I’ve been blogging a bit recently on physical activity and how it positively impacts all aspects of life. Whilst I’m continuing with that theme, let’s save some time and agree that an active lifestyle is unquestionably a good thing.

I’m usually careful to avoid broad, sweeping statements about anything, but I feel comfortable with this one. Why? Because there’s way too much evidence in support of it. Physical activity improves the quantity and quality of life, helping people live longer and more enjoyable lives. Happy to agree? Great. Let’s move on.

Learning from another culture and its customs

Nestled within the high sierra of north-western Mexico, the indigenous people of that region live in a way that’s intrigued outsiders for over 100 years. Why the interest? At first glance, it’s not easy to tell.

The Raramuri (also known as the Tarahumara) live pretty much as traditional rural dwellers have for millennia, by growing crops, tending livestock, hunting, and the like. Whilst they do all that in very some inhospitable country – surrounded by high mountains and steep canyons – these challenges are not what make them unique. After all, humans have long found ways to farm in challenging terrain.

The thing that makes the Raramuri intriguing outside of México is running. They are known for doing a lot of it, which is why they’re often referred to as the “running people”.

A research team from Harvard recently visited Mexico to interview 10 elderly Raramuri about the significance of their running habits. One of the first things they noted was that the Raramuri don’t run nearly as much as people think. Most of the time, they walk. They walk when herding cattle, ploughing fields, fetching water, gathering firewood, or pursuing trade with nearby villages.

‘Sometimes’ runners who also like to race

But, amid all that physical activity, they also like to run. Sometimes, but not always…and they rarely do it for no reason. Whilst many people in the West see running as just another form of exercise, for the Raramuri it has deep social and spiritual significance.

Running gives dispersed communities (pueblos) opportunities to come together and interact. Several times a year different pueblo will come together to compete in a kind of inter-regional footrace. These are highly competitive affairs and typically involve completing a set number of laps of a course, with distances ranging between 30km to 120+ km, and running times of between 3 to 24+ hours.

There are two versions of these races: Rarajipare (for men) and Ariwete (for women). In a men’s race, runners use their feet to flick a small wooden ball around the course, whilst women flick a small hoop using a hooked stick.

Social value

These events are socially valuable in a couple of ways. First, social connectedness is a matter of survival for the Rarmuri, as the harshness of their environment makes cooperative work essential (because it can be hard to get things done). So, these races help to build good social bonds, as does the drinking of large quantities of tesguino (low alcohol corn beer *) that typically follows these events.

* Being a timid people, the Raramuri use beer drinking to lower their inhibitions and to maximise social interactions (something it apparently does very well).

Second, the footraces develop a strong sense of community, as everyone gets involved. Whilst a core team of nominated runners tackle the course, it’s the community members that keep them going. This includes a coach, various assistants (who hold torches at night), and a healer, along with cooks, who keep a constant supply of food and drink flowing, and groups of enthusiastic supporters, who cheer and might join the runners for a few laps.

Spiritual value

Rarajipare and Ariwete have spiritual importance in a couple of ways. First, they represent a potent form of prayer. The intensity of focus needed to propel a small ball or hoop across difficult terrain for hours on end, appears to generate a heightened state of awareness for runners. According to anthropologists, out-of-body experiences are not uncommon during longer races.

Second, the Raramuri see the footraces as a helpful metaphor for living. That is, the difficulty and duration of races reflect the complex, chaotic journey of life. As such, successfully completing an event is worthy of celebration (with tesguino), as the accomplishment tangibly demonstrates the community’s ability to plan for and overcome a significant challenge.

So yes, the Raramuri do run, but not for no reason. And certainly not for fitness! So, the question I’ve been pondering is: Why has there been so much interest in these people?

Why all the Raramuri-osity?

I think the answer is pretty straightforward. Most of the world’s developed societies are plagued by physical inactivity, something that’s a known risk factor for all-too-common lifestyle diseases like diabetes and obesity. As I’ve noted in a previous blog, the problem has become so great that exercise is now widely considered a form of medicine, even though the “exercise-is-medicine” frame is a pretty strange one.

Given these realities, it’s not surprising we’d find the Raramuri intriguing. They appear to be a breed of super-athletes, able to run, and run, and run, whilst actually enjoying it! Why wouldn’t we be intrigued? They seem to have discovered the ‘secret sauce’ of exercise. But as the Harvard research team reported, the Raramuri aren’t exercise-oholics. Indeed, they NEVER train for the running they do. Rather, their ‘training’ is an emergent property of all the walking, dancing and work that structures their life. Their fitness is a function of their lifestyle.

However, just because that might make them fitter than most, it doesn’t mean they don’t get tired, or get cramps, or have dips in motivation after running for several hours. The Raramuri are regular humans, not super humans (as some have portrayed them).

What can we learn from Raramuri running habits?

Two things I think…

First, that incidental activity (i.e., everyday movement) plays a major role in supporting physical health. The biggest advantage the Raramuri have is they lack convenience. With few cars, farm equipment, no public transportation, or supermarkets, they are forced into activity. We, however, are not. To increase our levels of incidental activity, we need to factor in ‘inconvenience’ for ourselves – like taking the stairs (not the lift), walking to the shops (not taking the car), or mowing our own lawn (rather than paying someone else to do it). This all adds up and, if we do it enough, we might even find we like it.

Second, that physical activity and social interactions go nicely together. A key reason the Raramuri run in organised races is that it’s socially sensible to do so. Coming together to run (and drink beer) strengthens social bonds and reinforces a sense of community. It also has survival value for individual household’s because it secures the cooperation of others for future tasks that would be difficult to do alone (e.g., farming or building projects).

But these are things we know…

As explained, the Raramuri don’t see running as a solitary pursuit. For them it is intimately connected to other people. This is how it should be for us too.

Indeed, for many people, it’s already like that. Ask any member of a decent running, swimming, or cycling club and they’re likely to tell you about the camaraderie they experience when training or competing with others, and/or the joy they get when supporting friends who are attempting a challenge of some sort.

For me, taking a broader (social) view of our physical pursuits is critically important. It’s something I cover in my forthcoming book, when describing the process of developing an exercise eco-system to support our efforts. And it was captured well by Richard (Dick), a 71-year-old Masters rower I interviewed, who said this about his rowing club:

It’s the environment here. To me a rowing club has got a lot in common with a church. They're both voluntary organisations that rely on fellowship, shared beliefs, and friendly communication between everyone.

For Dick, and his crew mates, his love and enjoyment of rowing is greatly enhanced by the people it brings him into contact with. Like the Raramuri, rowing reinforces social bonds and gives him a sense of community. But it also has its spiritual side, connecting him to things larger than himself, with constant reminders about the process of living:

Rowing is kind of therapeutic. On a good morning, it’s just wonderful. You see the green on the riverbank, the blues and reds in the sky, and the bird life. I’m so glad I’m a rower…whenever we go out on the river, it’s like we’ve completed a journey. We’ll go up past the bridge, go around the island and head home. And, I always get a sense of achievement out of that, because we’ve been on an actual trip.

Amen to that!

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Wondering about sources?

Kennedy, J. G. (1963). Tesguino complex: The role of beer in Tarahumara culture. American Anthropologist, 65 (3), 620-640.

Lieberman, D. E., Mahaffey, M., Cubesare Quimare, S., Holowka, N. B., Wallace, I. J., & Baggish, A. L. (2020). Running in Tarahumara (Rarámuri) culture: Persistence hunting, footracing, dancing, work, and the fallacy of the athletic savage. Current Anthropology, 61 (3), 356-379.