The running industry has been shaken to its core by an obscure tribe of Indians that resides – and runs – in the Copper Canyons of northern Mexico.

It all started with a 75km endurance race between a few Tarahumara locals and some world-class athletes, including Scott Jurek. Jurek, a sponsored champion who races for a living in expensive shoes, was beaten by a 27-year-old Tarahumara goat herder, who had probably hiked 30 miles just to get there, and was wearing pieces of car tyre on his feet. What happened that day confounded the world’s running experts, provided inspiration for the Born to Run book, and introduced the world to the weird but not wrong Barefoot Ted McDonald (more on him later).