He visited the Native American runner nation and met the heroes of the world bestseller. A dream come true, he says – News

“When I was young, I read Quick Arrows, then I switched to Indians. Well, it actually stayed with me my whole life. I gradually visited natural nations on all continents. Another hobby of mine is running, which also serves as preparation for demanding expeditions, during which I often get to very inaccessible places,” says Milan Daněk, adding that when he learned about the running Indian nation, he did not think long about visiting it in Mexico.

“I first learned about the Tarahumara through a mention in a book Indian runner by Miloslav Stingl. However, it was only the book Born to Run (Born to Run in the Czech edition – editor’s note) that really sparked my interest. It is so interesting that while reading it, I questioned whether I should believe the information in it. The only way to verify their credibility was to pack a backpack and go there,” recounts the native of Blansko, who went to the Copper Canyons for the first time in 2012.

“At that time I went there with my partner Alena Žákovská. We soon encountered the first inaccuracy in the book. It is written about the largest running race on the planet, in which both the Tarahumara and, for example, the world’s best ultramarathoner Scott Jurek participated. The book states that it was held only once, but we found out on the spot that it is held every year,” he says, adding that the 80-kilometer race was the reason why he returned to the Copper Canyons after a few months.

The second expedition was more numerous and had a purely sporting character. Daniel Orálek, the best Czech ultramarathoner at the time, was part of it.

“Dan did an amazing performance there. Thanks to him, we managed to repeat the central motif of the book Born to Run, when the mentioned Scott Jurek finished second behind one of the Indians in the race. And Dan also succeeded in that,” he says.

And why are the Tarahumara such exceptional runners that they can beat even the world’s elite ultramarathoners on long distances?

“It is their life and tradition. They live in barren areas, so their fields are often located far from villages. To speed up traffic, they started running, they have been running since time immemorial and it is their natural movement. There are even recorded cases where they were able to kill a deer or a turkey by running,” he explains.

“The book had a worldwide impact, but it didn’t have much impact on Tarahumara life. But the American Micah True, known as Caballo Blanco – one of the central characters of the book – had a very positive influence on their lives. Tarahumara children mostly finished school in the 3rd grade, they did not understand Spanish because they have their own language. People were backward and uneducated. But thanks to the activity and help of Caballa Blanca, teaching in the Tarahumara language is beginning to be promoted, so they can continue their studies and gradually become full citizens of Mexico.”

Milan Daňek’s documentary called Run Free

“Caballo has really influenced me. He spread the slogan “Run Free”, i.e. running without borders. He argued that it didn’t matter if one ran in designer shoes or sandals like the Tarahumara, but that it was important to run for joy. At the same time, he made sure that every visitor to the Tarahumara subsequently presented his story in such a way that the real hero was not him, but the Indians, to whom he would have the opportunity to visit them in some way,” he tells of the meeting with the book’s hero, who not long after he died while running in the Copper Canyons.

“Since then, whenever I travel somewhere and visit natural peoples, I ask myself how it will benefit them. I think that’s how everyone should think,” says Daněk, who wrote a book about trips to Mexico Those who flee on foot and made a documentary Run Free. It is probably not surprising that he sent all the proceeds from both to help the Tarahumara.

It may sound unbelievable, but last year two Tarahumaras – siblings Talina and Antonio Ramirez – took part in the running race called the Moravian Ultramarathon (it includes seven marathons in seven consecutive days). And of course, Milan Daněk, who is the co-organizer of the race, had a hand in it.

“Last year was the 30th anniversary year, so we thought it should be something special. So I came up with the idea that we could try to get Tarahumara runners on it. “Shortly before, we were again in the Copper Canyons for a race, where, after an agreement with the organizers, we put up posters with the information that the best Indian male and female runners would be invited for a three-week stay in the Czech Republic,” explains Daněk.

“The organization was quite complicated. They were flying on a plane for the first time in their lives, and Talina didn’t speak Spanish. As for the race, Antonio won the first stage, but then he had health problems. He is not used to running on asphalt and his knees started to hurt. But it was a big event that attracted journalists and television. They were also invited to the Mexican embassy in Prague,” concludes Daněk, adding that he is planning to visit the Tarahumara again in four years, on his 65th birthday.

“I’ll be retired by then, so it will be a longer expedition,” he laughs.