No Previous Experience: Indigenous Runner Wins Ultramarathon
- Editor OGN Daily
- Aug 14
- 1 min read
That's after walking for 14 hours to reach the start line.
Many people believe being a top athlete requires having the latest equipment or gruelling training; but sometimes, the most important element is determination. The perfect example of this is Candelaria Rivas Ramos, a 30-year-old who has just become a successful ultra marathon runner after conquering the 63 km (51.57 miles) 2025 Canyon Ultra Marathon - with no previous experience in competitions of this kind.
Rivas Ramos is a member of the Rarámuri, an Indigenous people based in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. They live in a remote area with high mountains and deep gorges in the Sierra Madre Occidental range. Due to their fairly isolated location, the Rarámuris are used to traveling long distances by foot - often in sandals - turning them into proficient runners.
Rivas Ramos finished the race in 7 hours and 34 minutes, earning first place in the female competition. And as if that achievement wasn’t enough proof of her endurance, she also walked 14 hours just to get to the starting line from her distant home. After the race, she told the press that she had no training other than her regular life around the mountains.
She dedicated the win to her family, and took home a medal and a prize of 7,000 Mexican pesos ($370).