I don't understand how you can say that running a marathon is not an impressive feat. Have you ever run a marathon? Running a marathon, ten miles of it with a broken foot, makes you a badass.
Also, about the Tarahumara. . . I've read a lot about them. Very interesting group. I read this post about them a few months back, taken from a user on reddit.com -
http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/...of_superhumans_the_tarahumara_indians/c0itysz
"They are not super-human.
They have a 10% infant mortality rate, and expect that 3-4 of 10 children will make it to adulthood. Half of their children die from the combination of tuberculosis and malnutrition before age 5.
They have a life expectancy of 44-45 (most westerners develop heart disease and cancer past these ages)
They are chronically malnourished as children and most have stunted growth as a result (there are many foundations trying to supplement their diets and provide additional foods. Their anemia rate is through the roof)
They are suspicious of western medicine and try to treat illness with superstitious ritual and ineffective natural remedies. They are therefore ravaged by tuberulosis, polio and other readily treatable diseases.
When your whole populace is made up of people who were strong enough to survive starvation and sickness that kills half the population before 5, it's not unexpected that this would be a hardy stock.
I can't find any actual documented studies of the Tarahumara that show zero incidence of diabetes, heart disease or cancer. Everyone seems to be using almost exactly the same quote which I think is from the born to run guy, but I can't find any evidence to support it.
I was able to find an article that contained an interview with a Tarahumara shaman who claimed he could cure cancer, aids, or whatever you wanted by doing a spirit walk. So presumably if they have a "cure" for cancer, some of them must have had it in the past. Either way, all these claims of no cancer, no depression, no whatever seem to be completely anecdotal, and based on self reporting"
Also. . . (
http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/...of_superhumans_the_tarahumara_indians/c0itrmb)
"My wife's uncle was a missionary and lived with the Tarahumara for about a decade. He told me that they generally live in caves, yes caves. They are almost all alcoholics, the women on their period just sit in it. Also, he built a house down there, and when the Tarahumara came over, they would take a dump in the corner of the room if he wasnt looking.
The children almost all have fetal alcohol syndrome, because so many of the mothers are alcoholics and they get drunk every day, pregnant or not.
I actually went down to Mexico once, for a wedding, and went to visit this uncle and met some of the Tarahumara. They generally looked exactly the same as every other group of third world beggars I have seen anywhere else."
Sure, they can run impressive feats, but almost every article out there glorifies them and makes them out to be this super human group and the fact is that their not.
