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.