Original subtitles

Juno, Celeste.

Come on girls...

There'll be hot chocolate then?

Yep, that's why it's called hot chocolate, then?

Yep, that's one reason.

January?

In January.

Ooh, I wish I was...

There is this, this energy inside that needs to get out.

This kind of throbbing intensity that just needs to

find expression.

(Sound of running through the woods)

Running is boring and

painful and lonely sometimes, but every now and then you get

these breakthroughs, and you lose yourself in the forest

and in the experience.

And, in those moments, I'm, I'm gone.

My body is just running itself.

And, that is what happened when I won the race.

I am an average runner who just tries just really hard,

but I was never in kind of national caliber runner until

I ran the Copper Canyon Ultra.

The whole way I am running beside

virtually barefoot runners.

Here I am in my Nike's and socks,

and they are wearing nothing but tire treads strapped to

their feet with goat leather.

So, it didn't really even seem like I was running against

them anyway.

It felt like two different races,

and somehow, I felt something take,

take over, and I surged forward to the front of the

pack, and ended up winning that race with mixed emotions.

Christopher McDougall actually contacted me a few weeks before

I went down to the canyons and sent me a copy of the book.

That book became popular the year I won the Ultra.

Winning that race suddenly put me on a national stage

that I had never been on before.

I was giving interviews to ESPN and talking to national

magazines, and I felt totally out of my league and not

worthy, but that one day, for one race,

everything had come together for me at just the right time,

and suddenly I was a spokesperson for the

Tarahumara and the race.

It forced me to re-evaluate a lot of things.

We bought this land and started putting

the infrastructure in.

We did not know what the hell we were doing.

I read everything I could, and continued going down to visit

the Tarahumara to learn how they farmed and how they

lived, and slowly built this farm to model the Tarahumara

rancho, using very minimal equipment,

try to keep it as simple and as close to the ground as the

Tarahumara do.

(Music, sound of potatoes falling into box)

After that race, it changed me

into becoming more of a Tarahumara-like person.

I can never even come close to being what they are but it is

something that I started aspiring to be.

(Music-end of Introduction of movie)

Okay, we have to leave in 10 minutes, ok?

Okay, you have to eat.

Don't touch the computer with sticky hands, ok?

He has to go to work...

he actually has to go to work today,

like he has to physically be in the office.

Will just does not do mornings very well.

He is like a farmer/runner/disciplined guy

that just doesn't do mornings.

Come on in kitties.

River come on, please cooperate.

Will you help me up?

Yeah Foot...

...with your foot, .

I want I want you to do is, I want you to get your stuffed

animals .

Listen to me, stuffed animals and your shoes on,

ok let's do it.

Come on.

One minute is 82 seconds Oh, yeah.

It looks like we are going to be gone for like a week by the

amount of stuff we carry out to the car.

Masie, come on, Masie, Masie, come on

Hey.

How are you doing?

What's going on today?

Are you having any symptoms?

Chest pain?

Shortness of breath?

It's still ticking.

(Music-sounds of Will doing chores)

Alright, come on guys.

(Sounds of Will doing pull ups)

(Sounds of Will milking

the goats-chickens clucking, farm sounds)

Ola amigo?

Hey Will.

Will is editor and chief of Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine.

He writes some features and things like that for the

magazine as well, but mostly oversees everything

editorially that we do.

Will works some from home, since he lives a pretty good

bit outside of town but typically any day that he is

here, at some point during the day

those workouts will commence.

A lot of forceful exertions happening in there.

We have learned that when people call or come in,

he is sort of in that space, and he will get back to them

What did you find, another lollipop?

Yeah Ok, you can't have it right now.

What about when daddy comes home No.

Will would have made a very good monk,

like I think he really reveals in like a little bit of

self-flagellation.

You know, like he wants to suffer.

Like suffering makes him feel better about himself because

he knows that the rest of the world is suffering,

and that if he is not suffering also,

then he is forgetting.

He has been gone some where he has had to do long runs,

but I think I am just used to it,

and I try to just have some sort of activity planned,

so I have something to do with River.

I think it's meant, I mean, I think his family has a

pre-disposition towards depression, anxiety,

and sometimes people just need to take medicine,

but you can also exercise. So, I think his brain needs it,

like I think this is what keeps him well.

Get over here Right Dollar bill,

one dollar bill Put it up on the bar.

One dollar bill.

Can you put it up on the bar?

(truck driving away then sounds from airport)

Rarajipari. The Tarahumara don't run point-to-point,

start to finish races.

For centuries, they have run Rarajipari,

an ancestral ball kicking race.

Arnulfo and his clan travel from Naranjito to the

canyon floor near the Urique River.

(Music-sounds in the town, voices calling, talking in Spanish)

Slaughtering an ox,

is part of the pre-race festivities that fuels them

for the long run ahead.

(Sounds of groaning ox and music, people talking in Spanish)

The wooden ball used is carved from a sacred tree.

(Sounds of wood chopping and music)

The women run their own race, ariweta,

flinging a wooden ring with sticks.

(Music, Will speaking in Spanish to Unidentified male)

I played soccer for my whole life,

I thought this would be easy.

Not only does it hurt, but this ball is unpredictable and

you have to get underneath it and lift it every time.

And, its, its wood!

(Music, background sounds of people talking in Spanish)

(Speaking in Spanish with music playing over dialogue)

Korima is the central belief of the Tarahumara culture.

It means giving selflessly, without expectation of reward.

The Tarahumara, they don't really practice,

you know they just walk in the mountains

but they never practice.

Last year was very close.

Arnulfo won, they beat us, but we want to beat this time.

The big star in our team, Miguel Lara.

He is a 20 year old boy

who is the winner of the Ultra Marathon.

Most of my life of I've been obsessed with Arnulfo and he

is synonymous with champions among the Raramari,

and he'll always be a legend and Miguel is kind of the next

wave, perhaps the next Arnulfo.

Terra sava misera.

This race we have a shaman or witch doctor,

we gonna do a cleansing to bless the runners to protect

them from the other team.

(Sounds of water rushing,

people speaking and singing in Spanish)

This blouse is made for someone about

five foot rather than six.

I feel kind of like an imposter

but I will try to live up to it.

Same questions Can you tell us your name

Will Harlan, El Chivo.

El Chivo We know that you won the Caballo Blanco marathon

two years ago Three years ago.

Three years ago.

What it means for you to have won this race?

It is the most meaningful race of my life.

No dying on the run.

If they die, they are disqualified.

(Shouting and cheering in Spanish)

They will run back and forth.

The will do basically a 3km loop

and they will do 20 of those loops.

If any team gets lapped, that's the end of the race.

I am going to be running with them

but I am not going to be kicking the ball.

(Speaking Spanish background shouting and music)

They give them Pinole,

which is a drink that they make out of corn.

They give energy to the runners.

(Background music and shouting in Spanish)

Batopilas runners remember

how to run because they are more traditional,

so they know how to run in a team.

They play more ball races.

The Urique runners were relying on Miguel Lara,

their best runner.

There wasn't as much teamwork

because they don't run so much anymore.

They don't practice together, so it's a matter of

remembering how, and hopefully with these races,

the people will re-realize the whole goal united all as.

(Background music and people cheering)

It is inpredictable.

You never know what is going to happen with a ball race.

The Batopilas wanted to run like

a loop more just for the fun of it.

No one in their huaraches could ever do what they just did,

and that was a short Rarajipari.

I mean, that was the most incredible athletic

performance I have ever witnessed.

I could smell and taste and feel it maybe a little closer

but I did not do anything.

I switched into shoes about two-thirds of the way through.

I never kicked the ball, and I am beat down.

You can't understand for a second how hard that is to

kick a ball through that loose rock,

that's untoppable.

(Music and Background talking

(Sounds of people cheering and kids shouting

He was 3 or 4 when he really started playing things

and wanted to be...he always wanted to be best in

everything, all the time.

He played Little League Baseball,

football, soccer, he wrestled in high school,

(Sound from home moving of Will wrestling)

He was really good in school.

His reading level was just so far beyond,

apparently the rest of the kids in his grade,

that they could not keep him stimulated enough.

You know, either they had to kind of dumb him down,

to be in the same level as the other kids so they kind of

nicely suggested that we move him to a public school where

they had a gifted program,

and they had the tax dollars to support it.

So, we did that, and I am glad we did cuz

he really flourished.

I wasn't any big competitive runner or anything but

I just learned to start running and jogging and so forth.

I can't remember how old he was, but pretty young,

but he wanted to go with me and I said sure.

He kind of picked it up from there and

saw how much fun it was and before long he was bugging me

every day, come on, let's go running

Will just sit in the chair right there for me.

110/64.

Fabulous.

Hey Will.

Dr. Roberson.

I understand you have a foot problem.

This is the first bone I have every broken.

I never had anything like this.

So, it is the fifth metatarsal.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I can see it is swollen from here.

Are all these other little piggys are alright?

Yeah, they are just ugly Fourths are alright?

Yeah, that one is ok.

A little tender.

A little tender on the fourth Yeah Yeah,

that's a pretty good bony callous you've got there.

Yeah See, even that little bit hurt?

Yeah, I mean I can feel it.

It is not like Not like putting weight on it

Excruciating but it is definitely

You know it's just about like any other kind of

a bone fracture,

it is going to take 4-6 weeks to heal.

Ahh, but you know most times people have just a little

tinny crack, and you a lot of times they can still walk in

tennis shoes, and just not run and not get on their toes,

but it looks like yours is worse than that.

Shucks So what is your plan?

More races?

Well, I was planning to go to the Copper Canyon again.

I would say that one is out.

Yeah, I might go to watch at least,

but...

Yeah, you could do that, but I don't think you would run.

I don't think you would run, in fact,

I don't think with you'd be running,

you know you'll be walking fine then,

I think.

But I don't think you'd even jog by then,

as much reaction as you've got there.

(Street sounds, sound inside gym

I remember when he hurt his leg in college and he couldn't

run, he was really upset about it.

But then, he started swimming

and so now he is a really good swimmer.

But he just had to do that every day.

Where there's a Will there's a way.

I can't run so I have amped up my routine of sit ups,

pushups, pullups and planks,

and I am swimming every other day, too.

That is all I can do to keep sane,

and somewhat fit, while wearing this goddammed boot.

He took his shirt off so I thought maybe

he was going running.

He said, naw, I've got to go in the other room and do my

pushups, and he was in there doing his pushups and sit-ups

and stuff for at least an hour.

I mean, he goes and goes and just,

I don't know, I don't even want to ask him how many he is doing.

It has got to be tough because all the physical activity and

all the endorphins, and all of a sudden you shut that off,

it's almost like withdrawal from a drug.

For someone that has to do athletics every day

and you don't, you're crabby.

It's like if you didn't eat breakfast or lunch you would

feel a little crabby but dinner time.

That's how, that's how he is.

I'll lead the way

A lot of conversations we've had with him

we've kind of encouraged him,

like you know, you can't be doing this forever,

taking off and going to these things where you just,

you know, run yourself in the ground.

We're just afraid he might really injure himself.

What I want you to do is I want you to drop that knee,

that left knee, just like that...hmm,

and then back up.

She has been one of the top female Ultra runners in

United States for a long time.

She has won so many big races and national championships at

just so many different distances and now her forte is

24-hour races.

Her PR is just a little over a 140 miles,

which is, I think, top five or six ever for north America.

You think about the things you do in 24 hours,

just going about your daily business,

eating, sleeping, interacting with people and to think about

taking that entire chunk of time

and doing one thing, running.

It is hard to conceive of.

I just kept feeling like oh, I can manage this,

it's not bad.

You know, enough ice.

I am not a big Ibuprofen taker,

so I really wasn't taking any meds to mask it or anything.

But, I was just feeling like, oh,

it will go away if I stretch enough,

and then it just reached a point where just suddenly it

went from being a maybe 4-5-6 on a pain scale to being

off the charts.

You know, 10+, so where I couldn't work,

couldn't do anything.

It was the only thing on my mind.

I ended up having surgery.

This was my second back surgery but I was surprised

after that, that I was able to come back and do the 24- hour

distances and I feel like I kind of got away with

something last time.

So I am trying to take a different approach this time

around and sort of think long-term health,

long-term physical comfort as a human being,

not just as an athlete and realizing that maybe it is

time to move into a different phase.

Your head hurts really badly You know if he wanted to race

more and to put it out there like some of the other guys,

he is probably one of the best in the country,

but he chooses not to be, and that is part of what I like

about Will.

A lot of people tend to look at what Mark and I and Will do

as obsessive and maybe even an addiction of sorts,

and maybe it is,

but there are certainly worse addictions you can have.

We usually sit down and talk about like whose doing what

this week and try to map it out because we have a

daughter, a 13-year old daughter.

We both have full time jobs and we have been running and

racing for so many years now that we have gotten it down

pretty good, but it is a lot of pre-planning.

(Muffled talking Will and River in bathroom)

So you'd come straight back from the beach,

get in the car and drive to Missouri?

No, come back from the beach on Monday and so we would

leave on Tuesday or Wednesday, right...or...

We might as well fly.

Exactly Also, I have down that River's graduation is actually

Wednesday, May 22nd?

It is, so I had it right...are you sure?

That is what I have written down but let's...

I think you have written it down wrong,

because I checked the website yesterday...

It's the 22nd.

Which means I took off the wrong day,

and I'll have to take off that day, too.

My foot has kept me from really training much.

I've been getting on the bike a little bit,

doing my pushups and sit ups, but I am definitely not in

shape to be running 50 miles.

(Sounds of the train running on a track)

It takes some effort to get down here.

It is close but it's so far away.

That highway that brings into the town of Urique,

it was quite a, quite a surprise.

Urique is a nice little town in the bottom of the canyon.

Its economy is based on favors and small businesses.

People buy something from somewhere where it is

inexpensive and they truck it here,

and they sell it for a few pesos more.

It's pretty well to do municipal due to mining and

other natural resources.

This little town has gone from a dark,

dusty, backwards, sad, lonely place.

And, each year a little bit more color,

a little bit more festivity, a little bit more- some more

runners were coming; and now it's become an event that the

entire town has become part of.

I think just about every citizen of Urique

is out in the streets right know.

There is very few towns where you can get nearly unanimous

participation in an event, and this is in a town that is at

the crossroads of major drug trafficking,

and the kids are playing in the streets and shooting hoops

and staying out late and playing music,

even as trucks with tinted windows drive by.

You know, its remarkably a real community still.

(background noise from the town)

I always hated having to comb your hair and style it.

It just seemed like such a waste.

I had poufy hair, it was really thick,

poufy, helmet hair as a kid.

I read a lot of Buddhist stuff.

The monks shave their heads.

I don't want to be a monk, I like sex too much but

it makes me less vain.

If you are worried about your hair,

you are worried about your appearance and when I shaved

off my hair I stopped caring about how I looked.

(Local music and festivities,

people shouting to Will in Spanish)

The race started with the idea that I wanted to run

with the Raramari.

I am kind of selfish.

I wanted to run with them.

I'm a pretty good runner, and I invited some Raramari to

hike over to the town of Urique with me where I bought

them a hotel in Urique, I bought their meals,

and we raced back.

Manuel Luna won those earlier races.

He won by one minute over second place,

Felipe Quimare, another Quimare.

Then, Arnulfo started joining us.

Arnulfo started winning.

Arnulfo won in 2004, 2005.

In 2006 the most renowned ultrarunner,

in the world probably, Scott Jurek,

El Vernado, "the deer", came down to run with us and

Arnulfo from the bottom of the canyon,

that very few people have ever heard of,

won over Scott Jurek.

That race was the race featured in the book "Born to

Run" by Christopher McDougall.

I read the book "Born to Run."

I think why not, I will come here to visit in Mexico and

then run with Caballo Blanco, the 50 English miles.

I think the book really presents some ideas and

concepts that are so approachable,

that are so relatable.

Many, many people want to do what the book talks about.

Very influential book when it comes to long distance running

and then the advent of people trying to do the barefoot thing.

So, I always had a lot of pain when I ran,

and I read the book "Born to Run."

It changed everything for me.

I started running differently,

cause you have to when you run barefoot.

I just really wanted to see for myself,

what it was all about, and really to be able to run with

Rar..ra..mari.

I work for Microsoft fulltime.

I found running to be a good compliment,

and so for me, I wanted to come down here and meet other

people and really hang out with other people like me.

Some of these folks are very wealthy entrepreneurs.

Some come from big running communities,

so It's great that there is so much publicity,

and there is so much attention down here because the Mexican

government is forced to value these people,

not as second class citizens, but as legitimate Mexicans who

have just as much right to their ancestral land,

and deserve food and rights, just the same as anyone else.

We've got 500 runners showed up.

A lot of people are running for corn

because it was a hard year.

Anybody who finishes wins maize.

(Cheers and whistles from locals)

Well, we have a great competitive race this year,

between Will, Will Harlan, El Chivo,

winner of 2009, Hiroki Ishikawa,

"El Dragon de Hapone," who also ran in 2009.

We have Herman Silva here.

The great former Olympian of the Mexico Olympic Team,

who won the New York Marathon twice in the nineties.

My guess is that a foreign runner,

probably a shoe running wearer,

would have to have a better opportunity

of winning this race.

Bill Harlan or something We have lots of good Raramari.

I think they are born on the sandals and they are running

every day the mountain up, the mountain down.

I have no idea who is going to win but

the likelihood it is going to be a gringo who has a haircut

similar to mine, but it is not going to be me.

(Sounds of people running and music)

Doing good?

No,

my foot hurts and it might be just like a...

Scott said it sounds like plantar fasciitis

My name is Stephanie Gardner.

I am from Salt Lake City, Utah.

I came down with my boyfriend, Shawn Wood,

who is also running.

I think he ran this race last year but dropped out,

so this year he is just really hoping to finish.

So, I am helping in any way that I can.

We have a group of friends here,

there's about eight of us.

So, tried to like make them breakfast and just get

whatever they need for when they are running.

Just simple things like Chapstick,

and sun block that they might have overlooked.

And, I am just hanging out

and making friends and getting a tan.

The first place,

he is from Czechoslovakia and second is Miguel.

The climb to Los Alesos and back down at 50k is

kind of a crucial part of the course.

You endure a really hot and steep climb up there,

and you are going to run back the way you came,

and if you are feeling good from Los Alesos,

you can run that trail pretty swiftly.

You can run it pretty smooth.

If you are feeling like crap, it is not going to help you.

First place, second place, Miguel Lana,

I'm pretty screwed up.

My hip and my knee are in pretty bad shape.

Coming down the mountain Naranjo I took a nice spinning

header, so up here around my hip and my knee are pretty,

in pretty bad shape.

Yeah, Daniel...

andele amigo

In the front Daniel was running at a really blazing clip and

it looks like he caught up to him and is cramping up real bad.

I give them a half liter water bottle at the aid station but

they take two hits and chuck it,

and it is going to be a hot day and my concern is that

water, later when it is needed

Speaking Spanish -- Cheering.

Daniel broke the record by 15 minutes

but Miguel broke it by 20.

6:45 was the winner, then 6:50 came in second.

You broke the record.

He broke the record on...

Speaking in Spanish

(helping a collapsed Will get to the aid station)

(Crying child with loud speaker)

(overhead in Spanish Speaking in Spanish at aid station)

He had it in his eyes,

a kid from the canyons blast by me and

just pulled out an amazing victory.

That is just so, that's just so sweet.

I never had aspirations for first but...

ahh shoot.

(Background overhead speaker announcing Arnulfo)

Can I sit? Nuh, slowly

I've been running my whole life,

since I was five and I have never,

ever, not finished a race.

I've had pneumonia, I've run through injuries.

It's just never happened before.

Let's go (Sounds of Will moving out of the aid station)

Good?

Yeah (Crowd cheering-- music

Gracias

(Crowd shouting and cheering El Chivo, Bravo)

That's wonderful, wonderful Will.

What spirit.

(Local band plays and sings)

Speaking Spanish and congratulating Will

(Laughing and signing autograph)

(Local band playing and singing, music fades)

(Sounds of people talking on the phone)

I first met Emily in Residency and

it was friendship at first site.

We were interns together, going through the good,

the bad, and ugly.

And, with Emily, came Will,

and he is interesting character.

Jerry Seinfield is back in Primetime with the "Marriage

Ref," Thursday nights at 10 pm,

eastern on NBC.

Jerry says all married couples have them,

ongoing quarrels, tiffs and spats,

that just never seem to get resolved.

Our viewer, Emily, from North Carolina says that she has

been losing sleep over her issue with her husband.

Take a look at this My husband Will is a very unique person.

He is truly one of a kind.

You can see there is only one side of the bed that has been

slept on and that is mine.

We are going to go show where Daddy sleeps,

and there he is, sleeping on the screened in porch in

17-degree weather.

Hi honey.

I definitely remember Emily saying that for at least 2 or

3 weeks after that, she was talking about it all day.

So, patients were asking questions about it.

So honey, why do you sleep out on the porch when it would be

so much nicer for us to sleep together in the same bed where

its warm and cozy and we can be together.

I always loved sleeping out under the stars,

umm, hearing the sound of the creek.

Well, we don't get to spend a lot of time together

with our 2-year old.

So, wouldn't it be nice since we have that time together?

I guess I have dreams of hiking the Appalachian Trail

and that's not going to happen any time soon so,

I brought the trail to my backyard.

What's your take on their sleeping situation, Jerry?

I love this under the stars.

He's in porch with a roof, there's no stars,

you can't see any stars, you hear the creek for 4 seconds,

you're asleep.

You can't hear a creek when you're asleep.

He's out of his mind.

He needs to go to camp in the summer with other kids.

He needs to go to camp in the summer I think it is fine that

you've, you know, deluded yourself into thinking you

enjoy this, which is fine, but not if it is upsetting your

wife, you know a little compromise.

I don't think we have to go right,

just compromise, maybe some of the time sleep in the bed?

Okay And if you miss a night out there,

is it that bad?

What do you think you are going to miss,

a cricket?

For her sake, uh, you know when I get up in the middle of

the night, the beds creaks, she gets upset if I miss the

toilet or don't put the toilet lid down,

so now I can sleep outside and pee in the bucket, and...

Who empties the bucket?

I actually carry it out to the compost pile once a month.

So, it's my job.

Oh, the dog, Oh God, Oh, my God...

Thank you.

I think maybe even the build up to Mexico he was

doing more spontaneous big runs around here,

where he would just kind of get up at three in the morning

and go to South Carolina, and Emily would find out after he

was gone, that he was going to run a marathon today.

I mean how much does she know

when he is in trouble until it's over?

He doesn't tell her until it's over.

She knows that he might not survive one of his adventures.

I mean, I think that is always in the back of her mind.

(muffled sounds of playing ball in the house)

Aw, right into the bar

I went to med school at Emory, where he went to college.

Most of the people in my class

had actually gone to college with Will.

So, they were like, "Oh so you're dating that guy that we

always used to see running around campus,

you know, at midnight."

I really liked going out to nice dinners.

That was like my idea of a nice evening,

is having a glass of wine and try the different restaurants

in Atlanta, and that is funny because that is not him.

Even then, that wasn't him.

I think he had these values and he had this intention of

living this way, but he, too,

did not know sort of how to get there.

I think it has been a path for him.

He has always been drawn to, you know,

native Americans or indigenous people,

as sort of being very pure and sort of living this idea of a

life that is in harmony with the earth.

I think there was a time before we had River where he

thought about training full time

and trying to get a sponsorship.

One thing he realized early on with running is that runner

like to talk about their times and their next race.

You know his whole, sort of purpose in life is to be

selfless, and you know, it felt selfish to him to spend

so much time running and training,

and almost in a way to justify the amount of time and energy

that he has put into it, he needed to make it meaningful.

And, when he found the Tarahumara,

it seemed such a perfect match for him because here was a

group of people that were indigenous and native and

elicited, you know, sort of the things that he had always

cared about and respected, be the runners and their...

it just all clicked for him.

(Sounds of Will on exercise bike)

You know, I am going to get home from work at,

you know, 6:30 and chances are,

you know, he'll still be finishing exercise,

and you know, it's not like I can walk in and be like

"we're home," can you stop now?

I mean, I've moved beyond the point of anger.

There are days that I'm frustrated with it,

but I don't think we would have had a relationship that

would have worked if hadn't just accepted that it was,

you know, a member of our marriage.

(Sounds of Will on exercise bike)

My left foot is a mess.

The MRI showed a partially torn Achille's,

and the doc recommended surgery.

Running is supposed to be healthy not harmful.

I have pushed my body as hard and as far as it can go.

Now the injuries are piling up.

(Sounds of Will on exercise bike)

You have to manage the athlete to facilitate them recovering.

Whether with surgery or without.

An Achilles is, is you know, about 4-6 weeks in some sort

of immobilization, and then 4-6 weeks in a therapy program

before you're really actually out running again.

We see runners that become so upset

because they are so obsessed, that they can't function.

We like to treat them conservatively,

hold them back, really from themselves,

and then get them back to what they love to do.

Getting them back to their routine is the therapy.

I was probably training 15-20 hours a week plus the hidden

amount of time it takes, is just the amount of extra sleep

you require when you are training.

The extra time preparing foods so that you are eating

healthy, stretching, icing, all those kinds of things.

I had another injury this winter,

and at this point we are not sure whether it's another back

problem or if it is originating from another area,

but I am convinced now that the competitive part of my

running career is over.

It's frustrating as we get older to keep pushing and

climbing back and trying to get back to our previous

levels of performance, even though biology is against us.

I spend every morning, sometimes twice a day, with Juno.

She has literally fed me now for two years.

Every morning I drink her milk on my cereal.

I think Juno is my favorite.

The reception was in a barn right next to the farm and

the actual ceremony was out in a pasture.

It was a beautiful ceremony.

Everything turned out wonderfully,

but at the time her parents were,

were pretty irate with me, and tried all sorts of ways to try

to get me to put my shoes on and wear a tie,

and I just wouldn't do it.

But right before the wedding, there she was behind the barn

with a bunch of goats nibbling at her dress,

and to me that was just the most magical moment,

even more than the exchange of vows or anything else.

Just seeing her for the first time peeking out from the

behind the barn, I was just totally enamored and enchanted

and the goats all around her, I thought,

this is our future.

These are frames that go in the beehives.

They have to be cleaned out and replace the wax.

We'll keep some of this wax.

This is comb basically that the bees have made.

They fill all of these with honey,

and we've pulled out all of the honey from the wax,

from what they have built, the honeycomb,

and then we can use this to make,

to make candles out of.

They produce something called royal jelly,

which is what they feed their queen,

which is some of the most nutritionally powerful stuff

on the planet.

Just incredibly nutrient dense,

and used even medicinally for all sorts of things.

And then they produce this wax which,

you know, can be used to make candles and all sorts of crafts.

We're actually doing this Jewish dance that they do at

every wedding; I can't remember what it is called.

But we were pretty clear that this was going to be our own

ceremony because we were creating our own lives here in

Asheville and, you know, both of our families are far away,

and we had to, we have had to go it on our own here.

Raising a kid, raising a farm, it has been something we knew

that we would be doing by ourselves,

and our families have been supportive but it's really

just Emily and I, getting things done out here.

It will probably be right handed, yeah.

But what if it's a boy, what is your favorite name

Max I like that. How about if it's a girl?

Sophia Oh, Sophia.

I love Sophia Even if with everything coming in to him

That's how he eats and drinks, because the baby doesn't have

any food in there, like we can't feed him peanut butter

and jelly sandwiches.

Well, I thought that was how everything gets into him,

like his soul Yeah, now we don't know how his soul...

Is that the vagina right there?

That's right. That's where he comes out?

Yep, comes out right through there,

right through there, yep.

I see his head, I see his, like his...

There is his backbone and his heart.

His spine, brrrrup, oh

(Sounds from the ultrasound

It sounds like a horse

That's the heart It

sounds like its windy out there Its windy out there

(Airport sounds then sounds of Will working out)

Usually I just do it like out in the hallway of the airport.

I'll just put down a towel,

I'll just do sit ups and pushups.

I mean it seems perfectly normal to me.

I mean people are reading books,

and what's the big deal about doing pushups

and sit ups and planks.

You know, if I saw someone doing that I wouldn't think

that was a big deal but for Emily it is pretty horrifying.

I know there is a lot more; a few that stand out.

She is a very punctual, timely person.

I am very organized but I tend to be on the late side because

I am trying to do too much and cram everything in.

Whenever we go to the airport there is always a fight

because I am always a little bit late,

and she is super anxious about getting there on time.

One time I said, "okay why don't we drive separately.

I've just got to do one thing at the office and then I will

meet you at the airport."

I realized that I had written down the wrong time

for our flight.

I so I was an hour late, the flight was gone,

and it was actually for her grandfather's 90th birthday,

and it was a surprise party and had been planned for

months, and her whole family was there waiting.

Another time, Emily was running her first marathon.

You know she'd been my crew for dozens of races,

so finally I was given the chance to return the favor.

I told her I was just going to run the first 13 miles myself

and meet her there, but I was running so fast,

I was running a personal best.

Like I was way ahead of the fastest time I had ever run

for 13 miles, so I couldn't just stop;

I was feeling great.

So, I just kept going, and I ran the best time I have ever

run, but I didn't meet Emily for any of aid stations,

and she ended up breaking her foot,

so I felt really bad.

Yeah.

I mentioned it to her much later that I had also run the

marathon and had run a personal record.

So, you can see a pattern, I tend to disappear unexpectedly

and leave her in awkward situations and make her cry.

But, you know, she was happy for me.

That's typical Emily.

I do something douchie and she,

she just rolls with it.

(Sounds in the plane then loudspeaker at Urique)

When I came to Urique the face I saw was the wall with the names,

and I thought, it would be nice if my name be there

together with Will Harlan, with Arnulfo Quimare,

with all the winners, the past winners.

After I run marathons,

and I retire because I injure in my low back.

So, I had to be very, very patient to recover.

I used to run over a 160-170 miles a week.

I was so completely blocked out in terms of nobody can

touch my time and it is so much anguish because it really

takes away from you the privilege to enjoy your family,

enjoy the people around.

(Background sounds, people talking in Spanish)

There is a very thin line between passion and obsession,

and you have to be always in the passion side.

(Background children shouting in Spanish,

running sounds on road

(Sounds of people walking and talking in Spanish,

children playing.)

(Sounds in the town people talking getting ready for the run, loudspeaker.)

(Start of the Kids run, music, cheering)

My main goal is not to win the race it is just to carry on the

mission of sharing perspective of Caballo.

The first time I met him was like "I like this idea,

and bringing the whole community into one.

(Music and loudspeaker in Spanish)

I wanted to come down to Urique,

and pretty much pay homage to the Tarahumara and

Micah True, and give back something that they've given,

you know, to me.

(Music-showing plaque for Micah True)

Seeing all the festivities and the Tarahumara,

you know, dressed in their traditional outfits is

something you can't read about in a book

I could spend my free time chasing piaras or I could

devote myself to helping the Tarahumara.

Emily and I have always dreamed of dedicating

ourselves to something larger.

(Background music and sounds from the street)

A nonprofit called "Native seeds"

got the seeds from the Tarahumara,

kept them in a seed bank, grew them out on farms in Arizona,

which was not too much different from the canyons.

A lot of these are native varieties.

Indigenous heirloom varieties.

Guadalupe.

Ola amigo

I mean, look at the sand.

I mean, it's like trying to grow something at a beach,

you know, there is just no organic matter,

so for them to have this much flourishing,

in early March is pretty impressive.

There is purple eyed black beans and all different

varieties of dent and flint corn and just some really cool

varieties of seeds that only grow well here in this

climate, in these canyons.

And, so if they have another drought or another food

shortage, they'll be able to access the seeds right here in

the canyons, rather than having seeds shipped from the states.

I have been asking what do the Tarahumara need?

What do they want?

(Speaking Spanish to unidentified female)

What the Tarahumara keep saying to us, is "seeds"

and they want water.

(Woman in background speaking Spanish to Will)

Just like human diversity and species diversity,

there is food diversity and that is really important to

the Tarahumara, not just growing any old bean or corn,

but one that is gonna survive the winters here

and thrive in these sandy soils.

This is what a Tarahumara rancho used to look like.

You know, beans, corn, fruit trees,

a variety of different crops.

Greens, fertile soil, water and this is was used to be

scattered all over the canyons and drought and land rights

and drug wars have caused them to lose their land and lose

their traditions and lose access to reliable water and

have to eat all their seeds because they have nothing else

to eat, so this, I would say, is the long term vision,

and to get there, they need to get their land rights back,

they need to get a healthy supply of water through

tapping a lot of the springs, higher up in the canyons,

and they need access to the seeds,

that have grown for centuries.

And so, one step at a time, we are trying to get there and

this is a good start.

(Sounds of water rushing

(Rushing water, sounds of the farm, Emily taking care of animals)

I love these.

These are the things...

I know that's what you want now

so I was trying to get it for you.

Do you want me to move your breakfast over here?

(Sounds of a program playing on computer)

I am going to go outside, ok?

Do you hear me?

Yeah (Sounds of a program playing on computer;

sounds of bowls clanking together, walking outside)

Ahh, you sweet girl you never get any.

It's ok, you're desperate.

Let's see how bad this is.

This is rock solid.

Let's just get this out here.

(Sounds of breaking through ice in bucket-

walking around the farm feeding animals)

Oh, you've got a baby in your belly.

Yeah (Sounds of ED walking around the farm feeding the animals)

Ahh, that's better.

Oh, look at you, you sweet girl,

someone's been plucking ya.

Every day River says "is daddy coming home today?

Oh, no that's right he is going to be home in however

many more days."

So, he's keeping track of it.

I don't want this, they're talking and I don't like this.

You don't want this one?

Yeah, because they're only talking and not football games.

Okay, well let's find a different one then.

In year's past, he has called me,

like after the race.

I am hoping that he'll call tonight.

(Sounds from a football game on the computer)

I can't remember the time difference there.

I think it is a couple of hours,

and I can't remember what time it starts there but we woke up

thinking about him.

He keeps saying "well you know do you think he will win?

"Cuz, at this age he into winning

Come in.

I feel like Will's not going to win the race again.

I feel like he already did that.

I think it is about just going down to maintain

relationships, and stay involved and...

I mean, I am sure he'd love to try to win but I don't think

he really has that in his mind as something that is a

possibility necessarily.

I think he is just going for the experience of being there,

and making sure all the things he is working on are going

well and seeing Arnulfo.

And, so, I don't really feel nervous about it.

I feel like the first year he went,

when he actually won, you know and I had a little baby,

and that I was nervous.

(Sounds from RH talking in the background)

Where did you move me?

You can't move me that far.

That was just not there, that was just...

Did you move me, yes or no?

Uh, that was just where I was at the last time

Ok, did you do anything?

No, my turn though

Knowing Will Harlan and knowing that

he is an ultramarathon runner,

and knowing that he has his in his heart the competitive

side, it doesn't matter what you say,

if you enter into a race, you want to try to win it.

And I know if he won one time here

and why not retiring yourself from winning a race?

(Loudspeaker counting down to begin the race --

cheers, whistling)

(Speaking Spanish-sounds of people running)

They are on the brink of survival.

Whether they show up for the gringo races,

depends primarily on if they will be able to get corn year

after year, that makes it worth the caloric expenditure.

(Background music and sounds of people running and cheering)

The pain opens my eyes to the suffering of others.

I am feeling something that other people are feeling

constantly on a daily basis, whether it is hunger or pain

or fatigue, and of course, mine is artificial.

Mine is finite and theirs isn't.

I don't want to dwell too much on suffering and be some kind

of sadistic, machoistic, depressed freak show,

but I also don't want to lose sight of them.

I know that my suffering in a race is temporary,

that there is a finish line for me,

and then it is over, and I can go back to my comfortable

lifestyle but for everyone else,

there is no finish line.

That is probably why I suffer every day.

(Background music - Cheering in Spanish)

I did not want to Urique's last memory of me to

be me collapsed on the side of road puking.

I wanted them to know that I finish what I start,

even though it was incredibly painful to do so,

and I wanted to quit at about mile 10.

I just didn't want to fall down,

I just wanted to make it all the way across

the finish line this year.

(Background cheering and music)

Only you know if you win as deep as you possibly can,

and I know today that took everything I had.

For the past few years I have been kind of chasing the kid I

once was, but now I am ok just being the old man that I am.

I think I am ready to be a dad and coach and farmer

and a writer, a husband.

I have got a lot to do; a lot to look forward to.

(Background music, goats bleating)

Ok girls

(Background music, farm sounds)

(Will talking to River, Background music, TV sounds)

Now sing it

(Sounds of Emily and River singing with new baby crying)

(Background music, Will running with River