The Ultra Caballo Blanco 2014

This is it, the day.  The race begins early...6:00 mas o menos as they say.  It is dark the runners are crowded into the main street.  They wear little microchips on their shoes which look pretty crazy tied onto the sandals that the Raramuiri (and a number of other folks wear).  The runners start off as one, blurred, entity.  There is a drone hovering over the starting line and below is a speed bump that trips up a number of runners.  Helpful hands reach out to pick up the fallen and before long the street is quiet again, except for the folks stocking the aid station with Cliff bars, water, bananas, oranges, & pinole.

So off we went Bob and I trotted on down the road both amazed to be there. On over the bridge lined with cheering people towards Guadalupe Church and the first wristband then around the church for good measure. Back to the bridge and on toward El Naranjo, down river on the road and up the trail marked by the white paint and thru the woods and creek bottoms. Switchbacks up onto El Naranjo a mesa top with the next band and pinole, Bob and I meet again and head down the road. We come back thru Urique and Celeste lets out and scream of joy, we pick up more food and water and jog on toward Los Alizos. This first section in the sand along the river was reminding me of snow deep and unpredictable footing, but I felt fine. In Guapalyna the people sat by road clapping and cheering runners down the track high fives from grinning kids and bottles of water offered.

 On across the cable bridge on the Urique River, up and up we go through switch backs and rock walls a whole lot of  people moving through this space and so many smiling , throwing high-fives as we run past each other. The faces of so many types of folks; Raramuiri quiet and focused,Mexicans determined and  intent, Anglos, and crazy Sean with his feathered Marti Gras mask.

At Los Alizos waits Mary and Julie who hand out more pinole and grapefruit right from the tree we're under. Naomi is sitting down in the chair 'Gary don't let me sit here too long'. Naomi is in a leopard print running dress and a fully stocked running vest. Sitting is good but we gotta go, so down the trail for the last leg. Thru Urique in the evening light grab a hug from Celeste and on to Guadalupe again, we reach the church as dark is coming on.We're some of the last it seems, grab an orange, water,
sit and just take a moment to look at the sky. 'We got to go Gary and get that buckle' Naomi said.

On into the dark and pass woman who says she's afraid of the dark. So I give her my headlamp and go on. Farther on we slow due to the DARK and the next thing I know a truck pulls up looking for a woman without a light, we tell the story and they hand us a headlamp, what goes around comes around or in the valley 'Korima'. We trot across the bridge and head up the road to Urique, around the bend we run into a White Horse walking to us on the road . We both  have  ideas of how amazing a thing to happen at the end of such a run as the Caballo Blanco.On past Entree Amigos on to the pavement and the finish line ,Celeste was beaming and Naomi and I got ' that buckle '.