Chihuahua Mexico by UTMB®

There are places on Earth where running isn’t a sport. It’s a tradition 🌞.

The Chihuahua by UTMB®, it’s clearly the second category, the kind of event that makes you want to pull your chair from your desk, buy sneakers and book a one-way ticket to Mexico in October ✈️. But before you rush headlong into the canyons 🏜️, we’ll explain why this place is not just a Western backdrop, it’s literally the cradle of running 🌎. Before GPS watches, before carbon-plated shoes, before 16-week training plans, there were already people running here 📍. Welcome to the Sierra Tarahumara, in the state of Chihuahua (yes, like the small dog, but don’t worry, the comparison ends there 😂). There, in the twists of canyons that slice through the mountains, lies the people of the Rarámuri, whose name translates to "those with light feet" 🪽. No false modesty with these folks ☝️. Pushed into the Barranca del Cobre region during the Spanish advance, they made these hostile canyons their playground, and incidentally the most mythical place in trail running 😍.

The Rarámuri developed a long-distance running tradition to ensure the communication and the transport between their villages, capable of covering up to 320 km over several days, through steep canons ⛰️. To give you an idea: it's like going from Toulon to Lyon by running, in the mountains, without GPS, and probably without resupply 😅. All of this at an altitude above 2,000 m, please 😎. And the cherry on top? The Rarámuri don’t train. Never. Their way of life makes them athletes from a very young age 💪. It was journalist Christopher McDougall who put this people in the spotlight in 2009 with his best-seller Born to Run, a book that sparked a revolution in the trail world and blew up the minimalist shoe trend 🤓. A year after their first international appearance, a Rarámuri runner named Juan Herrera won the legendary Leadville 100 in 17h30, breaking the course record by 25 minutes 🤯. And as if that wasn’t enough to humiliate the rest of the trail world, a Rarámuri woman won an ultra of 63 km in sandals and traditional attire 🩴. While some compare the drop of their carbon plates from the couch 🤪.

The Chihuahua by UTMB®, this isn’t a race that lands on conquered ground. It’s an invitation. As their slogan puts it: Some places are not reached by chance. Some territories are only crossed when the door is open. The Copper Canyons welcome the world, but on their terms, in respect of their culture 🤗. The event’s own name you’ll see at every registration: the "Rarámuri 100M" (135 km, 6 700 mD+ ⛰️), the "Weriga 100K" (94 km, 4 600 mD+), the "Akáa 59K", the "Komakali 38K", the "Napurega 20K", and the "Norawa 8,5K" for those who want to discover the discipline before taking on something reckless 😬. This new edition of the grand dame of the event, the "Rarámuri 100M", plunges runners even deeper into the canyons, passing through the communities of Urique, Churo and Guitayvo, historic Rarámuri villages. The next day, the "Weriga 100K takes over: a stretch along the Cerro del Gallego Viewpoint, the highest viewpoint in the Mexico. Nothing short of that! 🤩 For those looking to test themselves without aches, the "Akáa 59K" offers wild nature: starts from the Parque Barrancas to Divisadero, passing through the villages of Areponapuchi, San Alonso and San Rafael, with 2 400 m of elevation gain blending rolling sections and technical trails with spectacular views 😍.

A little cultural bonus: you’ll run alongside the Rarámuri, and you’ll be able to greet them with a “kuira bá”, the traditional phrase meaning “we are all one”! 😇