ESPN's '30 for 30: The Infinite Race' lets indigenous Rarámuri ultra marathoners tell their own story
The story of the Rarámuri, known to outsiders as the Tarahumara, is one many have heard. Known as the world’s best long distance runners, the culture of these indigenous Mexican people exploded into popular culture in 2009 when Christopher McDougall published his book “Born to Run,” about the running culture of the Rarámuri and their yearly 50-mile ultra marathon.
But the Rarámuri have never had the chance to tell their own story. ESPN’s new “30 for 30: The Infinite Race,” directed by Bernardo Ruiz, finally gives these natural ultra marathoners that chance.
The story of the Rarámuri people — the story that they tell about themselves — is about desperate sadness and hope, about welcoming outsiders and fighting cultural appropriation, but most of all it’s about survival and resistance. Environmental destruction, climate change and organized crime are all forcing them off their ancestral land in Mexico, where their people have lived for thousands of years.
But running and racing, something their people have always done, is a thread that runs through their ancestry and keeps them connected to the earth, their people and God.
The film follows three Rarámuri whose lives have been affected by running, and also tells the story of the the Caballo Blanco ultra marathon, a yearly 50-mile ultra marathon that brings investment, international runners and hope to the Rarámuri. First organized in 2003 by American Micah True to help the Rarámuri and strengthen their traditions, it steadily grew and enriched the region, in no small part due to McDougall’s book.
Despite the good intentions of the race, Ruiz shows how it eventually became a business to the American organizers, and how that affected the local planners and runners who, unlike the Americans and international racers, can’t just leave when it’s all over.
The American organizers and internationals runners can always return to their homes, but the Rarámuri must stay and live in a world that has been profoundly affected by outside forces, the Caballo Blanco, and “Born to Run.” Ruiz introduces us to Rarámuri people who are struggling with money and basic necessities, seeking education, and fighting cultural appropriation, and they are each helped or hindered (sometimes both) by racing and running.
“The Infinite Race” is a look into a culture and a people fighting for survival against incredible, earth-shaking forces, and how the Rarámuri are using their natural abilities to try and save their communities and themselves. But it’s also about the effect the outside world can have when it tries to “help” — when its aims are more about personal enrichment than uplifting struggling people.
“The Infinite Race” premieres Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
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