Famed Runner Found Dead in New Mexico Wilderness 4 Days After Vanishing for a Run
- Posted on April 1, 2012 at 8:58am by
Madeleine Morgenstern
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Renowned distance runner Micah True was found dead Saturday, four days after he disappeared after heading out for a run. (Image source: Boulder Daily Camera)
PHOENIX (AP) — Searchers on Saturday found the body of renowned long-distance runner Micah True, who vanished four days earlier after heading out from a lodge for a morning run in the rugged wilderness near New Mexico’s Gila National Forest.
The body was discovered at about 6 p.m. in a remote, rugged area of the Gila Wilderness, the New Mexico state police said.
The cause of death was still unknown, but there were no obvious signs of trauma, incident commander Tom Bemis told the Boulder Daily Camera. A medical examiner was en route to examine True’s body around 7:30 p.m., he said.
AP
The 58-year-old True, whose extreme-distance running prowess is detailed in the book “Born to Run,” set out on what – for him – would have been a routine 12-mile run Tuesday from The Wilderness Lodge and Hot Springs, where he was staying. He left his dog at the lodge and never returned. A search began the next day.
Lodge co-owner Dean Bruemmer, who helped with the search Saturday, said he last saw his friend at breakfast. He said True gave no indication of a specific route, which made the search more difficult.
“There are a lot of trailheads up the road,” said Bruemmer, whose lodge is about four miles from the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
Though daytime temperatures in southwest New Mexico have been mild of late, temperatures dipped into the mid-20s on recent nights. True left for his run wearing shorts and a T-shirt and carrying a water bottle.
Fourteen search teams that were scouring the area Friday were supplemented with additional volunteer teams from across the state Saturday morning, state police spokesman Lt. Robert McDonald said. Teams were hiking and on horseback and ATVs. They also used dogs and employed a helicopter and plane in the search.
Bemis said crews likely would begin removing True’s body by horseback or litter team Saturday night. But he said the body probably wouldn’t make it out of the area until Sunday because of the terrain.
True, who had been friends with Bruemmer and his wife, Jane, for 10 years, would often visit their lodge while traveling between Mexico and his Boulder, Colo., home. As a result, Bruemmer said, True knew the trail system well – which made his disappearance all the more mystifying.
Michael Sandrock, a columnist who writes about running for The Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, knew True for at least 20 years and had run with him. He called True a pioneer of the sport of ultrarunning, which involves running extreme distances, often on grueling terrain and many miles longer than a traditional 26-mile marathon.
True, he said, had a rebellious spirit but never sought to draw attention to himself even as he became legendary for his talents, which included “just going up and running for hours and hours at a time.”
“He’s just authentic and genuine. … Micah is a guy who follows his bliss,” Sandrock said.
He described True as a “legend” among ultrarunners.
“He’s such an integral part of the fabric of the ultra community,” Sandrock said. “He’s one of the stars.”
True was the race director of The Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon, a 50-plus mile extreme race that took place in Urique, Mexico, on March 4.
He was featured in articles in running magazines and was a central character – known by his nickname, “Caballo Blanco” – in Christopher McDougall’s nonfiction best-seller “Born to Run.”
McDougall said he based his book on the first Copper Canyon marathon that True organized.
“It’s heartbreaking because there was this unique, wonderful running party he put on in the middle of nowhere, and no one else could make this happen,” he said.
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Comments (75)
LeadNotFollow
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 5:50pm…
Report Post »This guy was only 58. He had no body fat. He routinely ran 12 miles, and he’s now dead.
So much for Michelle Obama’s eat right and exercise campaign.
chips1
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 7:11pmHe was too healthy. The rest of use would be able to sense the direction of McDonalds. It’s something that has to be developed over time.
Report Post »brian8793
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 7:22pmHe was also a boxer. You can’t control when NATURE takes you, but you can control what goes in your mouth. Are you saying he would have lived longer had he been fat?lol
Report Post »chips1
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 8:01pmI’ll bet that on the second day he would have wolfed down a Big Mac.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 9:16pmTwo words… Jim Fixx.
As for the comment that he “followed his bliss”…
Report Post »I’m not sure I could be friends with someone who talks like that. Borderline creepy to me.
Cerealface
Posted on April 2, 2012 at 4:28pmWere you his physician? Did you measure the amount of fat he had on his body often? Do you know how much fat he ate that morning? Does Mrs. Obama say to run 12 miles routinely? Do you know what sudden cardiac arrest is?
Report Post »Kneegreaux1
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 5:31pmIf you see my big azz running, it will because some cops are chasing me. Otherwise, Ol Daddy will be walking or in a vehicle of some sort.
Report Post »hogtrashhd
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 5:13pmhere’s my prescription for a long and healthy life.. drink beer and no exercise.. this dude exercised hisself to death and he does look really I.. i’m older than he is and i look 20 years younger.. it’s really all in the beer and bacon.. yummy .. time to pop a top and have a BLT… ain’t nothing better than that..
Report Post »mike3481
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 5:07pmNever heard of him.
Report Post »Secret Squirrel
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 4:49pm.
Report Post »I think I’ll go lay down.
Gatekeeper
Posted on April 2, 2012 at 2:27amyou got the patch?
Report Post »Marathonmark
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 2:57pmBeing a marathoner and trainer of marathoners, what many don’t realize is that you can overdo the training and lifestyle. When you burn energy, you create free radicals and those damage your cells. True was an “SUV” of exercise and his “free radical footprint” would have been astronomical – look at how worn out he looks at 58. After our 20′s, our body no longer makes enough antioxidant enzymes to “offset” the free radical damage and we enter a state of oxidative stress (rusting from the inside out).
He may have had an underlying genetic condition or it was just his time to go, but to True a 12-mile run was a walk in the park. Finding balance and not going to extremes is the key and it’s easy for endurance athletes to push too far for too long.
Learn more about reducing oxidative stress and reducing the rate of cellular aging: http://www.lifevantage.com/marathon – interesting science update on the subject.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 7:18pmGolfing must be really excellent exercise. Look at how many Free Radicals Obama has collected.
Report Post »PA-FuBo
Posted on April 2, 2012 at 12:07amMARATHONMARK, you are 100% correct…balance is key.I started running 10 miles a day, 6 days aweek before I was in High School.
This ,along with winter& summer competition swimteam. And , of course, biking to and from everything on a Swinn Varsity modified with Fat tires and minibike shocks up front.10, 20, 30 mile trip…typical. ( This was in 79, in Jersey, who said mountain biking started in CA.?)
I met Jim Fixx when I was 12 at a race with my oldest sister, who was a college runner at the time.
Report Post »At 45, I still have major problems with my knees & ankles, however I still push some running along with my cross training……..carpal tunnel is now messing with mountain biking……yes,……..less is MORE
chdorb
Posted on April 2, 2012 at 7:50amI don’t know about “oxidative stress” and I thought “free radicals” were Ayers, Piven and Jones but you are sooo right. It’s the old “everything in moderation” adage. Just because some is good doesn’t mean a whole bunch is better. Something’s going to kill you like it or not. You can’t exercise, eat or drink it away. The Tarahumara are genetically coded for persistence running, but most of the rest of us are genetically coded to run a much shorter distance. I think if you want to do a lot of something it should be walking. It’s much less stressful when you stop to smell the roses.
Report Post »concho
Posted on April 2, 2012 at 8:42amDoes Obummer run? “if horses were wishes then beggars would ride”, I have got to quit dreaming.
Report Post »TDrury
Posted on April 2, 2012 at 10:10amFirst, no one knows what killed him yet.
Report Post »Second, every year hundreds of thousands of people die from diseases related to being too fat, while a very small percentage of ultramarathoners die from that activity.
So I guess the logical Blaze posters see all of the evidence and decide that ultrarunning is dangerous. I guess people have the right to believe whatever fairy tale they choose. You can believe anything you want to beleive–you can even believe it with all your heart–that doesn’t mean it is true.
FreedomWitness
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 2:36pmNo offense but 58? He looks 88 in that picture. RIP
Report Post »thegodfather
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 2:19pmThe new book on him is coming next month…….. “Run to Die”
Report Post »Elena2010
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 2:59pmyou are so not cool
I’ve been in that terrain. It is incredibly beautiful, but it’s also some of the most rugged outside the Rockies. The drive to the Gila Cliff/Sin Agua Indian site looks like 20 min by car but takes all day!
Report Post »Thevoice
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 2:05pmYes it’s sad ….But come on already …What the hell do some people think they are proving …Climbing in the wild then falling or getting hit in the head with a rock..Or being sentenced to death in Iran…O yea…Got to climb them mountains..Then there is the guy that is going to swim with the white shark or thinks the grizzly bear will eat porridge with him…Or the 15 year old setting out on a solo pacific kayak crossing…Today people do more stupid things then ever before …Last week we saw the wheel chair bungee jump …And you can bet there is some dummy right now planning a balloon flight to the stratosphere .. Doing something as discovery as in what Camron did is different than rope climbing for a disaster to happen in Utah or Tibet…So today we have a guy dead in gym shorts and a pair of tennis shoes that went out to run cross country in New Mexico …Really ..Just surprising ..I tell yea….
Report Post »MrMark
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 3:21pm“Caballo Blanco” was an inspiration to many others who enjoy the sport of ultra distance running, pushing themselves beyond the perceived boundaries of human endurance to run distances well over 100 miles. In essence, he did what we’re all “wired” to do; he pushed himself to go beyond the next mountain range to see what’s there. And he didn’t do it for fame or recognition. That came to him completely by accident when he was discovered by author Chris McDougal and became a central character in his book “Born to Run.” So, he wasn’t doing some hair-brained stunt to get media attention. He was doing something he loved to do.
He died doing something he enjoyed. We should all salute him for being able to do so.
Report Post »elihu
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 4:13pmYa’ know; I have to agree with you. What the hell are these self-proclaimed ‘super people’ trying to prove; and to whom? Remember Jim Fixx of jogging fame? He wrote the bible on running (“The Complete Book on Running”); died of a heart attack right after a daily jog! Maybe they do it for fame. Well this guy just got his 15 minutes…Lots of crazies out there.
Report Post »gpk
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 2:00pmWe are born to die. Enjoy the day people.
Report Post »Netsurfer2
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 1:12pmThe cause of death was still unknown, but there were no obvious signs of trauma.
Something happened along the way! Not as if you get trauma from heatstroke or cold weather. The question I have is, were there other people who caused this or an animal?
I hope that they give more details next time.
Report Post »flatbroke
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 11:52amPeople healthy and unhealthy drop dead every day, and running dispite what some people believe, is not that healthy an excercise, at least not for every one, and not all the time, very hard on the knee joints, and hips, he probably had to have knee replacements just to run regularly.
Report Post »Gumbercules
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 1:24pmFacts are in, 100% of people who run will die. Now knowing that running can kill you, I will petition the government to ban all forms of running, walking, strolling, crawling, etc. Seems more dangerous than guns . . .
Report Post »MrMark
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 2:35pmActually, I seriously doubt he had joint issues because he used a “barefoot” running technique that shifts the impact shock to the muscles rather than the joints. To understand this you need to read “Born to Run”. You also need to read the book to understand what a unique person he was, and why he was so respected by other ultra runners.
People die every day doing mundane things. He died doing something he enjoyed.
Report Post »flatbroke
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 2:40pm@ Gumbercules LOLOLOL! 100% of people who run die, no s– shurlock!LOL!
Report Post »brian8793
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 7:25pmYou’re full of crap. Running is very healthy. Damn, you sure are an idiot, and probably fat, and probably limp(viagra), and probably a Christian
Report Post »yiddishlion
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 11:48amI hear it was a fat smoker on an ATV who retrieved the body……..
Report Post »Zod Cranards
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 11:22amJim Fix I think it was…author of The Runner’s Bible also dropped dead relatively early–somewhere around 47 I think it was.
Report Post »bo1921
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 11:48amJim Fix was not a runner early in life. He was out of shape and started running as an adult to get into shape. I don’t know about True, but I suspect he had been running for decades, maybe most of his life.
Report Post »Tightroper2
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 12:33pmFixx died of a heart attack, probably an undetected blocked artery.
Report Post »RamonPreston
Posted on April 2, 2012 at 11:12amDo you know how many times athletes drop dead? Only once.
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 10:57amGee I dunno what did it or what caused it…but like the T Martin thangie, I guess we all have to wait to find out what they (the officials) finally end up reporting.
I could guess but it would not be based on facts. Without facts and data, I would be like a man living on an Island with a bridge to nowhere.
Report Post »hidden_lion
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 1:55pmWhy wait, the MSM and left wing doesn’t.
Report Post »He was attacked by a black racist killer left wing nut, must have poisoned him with communist drivel.
See, that was easy. Now just spread the news around and we can have a march or something.
chips1
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 7:45pmMarching IS exercise, and I refuse!!!
Report Post »Black Midge
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 10:39amI salute Mr. True he died doing exactly what he loved to do, the rest of us should be so lucky.
Report Post »firstHat
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 11:17am@ERIC2
Report Post »It’s sad that sex is the primary force in your life. I’ve flagged your comment for moderation.
Stoic one
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 10:35amSo long as it is natural causes; he was doing what he loved to do.
Report Post »Thought’s and prayers to friends and family.
Argosy
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 10:25amWhat is surprising to me is that Micah True cheated death in a sense living in the Copper Canyon, Mexico and that was where he had some of these “Ultra Marathons”, you can search “Caballo Blanco” and find his website. Some people have Hereditary heart ailments, it’s probably the heart though one might wonder about dehydration too. That book “Born to run” is pretty good and has nothing to do with the Springsteen song.
Report Post »COFemale
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 11:09amHe lived in Boulder, CO. Do you not read. He was there visiting in New Mexico. You must be Liberal.
Report Post »netmail
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 10:20amLikely a heart attack. There’s a school of thought today that long distance runners and people addicted to arobic exercise for hours on end are ultimately damaging their hearts over the long term. That bums a lot of people out for sure.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 7:55pmHe probably spent so much time jogging, he hasn’t heard that Obama was elected.
Report Post »ianmc002
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 10:08amNot to be disrespectful but this is news?
Glenn we need to talk about BRICS. They are forming their own bank and Zoellick says ‘cool’. This is the end of the dollar hegemony. Lets reports real news. Interests rates, the Fed, why media is ignoring Joe Apprilo‘s report on Obama’s birth certificate, etc. REAL news.
Report Post »BobtheMoron
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 10:26amAmen.
Report Post »PA PATRIOT
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 10:54amIs this a BFD?
Remember the Obama administration is selling Tee shirts
Report Post »COFemale
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 11:11amWhen you own he site, then you can dictate what is news, until that happens quit your whining. Is that all you Liberals do, whine, whine, whine. I’ve got a block a cheese I can send you.
Report Post »ianmc002
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 12:49pmCOFemale
I don’t own “he” sight but this is why I get my news (Blaze included) from SEVERAL sources.
Drudge
Zerohedge
InfoWars
FinancialSense
ABC Times247
etc, etc. I like to read RELEVANT (what matters) stories. As this collapse accelerates I want REAL news.
Report Post »brian8793
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 7:27pmYeah, this is news to anybody who has read, or in my case been INSPIRED by born to run. Go somewhere else if you want to circle jerk around guns and hate speech
Report Post »Sirfoldallot
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 10:03amHe was white
Report Post »therealconservative
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 11:54amSo what?
Report Post »NOTAMUSHROOM
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 9:41amTwo words: Jim Fixx.
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 9:54amMy thoughts exactly.
Report Post »netmail
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 10:31amHeart disease ran in Fixx’s family. His dad died of a heart attack at age 43. Jim Fixx died at age 52 and never had his own heart problem checked or monitored. It’s possible that all the constant running did him more harm than good too.
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 10:54amOne word, Hereditary.
Report Post »TDrury
Posted on April 2, 2012 at 10:17amIt amazes me that hundreds of thousands of people die every year from being too fat, but a very small percentage of endurance athletes die during distance training and somehow idiots take that as evidence that endurance sports are bad for you.
Report Post »You can believe any fairy tale you like, but that doesn’t make it true.
Sirfoldallot
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 9:20amOur borders r safer now than ever say’s big sis.
Report Post »Spotlight44
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 9:18amSeriously ,no plan left to follow if he does not return? No cell phone or at least a satellite beeper watch .simple things to get this over confident guy home alive .
Report Post »WinstonSmith1984
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 1:37pmCell phone coverage in many wilderness areas is spotty @ best…and satellite trackers, GPS and even an avalanche beacon are kind of frowned on by trail-runners… and a 12 mile loop for this guy is just a way to break-in a new pair of shoes. I am an avid trail-runner in Colo. and have seen this guy in action, and he travels light….I run ‘heavy’, often with bear spray, rattlesnake bite kit, dog, xtra water, first aid kit, power bars, light weight weather gear, and a 40 cal Smith&Wesson…accept on race day. His demise may have been something as simple as a leaky H2O bottle or a trip over a rock.
Report Post »drago
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 9:07amHeart attack maybe? I dont care who you are, ot the state of your health,when its your time,its your time.
Report Post »bo1921
Posted on April 1, 2012 at 11:52amMore likely a stroke or aneurysm.
Report Post »