After his odyssey in The Speed Project, The six Chihuahua athletes of the Rarámuri ethnic group (Yulisa Fuentes, Isidora Rodríguez, Lucía Nava, Argelia Orpinel, Rosa Ángela and Verónica Palma) told exclusively for this editorial about their journey during the 540 kilometers from Los Angeles to Las Vegasa competition in which they finished in third place, to the astonishment of many, because far from run with sports clothing, they did it with huaraches and traditional dress.
In 90 kilometer relays, the Chihuahuan athletes covered the route; Although they considered it exhausting, they managed to do it thanks to their great resistance and perseveranceas well as its prior preparation.
“I saw the signs that said how far we are from Las Vegas, what I did was encourage the girls, I told them that we were just arriving. When I saw the city lights, I couldn’t contain myself and tears came out. After so much effort we achieved it”he commented Veronica Palma for this publishing house.
During the 540 kilometers of competition they faced various climates; rain, humidity along the coast, and dry heat in the Nevada desert; However, they managed to overcome this, as they arrived prepared to compete.
“There were different climates, despite this we did not give up, we encouraged each other, we supported each other as a team. Trust was the basis for achieving it, we have been preparing for a month. We weren’t sure if we were going to go, when we were confirmed I started training to avoid injuries above all.”declared the Chihuahuan athlete.
“We run with huaraches most of the time”Verónica Palma, Rarámuri runner
They ran a large part of the journey with dresses and sandals, however, it was due to the same weather as the sectors they decided to change of clothing for something more comfortable that, despite the wet, they could maintain their pace and not weigh more than necessary.
“At the moment it rained too much, we ran with huaraches most of the time, as well as dresses, we also wore shorts, which we used when it rained, since we didn’t have any other clothes, they were wet, it wasn’t the same, they were already very heavy and there is that we changed while our clothes were dried”Palma assured.
The six Chihuahuans lived an unforgettable experience in two of the most emblematic cities in the United States, something they said felt like a dream come true.
“We talked about it among ourselves and we said it’s like a dream come true, we lived it and as if we didn’t wake up, women who want to achieve it must fight to achieve it, for the love of sport, do it without fear”concluded the athlete from the native town of the big state.
published by The Herald of Chihuahua.