It’s with sadness that I learned this weekend that Micah True, a.k.a. Caballo Blanco (“The White Horse”), passed away last week while running in the Gila National Forest of New Mexico. There are many news articles about his passing; here is but one. True was 58. The cause of his death is, as of now, yet to be determined.
I did not know Micah True — I never met him. Yet when I think him, I’ve got such a vivid picture of an amazing individual; and it’s because of that that one word keeps coming to mind when I think about his life: ripples.
Think of all the things that were set in motion by Micah True. He lived in the Copper Canyons among the Tarahumara people, learning their ways and dedicating himself to their plight. True’s vision was to bring awareness to the Tarahumara through running; he created the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon. This action set in motion a chain of events that led to enormous awareness about not only the Tarahumara, but running, itself, as made famous by Chris McDougall in Born to Run. Ripples.
The amazing thing about True’s life is that the ripples keep on expanding. Look at Will Harlan’s BarefootFarm.org, for example; or take this year’s attendance at the Copper Canyon Ultramarathon. And these are just some of the most proximal effects of True’s life; it’s to say nothing of those who were inspired to run through Born to Run. They just keep on going.
I’ll remember what I knew of the White Horse, which was that he was a leader who made a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of people he never met, including me.
He’ll be missed.
If you were affected by the life of Micah True, remember him to others and to yourself. Share the impact he had on your life and insodoing, let Caballo’s legacy live on as it continues to ripple outward, even after he’s gone.
7 replies on “Remembering Micah True a.k.a. Caballo Blanco”
I befriended Micah on facebook immediately after reading Born to Run. He’s actually a lot friendlier than he was depicted in the book… and easily one of the most inspirational people I had the pleasure of interacting with. He was an amazing person who will be greatly missed, though I had never met him.
I would not have started wearing VFF in 2009 had I not read about the exploits of Barefoot Ted in Born to Run. Born to Run, in turn, could not have been written without the existence of El Caballo Blanco. There would not have been much of a story to tell without the main character.
I, too, never met him but am very sad to hear this. He was a real inspiration to many of us. RIP.
I had already been wearing FiveFingers for about a year when Born To Run came out. The book gained a lot of credibility from me, for what otherwise would have sounded utterly implausible, because essentially everything McDougall wrote about FiveFingers mirrored my experience exactly.
I can’t say that Caballo Blanco changed my life, or even that I knew him, but the story did help convince me that I could get off my duff and start running if I wanted to.
Cheers to those who could call him a friend!
I too am one of probably tens of thousands who read “Born to Run” and changed my whole outlook on running form,footwear, and dreaming of doing an Ultra someday. This was at a time when I was suffering badly from piriformis syndrome after my first marathon. That book convinced me to try going the other way, as more support and even custom orthotics seemed to be making things worse. Bought my first Vibrams a month later and never looked back. I’ve got to believe that indeed, the ripple effect from Caballo’s life has affected me. I also friended him on FB, and I too was surprised at how friendly and how often he posted. Kinda felt like a knew him a bit.
I had hoped he would be found alive when I first read he had gone missing. My first thought when I read this article was “Damn, I can’t believe he’s gone.” I only hope he passed peacefully doing what he loved most, running. Rest in peace El Caballo Blanco. You will be missed.
He was more of a character than in any novel because he was authentic. He lived doing what he loved, and died doing it. What better way to live and die? What a legacy he has left! He was and will always be an inspiration; thanks to the writing of Chris McDougall.