 for participating and won the hearts of millions of people who cheered them on from start to finish.
