If you have ever laced up the running shoes, gone for a run, felt a bit of exhilaration, peace, wonder, accomplishment and exhaustion all wrapped together, then you definitely need to read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.
The Hidden Tribe is the Tarahumara of Mexico's Copper Canyon, the Super Athletes are folks like Scott Jurek shown at the top running with Tarahumara Arnulfo Quimare, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen was the brainchild of Caballo Blanco, and it matched the top Tarahumara runners against some of the top US ultramarathoners in a 50+ mile race on the trails through the Copper Canyon.
Here is an interesting YouTube video about the Tarahumara
There are many reviews of McDougall's book, such as this one, that discuss not only the race and the runners, but also topics such as sports medicine and evolution. However, here I want to share a bit of what I learned about Caballo Blanco, aka Micah True, aka Michael Randall Hickman.
The first time that I had heard about True, Caballo Blanco, is when he disappeared. On March 27 of 2012, True went for a run in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico. As usual, he was alone and was going for a long run - but he never returned. Here is a timeline of the search, and the New York Times wrote an extensive story about Caballo here. But the stories in the Boulder Daily Camera brought True's story closer to home because of Caballo's long-standing relationship with Boulder and the Colorado running community.
In the final chapter of McDougall's book, we read about the moment that Christopher had been waiting for - Caballo was telling his story about how he came to be the White Horse of Copper Canyon - his progression from Michael Hickman to the Gypsy Cowboy to Micah True to Caballo Blanco. Sorry - you will have to read the book for all of the details, but suffice it to say, you will surely find it fascinating.
What struck me most was this passage that McDougall wrote:
"When I get too old to work, I'll do what Geronimo would've done if they'd left him alone," Caballo said. "I'd walk off into the deep canyons and find a quiet place to lie down." There was no melodrama or self-pity in the way Caballo said this, just the understanding that some day, the life he'd chosen would require one last disappearing act.
"So maybe I'll see you again. Or maybe I won't"
And at the age of 58, Caballo went out for his last run, deep in the canyons, and found a quiet place to lay down and die.
15 comments:
I like the part about running in sandals rather than $200 Nike's.
BB - you got that right; the author really rips Nike a new one regarding numerous issues.
I thought it was a book about Bruce Springsteen ;-).
Yes good read.
Right on Rufus - google "Born to Run" and Bruce is the main thing that pops up.
I was "born to run" for about two years in high school track and cross country. The school issued our track shoes and they were designed for ball of foot running only. In fact, if you tried to heel run, you would very quickly end up incapacitated with a sore heel. The shoe was simply designed and worked well and didn't look like the space shoes they sell today. Naturally, there would be no way imaginable that such a simple shoe would be priced in the stratosphere, until the marketeers came along and added heel cushioning and arch support and all the bells and whistles to justify a high price.
Anonymous, are you a Dr. S student schmoozing for an A?
Spyke -that's spam that made it through the filter. It is amazing but such trash shows up about once per day - they usually have a link to their site which I am sure is very dangerous. The comment will be soon 'disappeared'
Anonymous couldn't be confused with being overly literate, but in this day and age of sloppy texting type grammar and communication, it seemed par for the course. I clicked on the site from work, where all is well protected, and instead of blog commentary, got some kind of promotional. No apparent virus as result in this case, however.
Bizzy - yes indeedee, I believe that most of the "comments" and links are promotional in nature - UGGS seem to be popular :-)
BB - I remember well the HS track shoes. We did not have enough to go around, so as the second leg of our relay team, I gave them up to the leadoff runner, and I put on the old basketball shoes. I would like to blame my less-than-stellar performance on the shoes, but alas, I have never been particularly fleet of foot.
Dr. S., if not fleet of foot or prone to long distance running, you would be the ideal quarter miler. I don't remember anyone not making or being kicked off the track team, thus we had guys not fast enough for the dashes and too slow for the mile. They ALL got entered in the quarter mile. We always had a mob entered in that race.
Good memory, Bizzy, and fairly accurate. Unfortunately, I was too slow for ANY distance :-)
Don't be too hard on yourself, Doc. Am absolutely sure you could beat me in any footrace, long or short distance.
I think that the race should be to a bar for a beer!!!
I am sure I was the last one to speak to Micah True. We were staying at the Gila Hot Springs bed and breakfast and got to know Micah a bit. He was not quite the mysterious person documented in Born to Run. Seemed like the usual ultra long distance type I had seen during our support of the Leadville 100 at Hope Pass with our llamas. Maybe a bit more knowing and less outwardly hard headed. One word would be peaceful. I did not know of his celebrity status and he did not project as such. The owners of the bed and breakfast were gone to Silver City for a movie and left Micah in charge. He prepared for his evening run by talking to his dog gently asking us to make sure he did not follow. I can not remember the dog’s Spanish name but it was “the crazy one” in English. No routine of stretching and other runner’s antics I had seen before. I asked how far he would run. He said he did not know and it dependent how he felt maybe 8 to 10 miles. The sun was nearing its wonderful afternoon warmth and glow that New Mexico is famous. He began to trot off and I said “Have a good run” and he said “Yeah”. It got dark and we noted his absence. Later we contacted a neighbor and she contacted the B and B owners on cell phone. The next morning the search was on and it was days of following the story until we knew his demise.
Later I read Born to Run. We thought he was a nice guy. Very within his self. Peaceful. From my brief 2 days of contact before he left on his last run.
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