The Search Is Over

After days of being terrified that our friend was lost, alone, despaired, freezing and incapable of reaching out to us, we just learned that he was peaceful, quiet and had simply decided to end his long run and lay his body on Mother Earth.

I have always been a man of words. Tonight, I have none.

Saturday - Search Report

(March 31st, 1:30pm) - Friends, there isn't much more to add than what we already know so far. There are now over a hundred poeple in the search, 32 teams, vehicles, equipment. Everything is being put to use.

- Great running champions are on-site, covering as much ground as humanly possible.

- Great professionals are in charge. They are methodical, calm and efficient.

- Friends and good hearts surround Micah's closest, offering support and care.

The only new piece of information we received is that witnesses actually saw Micah at some points in his runs, which confirms at least his presence on the site and some sense of the direction he might have taken.

Stay with us for more information, and remain with us praying for a safe return.

Last Update For The Day

(Saturday March 31, 1:30am) - It has been a long day at the Gila National Forest and every possible effort is being deployed to find Micah. So far, all attempts have failed to locate him.

Here is the latest from various on-site sources :

- There are currently 32 ground teams, 5 equestrian teams, 3 canine search teams, helicopters and airplanes, both high and low altitude, at work in the area.

- Many volunteers, including several teams of Mas Locos, are deployed and helping in the search. More are on the way.

- Search and rescue teams include Grant County Search and Rescue, Luna County Search and Rescue, Dona Ana County Search and Rescue, Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue, Organ Mountain Technical Rescue Squad, Southern New Mexico Search and Rescue, BORSTAR, Alamogordo Search and Rescue, White Mountain Search and Rescue, Cibola Search and Rescue, New Mexico Mountain Search and Rescue, Chaves County Search and Rescue, the Forest and Park services, the National Guard and Civil Air Patrol.

- The search area has been expanded to cover a wider radius, while the first area of research has been covered a second time to ensure every clue, track or possible location is thoroughly investigated.

- Many promising leads were followed today, including some items discovered on the trails. However, it was later confirmed that the items did not belong to Micah.

- The ground search has been interrupted for the night and will resume in the first hours of the morning, tomorrow.

- Continued support, prayers and wishes from fans and friends have been fueling the efforts. Everyone is determined to find Micah and to bring him home.

Caballo Blanco Search And Rescue Operation

(Friday, March 30, 3:00 pm) - Search and rescue efforts are fully operational in the Gila area to find Micah True. Information is trickling, but here are some of the most recent developments :

- We were informed that hi-tech equipment has been put to contribution to try and locate Micah in the wilderness from the air, while the search on foot was underway. Infra-red scanning equipment was used to attempt to pick up Micah's heat signature. The scan yielded no results yet.

- After an unsuccessful attempt yesterday, Micah's dog has been brought to the trails again, this time with pieces of clothing in an attempt to pick up a scent.

- Local outdoors experts, outfitters and residents have been hard at work as early as Wednesday. They haven't stopped the search at night time and are sparing no effort to find our friend.

- More Mas Locos are on their way to the search headquarters to lend a hand.

- For the moment, the S&R command center says they have enough people on site to conduct an efficient operation. Backup lists have also been created if prolonged efforts should become necessary.

- Only consider going to the site if you are well-equipped, experienced and autonomous. That includes your own food and shelter, lighting, clothing for warm and cold weather (70's in the day, 20's at night) and all proper gear and footwear.

- More information will be posted as it becomes available.


Your good words, prayers and thoughts warm the hearts of the worried.

The Search For Caballo Blanco

(Friday, March 30, 9:30 am) - Things have been going very fast since the first reports of Micah True having gone missing in the Gila National Forest of New Mexico.

As a Mas Loco and personal friend, I have received information updates about the situation, some of which I will try to share here to keep worried readers informed. Please understand that Micah values his privacy. I humbly request that people leave the available channels open for important communications; this is why I'm creating this space here, so everyone can stay informed.

What happened?
Tuesday morning, Micah left the Wilderness Lodge for a solo trail run in the Gila. Several hours later, seeing that he wasn't back, the Lodge owners placed a call for a search and rescue operation.

Several teams are now in place to conduct the operation, including groups of Mas Loco runners who have joined in the effort. At least one helicopter and two aircraft are screening the area, and more help is on its way.

Micah is an excellent ultra runner and tour guide with extensive wilderness experience. He knows what to do in case of a problem, which makes us all hope he will be found quickly and unharmed.


Any news so far?
We have received some recent updates about the ongoing operation :

- A professional Search and Rescue canine team from the US Border Patrol has joined the operation. With Micah's trail hopefully still fresh, they should prove a great help.

- The center of S&R operations has welcomed the help of experienced, autonomous ultra runners and outdoor experts in the area. They requested that the teams who showed up be completely autonomous with shelter, food and equipment and are coordinating communications via radio.

- After an initial search using Micah's dog and various informations and tips, the S&R team was able to eliminate a couple trails from the search. The challenge now is to find reliable leads, quickly.

- Micah's agent, as well as his loved ones, have expressed great thanks for all the prayers and support coming from fans and friends from all over the world.


What can be done to help?
- Please refrain from clogging the communication channels to ease the flow of information. Also, please respect Micah's, his family's and his loved one's privacy in these difficult hours. We will try to keep you informed as much as possible.

- If you are in the Gila area and willing to join the S&R effort, the operation center requests that only experienced teams of outdoors people with knowledge of the area, complete gear and capacity to remain autonomous for extended periods contact them. Their headquarters is at the Gila Wilderness Lodge. There is no telephone or internet access.

- If you can spare a minute of your time for a prayer, a positive thought or for visualizing his safe return, please do it. Our friend needs all the support he can get right now.


Flint

Caballo Blanco Reported Missing

We received news yesterday that Micah has gone missing in the Gila reserve of New Mexico, where he had gone trail running.

Here is an article by Scott Douglas from Runner's World :


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Micah True, the race director of the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon and known as "Caballo Blanco" in the bestseller Born to Run, is reported missing in New Mexico. The Las Cruces Sun-News says that True went for a run Tuesday morning and didn't return, leading to a search and rescue operation in the Gila wilderness, in the southwest part of the state.

According to the Sun-News:

Micah True, 60, from Boulder, Colo. was staying at the Gila Wilderness Lodge when he went for a run on Tuesday morning, according to Incident Commander Brian Fuller of Grant County Search and Rescue. Fuller said that when True hadn't returned by Wednesday morning, Jane and Dan Brummer, co-owners of the Lodge, contacted state police and the search was initiated.

True and his Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon in Mexico are central to Christopher McDougall's Born to Run. The 2012 edition of the race was held on March 4.

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The complete text can be found here

More posts are coming with fresh information. Please stay tuned.


Flint

Running With Caballo Blanco

Ever wondered what it's like to run free in the Copper Canyons, among friends?

Here's a little bit of how it's been, for me :)

The Messenger

He’s been pictured as The Lone Wanderer, The Ghost of The Sierra Madre. A man of legend, an obscure mystic who dropped out of a former life to become some kind of a gatekeeper to a hidden culture of super humans.

The real story, however, is much better than this.

Micah True is a simple man, in all the best meanings of the term. Much like the Raramuri, he comes across as soft-spoken, calm and radiating with a humble pride. But that’s where the comparison ends.

Before meeting him, I was somewhat apprehensive that he might be a “convert”, trying to be more Raramuri than the Raramuri themselves, or some sort of overwhelmed preacher trapped in a one-way logic. It took the best part of a minute for these thoughts to vanish when he shook my hand for the first time.

“Hey, Francois”.

Within minutes, we were simply sitting together, sharing stories, planning to meet up later in the week, down in the canyons. Simple as that. Sure enough, a couple days after, we met again. It was even better this time; he’d found a new friend up in Creel and brought him along. It was Olaf, another aspiring Mas Loco soon to become “The Badass”. But that’s an entirely other story.

Since our first run, what struck me the most was how Caballo isn’t trying to be anyone else than himself, an impression that still holds after spending a couple weeks traveling and running together. Micah True doesn’t try to be a Raramuri, and that’s partly why I think the Running People appreciate him so much.

There’s a reason this man is welcome anywhere in the Copper Canyons, and it has nothing to do with fame or legend. People recognize him as a kindred spirit, a person of peace and a fellow runner. And he, in return, simply treats them the same way.

I consider it a privilege to have shared some of his travels, not only by running the ultra marathon but by taking part in the background work that leads to it, which is a story I feel needs to be told.

Months before the actual event, the cameras and the buzz, the White Horse is hard at work, making sure the extensive logistics will be in place, in time and ensuring the word spreads around in the canyons. Runners near and afar have to be invited, trails need to be maintained and marked, aid stations must be stocked, corn vouchers purchased. “It’s colossal work”, I once told him while running on the trails. “We are messengers”, he answered, “expressing hope, love and respect”.

I didn’t grasp the full extent of Caballo’s words before quite some time. But after having seen him work, travel, run, live, laugh, struggle, overcome and persevere, I got it.

• He brings hope by making sure everyone who participates in the race, whether by running or by helping out, wins something. Tens of tons of corn, as well as thousands of dollars in money, are awarded every time. This is not a handout; it’s a genuine community event for all to look forward to.
  
  
• He brings love by organizing a footrace that celebrates the center of the Raramuri culture and where the focus is set on Korima, The Circle of Sharing, expressed by the warm welcome given to everyone and by the distribution of everything won by international runners back into the community.
  
  
• He brings respect by inviting avid, passionate endurance athletes from all over the world, who hold in the highest esteem this humble, proud tribe of Running People and who’ve traveled from far away just to get the chance to run alongside them for a day of peace and celebration.

However, it’s only after the race was over, after the elation, after I had left even my new brother Olaf to slowly make my way back home that I realized the key part of Micah’s phrase, that day. It’s a simple, two-letter word that holds all the power of Caballo Blanco’s actions inside and out of the Copper Canyons and that best sums up all the love and respect I have for him.

He said “We”.

“Todos Son Ganadores”

Everybody wins. I’d heard Caballo Blanco say it a couple times before the true meaning really sank in. This is not some kind of marketing spin to make a race interesting; it’s the core principle of an event that celebrates a culture and a way of life. Whoever you are, if you run in the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon, you will win.

During five fantastic weeks of awakening and amazement, I had the privilege of traveling in and around Urique and Batopilas with the White Horse. I witnessed the reality of life in the canyons, away from the superlatives and the fantasies. Along the way, I met wonderful people, visited awe-inspiring environments and experienced first hand what it’s like to live with and around the Lightfooted Ones.

Instead of super-humans, I met real humans. I wasn’t struck by a People suffering a plight; I encountered a People living its life. My attempts at creating a contact were not rebuffed or ignored, they were quietly acknowledged. I didn’t see fear or resentment for strangers in the people’s eyes; I felt their humble pride and their resolve.

This year, 500 men and women toed the line together at dawn in Urique, looking forward to a day of joy, of physical achievement and of sharing the love for running. Some had traveled the canyons to partake in this unique event, while some others had crossed half the world. I couldn’t help but notice that the start wasn’t given by a gun. It was given by a beautiful, beaming pregnant woman who simply counted down from 3…

From the first instant to the last, the Urique canyon was united in the celebration of running. All differences faded away, as the long, colorful line of people started climbing up and down the sunny trails, over the river and along the great rock walls. The only sounds you could hear that day were the echo of cheers and the crispy noise of footsteps on the rocky paths.

Even after the sun faded away over the rim and the winners had long arrived, the whole community was still exuberantly cheering home its last champions, coming in dirty, exhausted and overwhelmed with emotion as they took their last steps toward the finish line.

Late into the evening, with music all around, runners would cross each other in the street, nodding approvingly, smiling at the colorful bands adorning their wrists and sharing the great pride of having been out there together, in this magical place that had become, for just one day, the center of the world.

We all came into the canyons to celebrate peace, hope and health. We shared the joy, the effort, the challenge and the inspiration, drawing on each other in times of need and giving without ever asking anything in return. We left Urique already yearning to be back, feeling a deep sense of kinship, having experienced a great truth.

We are all one.

We are the Running People.

Fast News On The Way Back

Friends of FlintLand,

I have to start by apologizing for not having updated my blog during the whole adventure of the Copper Canyons Ultramarathon. Internet was virtually non-existent from my arrival in Urique.

The news could not be better : I am now officially a Mas Loco, having completed the 50+ mile course in 12 hours and change. But more importantly, I reached my ultimate goal of doing it with a smile on my face :)

I made great friends along the way and I'm bringing back incredible stories and memories.

For now, I'll take a couple days off in Mazatlan before returning to Montreal. I feel great and quite fresh considering the difficulty of the course, the high heat and the finisher rate.

I can't wait to be back and start sharing stories. Until then, I am sending you a photo of one of the last great panoramas while leaving the Canyons in thd El Chepe train.

See you all soon,

Flint

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