The seventh running of the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon, and the fourth annual running of the CCUM in the Urique canyon had about 100 starters and 38 finishers. There is nothing quite like it, anywhere. I am just the RD horse. What do I know?--:

There was almost $6,000 in prize money spread among the top 10 finishers, $1,000 of that for the top three women, and all finishers split 30,000 pounds of maiz accordingly. ALL participants will also be awarded maiz. A big thanks to all who care enough to read about it, and especially to those who have participated over the last few years and have become Mas Loco!

Caballo Blanco  
 

 1--JOE GRANT--EL TORTUGA--OREGON--6:24
  Course record!
 2--JOSH BRIMHALL--EL ANTILOPE--NEVADA--6:42
 3--Isidro Lechuga--Piedras Verdes, Urique--6:49
 4--Florencio Quimare--Ocorare, Batopilas--6:58
 5--Arnulfo Quimare--Chepatare, Batopilas--7:11

 6--Cervando Gutierez--Huisuchi, Batopilas--7:14
 7--Antonio Luna--Munerachi, Batopilas--7:19
 8--Silvino Cubezare--Huisuchi, Batopilas--7:32
 9--Dolores Estrada--Huicorachi, Urique--7:35
10--Corpus Estrada--Huicorachi, Urique--7:36

11--Arnulfocito Mendoza--Santa Rita, Batopilas--7:42
12--Silverio Ramirez--Tatoguichi, Guachochi--7:51
13--Ignacio Nacho Palma--Chawaloco, Batopilas--8:04
14--JOSHUE STEPHENS--EL LOBEZNO--TEXAS--8:08
15--AMANDA MCINTOSH--LA YEGUA NEGRA PELIGROSA--TEXAS/COLORADO--8:23
  First woman!

16--Leanardo Cleto--Piedras Verdes, Urique--8:38
17--PETER MARSTON--EL PUMA--ARKANSAS--8:40
18--FRANCO MARCHETTI--El AQUILA ALPES--ITALY--8:42
19--Epitanio Quimare--Chinivo, Batopilas--8:52
20--Santos Reyes--Basiguare, Guachochi--8:56

21--Sebastiano Gutierez--San Jose, Batopilas--8:57
22--Sergio Mancinas--Urique--9:01
23--ABI STEPHENS--LA LINCE--OREGON--9:07---Second woman!
24--Enrique Moreno--San Rafael, Urique--9:09
25--THERESA DO--LA PALOMA--COLORADO--9:15---third woman!
26--CHRISS LABBE--EL CABRO COLORADO--9:25
27--TED MCDONALD--EL MONO--CALIFORNIA--9:29
28--Luis Cleto--Piedras Verdes, Urique--9:32
29--Jose Cruz--Piedras Verdes, Urique--9:32
30--Arnulfo Gonzales--GUadalupe Coranado, Urique--10:00

31--LEAH JUREK--LA ALMA HERMOSA--WASHINGTON--10:23--fourth woman!
32--PAUL CHARTERIS--EL KIWI SALVAJE--NEW ZEALAND/CALIFORNIA--10:23
33--Lorenzo Catsro--Guadalupe Coranado, Urique--10:31
34--Margarita Lerna--Panalachi, Bocoyna--10:38
  FIRST TARAHUMARA WOMAN, fifth woman overall!
35--Jesus Perez--Munerachi, Batopilas--10:38
36--Carlos Concheno--Urique--11.00
37--GABI STEPHENS--LA LAGARTA--PENNSYLVANIA--11:30--sixth woman!
38--GORDON MONTGOMERY--EL CHANGO--IRELAND/TEXAS--11:45
 

Sunday, March 2, 2008 was just another beautiful day in the deep canyon country of La Sierra Madre.

On the previous Wednesday they came, 4 gringo runners and El Caballo Blanco walking over from the deep canyon town of Batopilas, encountering 14 Batopilas canyon Raramuri en route, and walking together over la Sierra then down into the 6,200 foot deep canyon town of Urique, where we encountered more Raramuri and the rest of the gringo runners, men and women.

There were 136 running participants, of which about 100 started the 47 mile ultra. 36 local townspeople and a few international runners participated by running one of the two 18 mile loops with us, either the first loop upriver, or the second downriver loop. Many excited children ran short distances with us when we were entering and leaving the deep canyon small town of Urique beginning and ending each loop. EVERYBODY participated!

The ultra run finishes with an 11 mile out and back after the two longer loops. Out of the 100 or so ultra starters and 38 finishers, 15 were from the United States, France and Italy, 6 Mexican runners from Chihuahua, and one local Urique Mexican man, whom finished near to last, and was awarded $100 for being the only towns-person runner to do so.

First place went to a humble and relatively unknown young Oregon Man named Joe Grant--El Tortuga Lluvia--Rain Turtle. The 24 year old turtle does not run, nor looks much like his animal helper. In Fact, the Turtle broke Scott Jurek`s- -El Venado, the Stag Deer, course record of 6:32, lowering the record to 6:24!

Nevada speedster Josh Brimhall--El Antilope Desierto, Desert Antelope, was second, followed by 8 Raramuri--Tarahumara runners rounding out the top 10. ALL United States, and our new Italion friend, Franco-- El Aguila del Alpes, Eagle of the Alps, finished.

The first place woman was Amanda McIntosh--La Yegua Negra Peligrosa, Dangerous Black Mare, from Texas and Leadville, Colorado. Amanda generously gave her $500 winnings to the 3 Tarahumara women participants. Yes, Raramuri women came, And the bridge between running cultures has now been constructed and crossed by our lovely Mas Loca women runners, acting as the messengers--Andale!

Josh and Joe also gave their combined $2,500 winnings back to the Raramuri people in the form of sharing some of their winnings with the 8 Raramuri rounding out the top 10, and putting the rest into the CCUM Seed Farm--sustainable agriculture project we have begun in cooperation with Native Seeds Search. Nobody had to do that; and they Did!....Korima.

Theresa Do--La Paloma--Dove, won cash and corn by finishing 3rd woman. Abigail Stephens--La Lince--Lynx, finished second and won $300. Yes, we have prize money for the top 3 women. There was a grand total of about 9 women ultra runners....not bad odds -:

As well as the cash prizes of about $5,000 for the top ten overall and another $1,000 for the top 3 women--who have a chance to double their winnings when taking a top 10 overall spot, a ton of corn is awarded to each of the top 5 finishers, and a half ton to the 6-10th place finishers. ALL finishers after that are awarded 500 pounds of corn.

All gringos gave the corn back to the people however they wanted to do so, and we now have to deliver, I can only guess at this early point, about 30,000 pounds of corn....A horse`s work is never done -: Thanks for mucho help and support in many ways from Chris Labbe- -El Cabro Colorado--Mountain Goat, whom also printed up beautiful calenders from last year`s race event and gave them to the Urique towns-people.

The CCUM is sponsored by this kind of generosity, called Korima in the Raramuri language--sharing, a gift, unconditional and beautiful, the reward for giving being whatever may come back around in the circle. And what does, along with whatever else, is always beauty. Andale...

May the Raramuri and all of us continue to run free.  
 

Caballo Blanco de La Sierra Madre