Ultramarathon in Mexico | Run with the Raramuri

Joan Roch and Anne Genest took part last week in the Ultra Run Rarámuri, in Mexico. Story of a harrowing experience. And unique.

Frederick Duchesneau
The Press

This is not Joan Roch’s first non-standard racing project. Not to say a little crazy. In the summer of 2020, he ran Percé-Montréal in 15 days, a 1135 km ride. In sandals.

His achievement did not go unnoticed, as he and his wife Anne Genest were invited to join the group of runners for the Ultra Run Rarámuri 2022, in the Barrancas del Cobre, also known as Copper Canyon.

But nothing in Quebec could have prepared them for what awaited them: a 190 km course at an altitude of 2,500 m, with 10,000 meters of elevation gain. And in oppressive heat, more than 40 degrees Celsius at the bottom of the canyons.

The organizer Jean-François Tantin confirmed to them that the conditions were particularly hot this year. Even for the fifteen runners from the Rarámuri people, adds Joan Roch.

“So for us, poor Quebecers coming out of an interminable winter, it hurt,” he said.

Bad enough to let go. During the night following the first day, at the second refueling point, after about fifty kilometers.

“We said to ourselves that we were going to rest a little and surely that the strange feeling of heat would disappear. We drank water from the river and everything we could drink to reduce the feeling of extreme thirst and heat, but it didn’t go away. We didn’t feel well at all. So, we decided at that time to give up, ”explained the runner and writer from Mexico last Wednesday.

And others imitated them at the same time.

Because beyond the extreme physical challenge, the relief of the Ultra Run Rarámuri in itself requires a lot of concentration.

In one of the segments, the athletes must descend on the buttocks. And, to hold on to, they are surrounded by cacti… But there is much worse.

“Trails where you don’t cross both feet, you have to hold on to the rock so as not to fall into the canyon which is a kilometer long… It’s the kind of race we were faced with”, explains Anne Genest.

“But we confirmed with the organizer that at least, in terms of landscapes, we saw the most beautiful parts of the canyons, consoles the runner, also a lecturer, in particular. The second part of the race is less beautiful, less exotic. The extremely deep canyons, the cliffs, everything that is very typical, we saw the essentials. »

In short, the couple has no regrets. Especially since the Ultra Run Rarámuri is about running, but also about adventure.

For example, sleeping outdoors, on the sandy banks of a river at the bottom of a canyon.

“With a starry sky like you don’t see in town”, describes Joan Roch.

And with, as a bonus, the cows, mules and goats that roam free.

The Raramuri

The race. Adventure. But the cultural experience is also an important part of this atypical event.

“We really wanted to dive into the world of the Rarámuris”, says Joan Roch.

At the base of this interest, the bestseller Born to Runin which the author, Christopher McDougall, finds these people, fascinated by their aptitudes for running.

“We are all here because we read this book,” says Roch, in an interview from Mexico. Even the translator of the French version of the book was there.

Inevitably, the work is a little romanticized. But not that much, found the ultramarathoner and author.

“There are a lot of things that are true, not exaggerated at all,” he says. As much on the attitude of the Rarámuris as on their sandals. »

There we go again: the sandals.

As during his Percé-Montréal, Joan Roch ran in traditional leather sandals. He bought some on the spot, handmade sandals, “but which work extremely well”.

To tie them up, he enlisted the help of one of the Raramuri runners.

“He did it with a big smile, he tied my first foot, I did the second alone and he couldn’t stop laughing when he saw me do what he had shown me because obviously, I was wrong. He didn’t say anything, he leaned over and did my lacing again, ”says the Quebecer.

Still laughing, but very politely.

“Afterwards, he left. »

The exchanges were not very numerous, that said. First, most Rarámuris don’t speak Spanish. Joan Roch and Anne Genest either, anyway.

And then, they are very discreet. But the contact was no less enriching.

To his surprise, however, Joan Roch was one of the few in sandals on the trails. Only two of the fifteen Raramuri runners wore them. Three, including him.

“It’s the big disappointment for all the other western riders invited. We also come to run with the locals in sandals and even those who ran in sandals in previous years have put on shoes this year. »

They would have been forced by their “Mexican agent”, who wishes to make them shine on the international scene, indicates Joan Roch. While obviously, adds Anne Genest, the Rarámuris were not at all comfortable in shoes.

Either way, whatever they wear, the Raramuri constantly have long distances to travel. Even from one high house to another. To borrow milk from the neighbour, plan a good part of the day…

This probably partly explains the speed of their movements.

One morning, Anne Genest and Joan Roch saw a group of children descending the canyons on their way to school.

Running, of course.

TO READ TOMORROW
“Running among drug traffickers”, the second part of the series