http://www.runnersworld.se/artiklar/mot-caballo-blanco-fran-born-to.htm

II. Meet Micah True, known as CABALLO BLANCO

by Sue Berliner       © Sweat Magazine, September 2010, www.sweatmagazine.com

Micah True was given his nick-name meaning White Horse by the Mayans who inhabited the highlands of Guatemala during the time of their civil war. While spending a few winters circling the volcanic crater lake of Attitlan, True would run into a village, greet the Indigenous people, buy some tortillas and bananas, then move on from village

to village. Eventually as he entered the outskirts of each village, the women and children would line the streets calling out “El Caballo Blanco,”and the kids would follow him, laughing. He thought this sweet so he carried this name throughout his travels in Latin America.

In his article Meeting the Tarahumara at the Leadville 100 (www.caballoblanco.com) hewrites “The image of a Caballo Blanco must be rather endearing to Latin and Indigenous people, because I have always been greeted warmly, bringing a smile when I introduce myself.”

I first met the soft spoken True at Sole Sports in Tempe where he spoke to a group of runners in late June. Slender, he stands 6’2, weighs 170 pounds with a shaved head and strong, working man arms. You can sense his kindness and warmth through his hazel eyes. He talked about his experiences with the Raramuri (Tarahumara) and the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon (CCUM) he started in Mexico’s Sierra Madre Mountains. His 51-mile race dubbed “The greatest race the world has never seen.” was the focal point of McDougal’s book.

Life is full of coincidences, especially with the advent of social media. Maria Walton, Micah’s girlfriend, and I became friends via Facebook prior to the presentation. We made plans for a feature on Micah. Maria, an Operating Partner for P.F. Chang’s in Mesa, arranged for the three of us to meet at P.F. Chang’s, Scottsdale Waterfront in mid July. True, 56, splits his time between Colorado and the Copper Canyons with stops in between. He is humble, passionate, and wise.

Here is your chance to meet the True man behind Caballo Blanco.

First Race

About every seven or eight years Micah True has those turning points choosing either to live or start dying. At an early age Micah True knew he would not live a conventional life. After growing up in California and attending school in Humbolt County his wandering ways began. “I was very transient,” said True. “I wandered all over the place. I was in Hawaii when I was 25, 26. I landed in Colorado when I was about 27. I was a prize fighter, a professional boxer. I ran some for that, I ran more than other boxers.”

Once in Colorado while still boxing he started running more and got into full contact karate. He began traveling to Mexico and Central America traveling by foot. “I thought it was romantic and special and I just got around by foot, self propulsion so that is what I did,” said True. “I did not run a race until I was 32, but I ran 100 plus mile weeks for years. When I finally did run a race I had been running 170 and 180 mile weeks for a year, for fun as an experiment. I would get up at 4 in the morning and run 25 miles. At noon, I would run another 10 miles.

“I ran my first race because someone talked me into it. He [the friend] said there was a fifty miler up in Wyoming.  My first real race was a fifty miler and I accidentally won. I got stronger as I went.” That was in 1986 at the Rocky Mountain Double 50 miler from Laramie to Cheyenne on the back roads of Wyoming. “I did 6:12.That was a pretty good time for a High altitude 50, I guess. My first race and my record,” said True.

“Fifty-one out of the all time fastest 50s,” Maria Walton added.

“I won a few fifty milers and started taking myself seriously,” said True. “I started thinking I had to keep up the mileage. I started getting competitive and I don’t really like myself then. Starting to get injured, in the long run, was a good thing because it lightened me up and opened me up to other things. It took me out of myself and then I  stopped running competitively. I started running for the reasons I began with, just to be fit and my own reasons other than competition. I have been doing it that way ever since although I have slowed down quite a bit.”

He attributes the slowing down to getting older. He has never done speed work. He runs because it is meditative. “It is a good way to clean myself out and let ideas flow. I always have better ideas, more clear about my thoughts. I need to be happy when I run. When I am not happy I don’t want to run. Although, it makes me happier for sure to do it. The hardest part sometimes for any runner is just getting out the door. You move through the barriers you get into that zone.”

A Bicycle Accident Leads to the Raramuri

In 1993 he returned to Leadville, Colo. for the Leadville 100 after a six year hiatus. “I ran the race to celebrate being alive after having a really bad bicycle accident and waking up in the hospital,”said True. “It was about a month before the race and I decided I would celebrate being alive by entering the race again. “So I went and ran Leadville and I met this 55-year old Indian. Sixty miles into the race he passed me and he went on and won the race. I did pretty good. I started getting intrigued by it. The next year I wanted to enter the race again to bring my time down and I could not get into the race so I volunteered to pace some of the Raramuri in 1994.”

It was a different team that year. True said the promoter from Tucson had a falling out with the 93 team. So the promoter brought a different team. “They were younger and they came in 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11,” said True. “That was the year the La Bruja, Ann Trason came in second. That is when we named her La Bruha. They were in awe of the ‘witch’ right away.”

Ghost Stories

True started going to the canyons in 1994, stopping on his way south to Guatemala. Then he started making the Canyons his home, living at the bottom of the deep canyon and began building a house. “They [Raramuri] lived in the boondocks for good reason. I did not want to intrude on them and wanted to give them space. I did my own thing and found my own way around. After awhile I started skirting some of the villages. That is where Christopher [McDougal] comes up with this ghost thing about this ghost [me] running through the villages because the Raramuri were curious as to who this guy was because I wasn’t going to intrude on them. I was respectful. I don’t think there was any rumor I was a ghost.

They see Gringos down there. They see tourists. To make it seem like a different planet is not accurate. It is a different world but not a different planet. Sensationalism sells. It is not how it is there.” After awhile he began to interact with the people. He said it takes years before the Raramuri open up to you.

Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon is Born

He felt the Raramuri were not treated properly and taken advantage of by promoters in the states. “That is the big reason I am doing the race in the canyons” said True. “I feel as though they are better off where they are at. They don’t have to deal with all that crap. People want to run with them where they are. They don’t have to leave their homes or go very far from their homes. And they are winning prize money in corn and prizes and stuff that their traditional races provide.”

He also started the race to encourage the Raramuri to keep running free and to continue their age old traditions. He added “To have pride in who they are. That is a free running people because a lot of humanity is not free anymore.” Six Raramuri and True ran the inaugural CCUM in 2003. In 2006, the event Born to Run covers, seven gringos and 25 Tarahumara ran the race. Before the book left the editor’s desk, the race had already gained popularity attracting a couple hundred Raramuri. In 2005 he moved the race from Batopilas, where most of the Raramuri live, to Urique. “That was the year Urique wanted to help sponsor it. The Presidencia wanted me to have the race there because they liked what I was doing. Previous to that I would hike over with the Ramuri and we would race back.

“The more traditional Raramuri lived in Batopilas, the men wearing their kind of loin cloths and skirts and sandals. In Urique they don’t see those kind of people anymore except when we walk over for the race. So they really appreciate them. Where as in Batopilas they see them all the time, they don’t care about them. They are just Indians.

In Urique they are special because the traditional Rarmuri no longer exist. “Analagoy: as humans,two legged confused ones, we tend to appreciate what no longer exists. When it is gone we wish it was there. When the air is no longer clean we long for clean air. When you can’t drink the water you long for clean water. When your partner leaves you, you wish she was back. We are confused because we want what is not there. We want what is not attainable.”

The Present

This year 367 ran the race, 265 Raramuri, 62 gringos and 40 Mexican Nationals. Nine out of the top ten were Raramuri. First place wore his traditional skirt, headband and blouse and Asics stability shoes on his feet. The first gringo was Nick Curry from Tempe, Ariz. finishing 6th, his brother Jamil finished 13th. True had just returned from Mexico sporting a few scrapes and injured shoulder when we met for dinner. He was there to run another race and took a tumble on a gnarly descent. He considers himself a good downhill runner, but admitted he probably should not have pushed the pace when the others were walking.

He was also there to check on the status of his race. “My race is up in the air for this year because of the new President and the elections and not having sponsorships.” The race he ran was the 14th edition of a Mexican government sponsored race. He has held his race nine times, with two races some years. “It is mostly Mexican Nationals and Tarahumara,” said True. “They don’t pay near the prize money as my race. My race had $14,000 cash, 100,000 pounds of corn.

This race had no corn. Fifteen thousand pesos, which is $1,200, went to first place and there was prize money paid five deep. Our race pays twice as much cash and equal value of corn. Six through 10-wins $250 plus 1/2 ton of corn per person, 5th place $500 plus a ton of corn, 4th place $1,000 plus a ton of corn 3rd place $1,500 plus a ton 1st place

$2,500 plus a ton of corn.” He used to deliver the corn. Now they give coupons for the value of 100,000 pounds of

corn. So the participants can buy beans, corn, rice, flour, whatever they need from the market.

On the Raramuri, What Makes them so Good and More

When asked why are the Raramuri are so good. True stated: cellular genetic memory. “They remember how. A lot of us have forgotten and we are retraining ourselves to call up our genetic and cellular memories. If you have been an athlete you’ve got it in you. So you can recall it and you train yourself to recall it. On a different level you recall it from way back when, from your ancestor.”

During dinner True mentioned there had been some inaccuracies in the book. I inquired as to what the biggest were. “Nobody ran barefoot,” True was quick to note the book did not say anyone ran barefoot. It was how some people were reinterpreting it. More important to him were the conditions of the Raramuri. “The truth in the conditions of the Raramuri people lies somewhere in between some charity organizations depictions of starving baby’s with their ribs sticking out and desperate women to Christopher’s depiction of a Zen-like village state. Disease less and pure happiness, joy and no problems.

Both descriptions do the Raramuri no favors. They lie somewhere in between. They have real problems just like all of us. They are real people so to put them on some sort of pedestal is not realistic and doesn’t do anybody any favors. We should respect them (we should respect all of us) for who they are but don’t treat them as God” Meeting his dog Guadajuko was one of his most memorable guiding experiences. “He emerged from the river when I was guiding a group of students, said True. “He escaped from drowning in the river and picked us up. He started walking with us and followed us all the way over from one canyon to another and got in on three square meals a day. [He] Slept with the girls in their sleeping bags at nighttime. When we got to where we were going, the girlsall left and I got stuck with Guadajuko. It means the equivalent of cool, awesome.

Late in the interview, the conversation tuned back to running and why he started running. “When I was 21, 22-years-old, I had been smoking lots of dope drinking lots of booze, partying hard,” said True.” And I wanted to do something and I couldn’t. It was hard. My  throat was bleeding, I was panting and feeling like crap and determined I did not ever want to feel that way again. I thought I was too young to feel that way and never wanted to feel that way again. It was one of those turning points where you either live or you start dying. I have had a few of those every seven or eight years. I go through that same thing. So are you goingto let it go or you going to live? So every now and then the decision comes up again.

I was curious if any obligations to run came with the notoriety of being a maincharacter in the Born to Run. “I feel bad if I don’t run and I feel good if I do,” said True. If I don’t run I don’t feel really good. I don’t have to meet up to any expectations. When I get things moving I feel better, when things aren’t moving they stagnate. When water is flowing it is cleaner. When you stop moving you die.”

Many people know the Raramuri as Tarahumara. True explained the difference. “Raramuri is what they call themselves. It means light footed ones or running people.

Tarahumara is what the Spanish Conquistadors thought they heard from the Raramuri. And the Raramuri are gentle non-confrontational people. They did not want to argue the point, so they said whatever,” True said with a light laugh.

The Future

Did he think about working with the Raramuri thirty years ago when he amped up his running? “I did not visualize the exact projects I am doing now but I guess I knew I would live a similar lifestyle. I knew I would not be doing a mainstream thing. Thirty years ago I knew little of the existence of the Tarahumara. I have always been and admirer of indigenous people. I am sure I have dreamed and fanaticized certain aspects of my way of life. Some of it is not as glamorous as I have dreamt and some of it is more glamorous. I think I have always had a yearning for adventure and being different.”

He did not have any set in stone long term goals or plans except to run until he dies. He is writing a book Born to Run Free–True Trails From the Horse’s Mouth. Meanwhile rumors of Born to Run on the big screen surfaced when Jake Gyllenhaal and McDugal showed up at the recent Leadville 100 Trail Run.

In regards to the Raramuri he hoped they were going to gain something from the notoriety Born to Run has exposed them to. He feels a big responsibility to keep things real and to do his best to help the Raramuri to help themselves and to continue to run free, be respected and admired from the outside and looked at realistically. He wants them to gain from the exposure and experience and not necessarily in material ways.

The Raramuri way focuses on Korima. The Tarahumara word means “a gift, the circle of sharing.” The CCUM is based on those principals. The Ramuri share everything they have, said True. “There is no greed to speak of, people are just more generous.”

Seeing it all come full circle would please the White Horse “I just want to live a healthy life, live and love,” said True. “To do what I can with whatever

I am blessed with. I have no material goals of being wealthy. I feel I am already wealthy in the ways I care about.”

© Sweat Magazine, September 2010, www.sweatmagazine.com

Note: The Raramuri/Tarahumara people live throughout the Copper Canyon region. The Batopilas Canyon Raramuri are among those who remain most traditional. Please see the “Learn” section of this site, especially the subsecton titled, “FAQs” for more information.

III. Excerpts from an interview by Aileen Torres of Outside Magazine

1. You were the “guest horse” at the Jemez Mountain 50-mile run in Los Alamos, New Mexico. When and how did you receive the invitation, and what made you decide to go?

An organizer and runner, David Coblentz [el Castor--Beaver] came to run with us in the CCUM. Like everybody, he and his family left the canyons inspired. He invited me to run the Jemez Mountain Run [50 miler. They also had a 50 km and half-marathon] The invitation came in late April or early May sometime. He and his family also sponsored me for a presentation the following day after the race to speak and show slides to benefit the Tarahumara people through our Not for Profit www.norawas.org
“Friends of the Running People”
I left the canyons iin mid April to do taxes, camp/run in the Gila wilderness of southern New Mexico and flew out to New York to do a “Talking Horse Show” to benefit Raramuri through Norawas, as well.

2. It was a 50-mile run. How does that compare to the amount of miles you typically run every day?

I like 50 milers, ya can still go home, drink a beer, have a good dinner and get to sleep. Hundreds are “out there” all night-:]
Since the CCUM in March, I had not run more than about 15–usually about 11.

3. How was the terrain? What were the most difficult parts? The easiest?

Jemez was beautiful and hard, Mostly single track trail–some wider, alot of cross country up the 10,000 foot peaks with NO switchbacks, and ditto back down. A good day at the office-:]

4. What was the best moment of the race for you?

Several, commuting with the spirit of Caballo Mountain and Sierra Grande

5. You say on Facebook that these guys designed the HardRock 100. Have you ever done the HardRock? What’s the farthest you’ve run in a single stretch?

No, have never done Hardrock. The Hardrockers like Gnarly! I think Jemez and San Juan Solstice are right up there with/as the hardest 50 milers [debatable].
I have done about 118 in one shot [Leadville in the mid 80's when one could still get lost]..Of course I did-:] You would really have to try to get lost there these days!

6. What goes through your mind when you’re running a race, or just plain running?

What doesn’t?

7. Did you train for this race? If so, what was your regime?

No….am using a few races to run myself back into shape–next up is Dirty 30 in the Golden Gate park near Nederland, Co…. Mohican 50 in Ohio, and another talking horse show out there to benefit the Raramuri through Norawas de Raramuri–Another 50 miler or Something in July—Deadville Burro race on August 8 and Deadville100 later in August.

8. What did you think of Los Alamos, compared with the Copper Canyons?

The course was softer, less rocky than most of the canyon terrain—and harder overall than the CCUM. 12,000+ climb compared to 9,000+

9. Did any Raramuri come with you? How are the great runners doing back home, by the way?

No, the Raramuri are home en la Sierra Madre. I have no plans to, but, If I ever did bring them up it would have to be to a run with a similar feeling to that of Jemez. I will report on their condition when I see them next, if you would like. I can not speak for them, however, I know that they are overall 100,000 pounds of corn [equivalent of in food value] and materially wealthier. Hopefully spirits are good, also.

10. What footwear did you race in? Any incidents, or was it fairly smooth-going in your shoes?

Somebody gave me some Mizuno wave ascend 4–They worked fine. It wasood to get them off afterwards.

11. What are you up to next?

Hopefully, seed delivery to the Raramuri in the Copper Canyons and the runs described, possibly another ultra in July with Raramuri in the canyons after delivering seeds.

Thank you for supporting Tarahumara runners and their communities.

Your contribution will fund participation of Tarahumara runners in international races and traditional indigenous gatherings in which Tarahumara races are held. Through these efforts, you help to sustain a unique culture and a remarkable people, both by reinvigorating their traditions and offering needed food staples, such as maize (corn) and beans, to the runners’ small home communities in the canyons.

A gift to Norawas de Raramuri is tax deductible under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Tax ID number: 27-0402233

Caballo Blanco (Micah True) is Race Director of The Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon. He has fund-raised extensively for the Rarámuri people, placing all funds he has raised in in the care of our organization.

Norawas provides no compensation whatsoever to Micah for his efforts and no funds for the operating expenses of his race. We continue to look for opportunities to apply our funds directly to benefit Rarámuri athletes and their communities, in support of their tradition of long-distance running.

Thank you, Micah, for your endurance on the journey.

Micah True, aka Caballo Blanco, is available to speak with your community, friends and fellow runners.
He can be reached through his agent, Scott Leese at  this email address: scott@scottleese.com

Or by contacting him directly at: truecaballoblanco@yahoo.com

Norawas provides no compensation whatsoever to Micah for his efforts and no funds for the operating expenses of his race. We continue to look for opportunities to apply our funds directly to benefit Rarámuri athletes and their communities, in support of their tradition of long-distance running.

Thank you, Micah, for your endurance on the journey.

The El Chepe Clase Economico train arrives at the Cuiteco station on time.  Diego Rhodes is already involved in last-minute preparations for the fiesta, but hears the train pull in and drives to the station to pick me up and take back into town, which is a mile away.

Diego Rhodes advising a driver where to unload passengers

Tarahumara disembarking from a flatbed trailer

Alignment of palos before the start of the palillo

Friday June 4,  2:30 pm

I am in Cuiteco (near Bahuichivo) for a weekend gathering of what is expected to be a turnout of  2,000 Baja Tarahumara.  Activities will include traditional Rarámuri races – the Carrera de Bola (rarajípari), the ariweta or rowera, and the palillo, along with traditional dancing (matachines and pascol), and of course some “sampling” of  tesguino.   Norawas de Rarámuri was asked by the Baja Tarahumara gobernadores to help support the gathering by funding the transportation of Rarámuri from remote pueblos, including Guadalupe Coronado and Guapalayna that runners pass through in CCUM.   Invitation to the Fiesta by the Gobernadores

The early Jesuit missionaries classified the Sierra Tarhumara into two areas, the Alta and Baja Tarahumara.  The latter covers the region roughly from the Sinaloa border to Creel, and beyond Urique to the south. The Rarámuri today have a multi-layered socio-political structure.   The gobernadores represent the socio-political leadership structure, originally established by the Jesuits to help organize the region into pueblos or socio-geographical entities.   Today Los Gobernadores are selected by their respective communities, have the authority over social and cultural affairs, and represent communities at larger councils of Tarahumara  and with the Coordinación Estatal de la Tarahumara, the Chihuahua State agency charged with matters related to indigenous affiars in the State of Chihuahua.

In the 1930s, the Mexican government organized political-economic cooperatives known as ejidos, which have their own political and economic structure.  In some parts of the Sierra Tarahumara, ejidos are controlled by Tarahumara and have greater authority over  Tarahumara affairs.  In other areas of the Sierra Tarahumara, neither the gobernadores nor the ejidos seem to have much influence over daily life of the Tarahumara.  Organization there is much more fluid, and based on alliances and groupings of families and neighbors, based on a number of factors, with much of it stemming from the organization of races themselves.

Betting Before the Ariweta

By-and-large, the Tarahumara in the Baja Tarahumara live in mixed Tarahumara-Mestizo communities. They are far from assimilated, but do participate in the Mexican socio-political-economic order.   The purpose of the gathering of so many communities is simply to celebrate and reinforce traditional Rarámuri traditions and customs, central to which is running traditional races. To get a better understanding of these races, please read the accompanying post, which includes links to other info available on the internet.

Awaiting the start of the Carrera de Bola (rarajípari)

The one thing I have learned from my involvement in Norawas de Rarámuri and reading ethographic studies of the Rarámuri is that Rarámuri are not a monolithic society nor a homogeneous culture.  Like every indigenous group, they have changed to varying degrees due to the struggles and contact with host culture.  Amidst all this, racing is still a cohesive part of the culture and perhaps the glue (or eje/axle  in Tarahumara nomenclature)  that keeps the Tarahumara being Rarámuri.    Today this takes on many forms.  There are Rarámuri living largely untouched by the Mexican culture participating in Western-style Ultra marathons, while there other Rarámuri living among Meztizos who call themselves “Tarahumara” but only run in traditional Rarámuri races.   And,  there is a relatively recent phenomena of Rarámuri living in city of Chihuahua organizing ad-hoc traditional races along dry riverbeds, as an affirmation of their identity.

The Rarámuri will figure out the destiny of their running culture on their own.  I wouldn’t go as far as saying they don’t need our help in this.  They certainly do, but probably more in the sense of filling gaps of support and helping organize events such as this.  Without volunteers like Hermana Paty heavily involved, it is difficult to impossible to pull off large gatherings such as Cuiteco. However, the Gobernadores were the decision makers for the Fiesta, and in terms of our interest in the event, determined the the amount and styles of racing.   The races are a vital part of the Fiesta, but indeed just a part.  There will be matachines and pascol dancing, a mass celebrated by the Bishop of Chihuahua, plenty of betting, tesguino, and who knows what else going on.  But, aside from local pick-up games, you can’t separate Rarámuri running from its overall cultural context.

So, I am happy for Norawas de Rarámuri to be able to play a small part in support of the Fiesta, being a witness to it, and looking forward to having a good time.

Please  Donate  to Norawas de Rarámuri to help keep these things happening