What does it take to complete a 547 km race? A top-ranked coach or the best trail running shoes?

Well, for the six Rarámuri women who completed “The Speed Project” race in April from LA to Las Vegas—considered one of the hardest for ultra-marathon runners—a pair of sandals is all they needed. These six women—Verónica Palma, Ulisa Fuentes, Isadora Rodríguez, Lucía Nava, Rosa Para, and Argelia Orpinel—ran the race as a relay, covering 90 km each in 52 hours.

Belonging to the rocky mountains of Chihuahua in Mexico, Rarámuris are known to average 300 to 400 km per day, sometimes barefooted, sometimes in flat sandals made from deerskin or old tyres. While this is a historical achievement, given that they are the first indigenous group to reach this feat, running such long distances is not a rarity for them. The name “Rarámuri” literally translates to “light-footed” in English and it is ingrained in their nature to run as a means of transportation, communication or hunting.