Daughter of the Light-Footed People: The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion Lorena Ramírez

By Belen Medina

Meet Lorena Ramírez, an Indigenous Rarámuri athlete from Mexico who is internationally known for winning ultramarathons in her traditional skirts and rubber sandals, in this nonfiction picture book.

From the copper canyons of Mexico, her swift footsteps echo. Clip clap, clip clap.

Experience a sixty-mile run with Indigenous athlete Lorena Ramírez. She runs in the traditional clothes of the Rarámuri, “the light-footed people,” to show that her people and their way of life are alive and thriving—outpacing runners in modern, high-tech gear and capturing the world’s attention. Lorena’s career as an athlete is an inspiring real-life example of the power of perseverance that will encourage young readers to follow their own dreams.