The remote town
of Urique, Mexico, has a famous ultramarathon
called the Caballo Blanco. The course is 50 miles long
through an unforgiving terrain unlike anything I've
ever experienced. What makes this
ultramarathon so unique isn't just the distance and
terrain, but the runners-- local villagers who
consist of anything from elderly women
running in sandals to teenagers running
in boots and jeans, all without proper training. Joining them are visitors
from around the world, who travel thousands of miles
to run alongside the Rarámuri. I am here to discover
the passion that drives these superhero athletes
to run such an intense race. My name is Colin O'Brady. I'm a professional
endurance athlete. I'm a two-time world record
holder in mountaineering. I'm on the summit
of Mount Everest! I've come here to
Mexico to compete in the famous ultramarathon,
the Caballo Blanco, named after an American runner
who came to the Copper Canyon many years ago. One of the most
famous Tarahumara who ran with him, Arnulfo, has
come to race once more, and I'm lucky
enough to meet him. Before Caballo Blanco passed
away, did you know him? Was he a friend of yours? Yes I knew him,
he was the one who first invited me to run here. I liked him a lot. He was really supportive. I won three times when
he invited me here. I'm gonna run with
shoes on, but are you going to be
running in these? Huarache lunas -Huarache lunas
-Ay. And tell me about
running in those. Is it difficult? Running shoes cramp my feet. Yeah, I like
huaraches a lot more. And do these ever
break when they run, or are they very strong? No, they last one day. It's only one piece of string. Yeah, you wrap it around. Wow. I've been a big fan, and you're
a huge inspiration for me. So it's a dream come
true to meet you. -Uh-huh.
-Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Miguel, who was the winner
of last year's competition, lives just a few
miles from here. My name is Miguel
Lara Viniegras. I'm from the Poroche
community here in Urique. And, well, I'm a Tarahumara. So I've always run. I like to run with other people
to learn from what they know. I also like to win. I counted my medals last
year and there were 57. Almost all of them were
in first or second. It's only a short walk
for us to get to Urique. I think it's about
50 kilometers. It's normal for us to run
100 kilometers, or 80 or 60. Como estas? -Good, you?
-Me llamo Colin. I've heard that you've
won this race before. Is that right? Yeah, I won three times. -Three times?
-Sí. How many hours does
it take to finish the race? About six and a half hours. That's my best. How long do you think
it's going to take me? This is my very first time. Honestly, I don't know. I'd have to see how you walk. For me, it's a great
honor to be here with you. Hopefully I'll learn
some of your tips and be able to complete
the race tomorrow. I noticed that you are
actually wearing the huarache sandals right now. So are you going to plan
to run in those tomorrow? No. I just bought these from
here because these epitomize the resilience and
the determination of the local people here. So no, I thought
I'd give it a go. -They're really comfortable.
-All right. I think I'm gonna
try on a pair. Let's give it a go. Yeah, they feel
pretty good, right? Should we give it a
little bit of a test run? -I think that's a good idea.
-All right. Let's do this.
Let's get a little jog. But they're surprisingly
comfortable. They're really light,
really comfortable, yeah. I can see how they
could be good. I know my front foot is used
to having a little more, like, shock absorbing coming down. Hey, good luck on
the race tomorrow. -We'll see you out there.
-Yeah, see you there. It's 5:00 AM. Headed to the race. Going to be
an epic day out here running with the Tarahumara. What a dream come true. I'll see how the day goes. The course is hilly
and kind of winding. Some big steep hills
fall in this river here. People have tripped and fallen. There was a little
bit of a stream cross where people were just
jumping over rocks. But the Tarahumara
seem to not be phased, running straight through
the stream in their sandals. I'm feeling kind of soft
compared to them, to be honest. Man, that was steep up there. It was a tiny little
single-track trail, switchbacking all
the way up to the top and then running
all the way down. The downhill's kind
of crushing my legs. But I think, what,
three hours, 15 minutes in, we've done almost 20 miles
or so, so definitely starting to feel the fatigue. It's hot and
challenging and hard, but the environment and
being here in this place is just keeping me
motivated to keep going. Wow. Crushing it in first
place for the 80K. This is where it goes from
the physical to the mental. It's up here. We have a champion! It's a local champion! Miguel Lara! Eighty kilometers! Last mile. Coming into town. Woo. The course is hard. Mental toughness,
physical toughness. I've seen it all today. Number 490 is saying
hi to his audience! Oh, just finished the marathon. What an incredible experience. Really tested me today,
but so inspired being here. Like I said, a dream come
true to be out running with the Tarahumara. I'll remember this for
the rest of my life. Welcome to this awards
ceremony for the winners. Congratulations, my friend. How do you feel? Not too bad, just recuperating
a little from feeling tired. Yeah, I broke my
personal record. The time I had before was 6:25
and this time I broke 6:18. It was amazing to run with you. For me, it was such an
inspiration to see you running. A very good job
to you, my friend. Congratulations to you
and to your family. I've competed in
triathlons professionally all over the world,
completing the Iron Man, but the challenge
today was truly unique. Just having the opportunity
to run through the Copper Canyon, this beautiful
place, was incredible enough. But having the opportunity to
run alongside the Tarahumara, some of the world's
greatest runners, was something I
will never forget. The way they competed with
such poise, humility, strength, I really don't know
how they do it. The journey today was something
I will never forget and cherish as I compete in other endurance
events around the world.
