Micah True, the legendary long distance runner known as Caballo Blanco, has been found dead near the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. He was 58.
The search for True – which entailed 15 teams combing through 200,000 acres of steep canyons and shallow rivers in the high desert – began days earlier after the marathoner failed to return Tuesday from one of his customary 12-mile runs.
According to ABC, True’s body was discovered by a group of his friends Saturday evening in a remote part of southern New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness, about a mile southeast off the Gila Cliff Dwellings. The report added that he was found beside a cold stream with his legs still lying in the water and his water bottle lying next to his body.
True’s cause of death has not yet been revealed.
“At the end, it’s just a recipe for disaster when you go out there by yourself,” said State Police Lt. Robert McDonald. “This is one of those things that, unfortunately, has been happening more and more lately.”
There were no obvious signs of trauma, and McDonald added it could take a couple of days before authorities know what happened.
Word of Micah True’s death spread immediately through the community of runners, both amateur and accomplished, some of whom view the Colorado resident as an inspiration, a reason they took up the sport.
Barry Anderson, a manager at Runner’s Den in Phoenix, said the sport would greatly miss True.
“He was both an international running celebrity, and the first person to smile and shake your hand when you crossed the finish line behind him,” Anderson wrote in a posting on Runner’s Den Facebook page . “The fact that so many people from all over the country dropped everything and immediately went to his aid is testimony to the way he lived his life and the way he himself treated his friends.”
For more on the mysterious death of marathon runner Micah True, watch the following video clip from Colorado’s 9News: via IBTimes
