A race in the desert

During the weekends, the Oasis women usually race against women from other settlements. Sometimes women from other settlements will come to Oasis to race, and sometimes the Oasis women will load up in a pick-up truck or take a bus to another settlement. These races are rarely planned ahead--I've often seen women from other settlements arrive to challenge someone from Oasis, and that same day the race takes place.

When I walked into Oasis this past Sunday, I found the women getting ready to go to another settlement to race. To my surprise, they invited me to go and I immediately accepted the invitation. I had no qualms when I thought we would be traveling by bus, but when I learned that someone's husband was going to drive everyone over in his pick-up truck, I definitely had second thoughts. I've seen the way the women pile onto the back of the trucks, and being my mother's daughter, I thought about the truck flipping over in an accident. Apart from the dangers, riding squashed in the back of a pick-up truck is something that is pretty out of my comfort zone. And to be quite honest, the thought of passers-by doing double takes when they saw me riding in the back of a pick-up with rarámuri women also made me uncomfortable and hesitant about going. However, I decided to go for it, and I'm so glad I did! Traveling to another part of the city with the rarámuri was an excellent bonding, as well as educational, experience. And the ride was fun--everyone was making jokes and it was a warm day. I avoided looking at other cars so I wouldn't have to notice if people were looking at me.

We ended up on the outskirts of the city, in some colonia of which I don't remember the name, but it was a bunch of one-room cinderblock homes cramped together in a patch of open desert. I could see immediately that this would be a great place to run--plenty of open space, dirt roads with little traffic. Separate from the bustle of the city, but not so isolated that there weren't other people around, or stores to buy refreshments.

We were in the desert for nine hours that day. So many interesting moments occurred, but I will cut directly to the reason we came. That day I witnessed the most impressive race I have seen to date. It was the kind of marathon I have read about in ethnographies about the rarámuri. Two women, age 18, ran eight laps, each lap measuring about 1 1/2 miles at my best estimate. As I described in a previous entry, it is common practice for non-competitors to accompany the runner they are supporting for at least one lap. The Oasis runner was Lorena, who has a baby just a few months old. Sevearl of her friends ran the entire race with her, and for the first time, I joined in on the running too! Normally, I would be proud to say I finished one mile-and-a-half lap, but when I compare it to what other women accomplished, I have to say I'm ashamed of my physical weakness. The rarámuri women told me I need to do more running. Running with them was a rich experience in several ways. First, it absolutely improved my standing in the rarámuri eyes, and several women have become much friendlier with me since I actively participated in a very important social event for the women. Second, I got to feel what it was like to run the way they do in a group, shouting encouraging words to the competitor, and fighting off the urge to quit. On top of that, running in a desert setting was beautiful and challenging. Challenging for me, because the rarámuri women know this stretch of land very well, since they race here often. I think knowing the terrain makes a difference in how well one competes, although some articles I have read describe the rarámuri as the most agile runners even in unfamiliar territory. I feel I am glossing over the experience in this entry, but I am working on a longer piece now based just on this day.