An Evening with Caballo Blanco
by elizabeth sutton
Last Monday we at Westchester Road Runner had the privilege of hosting Caballo Blanco, the mythic character from Christopher McDougall’s best selling novel, Born to Run. The setting was small and intimate, 40 or so people, some pizza and a man who none of us will soon forget. He appeared unexpectedly comfortable—seeming to have thoroughly enjoyed the Leatherman’s Loop he ran the day before in Pound Ridge and the people he met there. He was grateful to those who offered him a place to stay and to all of us for listening to him speak of his life and the life of the Raramuri, the people in the Copper Canyons of Central Mexico he has grown to love.
Caballo is clearly a man with a mission and that mission is to help the Raramuri help themselves. He is passionate about his cause and it comes through in every word he speaks. His delivery is slow and deliberate. There is no need for scripts or cue cards; it all comes from the heart. As he spoke, a slide show of photographs of the Raramuri appeared on a large screen beside him. We watched and we listened and for a brief time were transported to a world so foreign from our own. The Raramuri life is a simple one based on old traditions of farming and running and Caballo believes strongly that the world would be a better place if we lived more simply like they did. His goal, however, is not to convince us to live like the Raramuri but to respect them and, if we can, to run with them. He did not ask for money (but graciously accepted our donations). Instead he asked us to join him in the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon where we will experience korima, or the circle of sharing. We participate in the race and enjoy the Copper Canyons and in return the Raramuri are encouraged to re-realize what a positive thing their running is—they see that their lifestyle is respected and honored by others. This spirit of korima is woven through his talk and in the end is what keeps him going. It is obvious that while the Raramuri are fortunate to have a man who has made the preservation of their freedom his life’s work, he too has gained as much if not more from them.
After his talk, there was a sense from many of us that Caballo has been misunderstood or more specifically misrepresented. We did not find him aloof or odd. We did not find him endorsing a particular style of shoe or even talking about footwear at all. When asked if he runs barefoot, he responded that he has on the beach on occasion but he prefers a particular sandal that has been discontinued. He now seems to run in whatever people send him. It’s not about the shoes, it’s about the running. He loves to run and that is what he does freely and easily. Caballo Blanco is not a ghost, nor a rebel, nor is he the poster boy for barefoot running—Caballo Blanco is just a guy who left home for a long run into the canyons only to find that the canyons were his home. A simple man with a great story…
Norawas de Raramuri (“Friends of the running people”) provides funding for participation of Raramuri people in the various running events organized by Caballo Blanco and for the awards they bring back to their communities. To make a donation, please visit www.Norawas.org or go to www.caballoblanco.com.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
STORE HOURS |