Hear directly from Caballo himself in this award-winning film documentary that captures the legend’s compelling message of peace, the joy of running and spirit of sharing.
LEXINGTON, MA (April 8, 2015) – This month marks three years since the passing of American ultra-runner Micah True, nicknamed Caballo Blanco. Today, many still wonder about the man mythicized in the 2009 best-seller “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. Now, for the first time, the world can hear straight from the legend himself in the award-winning film documentary Run Free: The True Story of Caballo Blanco, presented by Saucony. Saucony, in partnership with Runner’s World, will host the U.S. premiere of Run Free with an invitation-only event to be held on Thursday, April 16 during the week of the Boston Marathon. A national, multi-city screening tour will immediately follow.
Run Free: The True Story of Caballo Blanco tells the story of Micah True, aka Caballo Blanco, who lived in the remote Copper Canyons of northern Mexico among the Tarahumara Indians, reputed to be the greatest natural runners in the world. True created a unique 50-mile footrace, now called the Ultramarathon Caballo Blanco, to help the Tarahumara preserve their legendary running culture. Filmed over the course of five years, the 90-minute documentary by filmmaker Sterling Noren and executive producer Maria Walton, tells the story of this amazing race through the eyes and voice of True.
Run Free has been named winner of the 2015 Bud Greenspan Memorial Film and Video Award presented by the Track and Field Writers of America. The film has also received an Award of Excellence from the IndieFEST Film Awards, an avant-garde, worldwide film competition.
“Micah was a true friend and inspiration to all of us here at Saucony,” said Richie Woodworth, president of Saucony. “We connected over similar, shared beliefs about the joy and love of running and how that can be a transformational and powerful engine for good. In an organic spirit of ‘Kórima” (Kórima means sharing in the Tarahumara language), Micah inspired and taught us that good things can happen when we act out of love and generosity. This film shares that message, helping to further sustain the people and culture that meant so much to him. We’re honored to be a part of this project and are committed to keeping Micah’s mission alive,” added Woodworth.
“In 2009 I set out to make a movie that was about the joy of traveling solo on a motorcycle,” said Sterling Noren, director of Run Free and founder and director of Noren Films. “I rode into the heart of North America’s largest wilderness−the Copper Canyons of northern Mexico. I met Micah by chance when I arrived in a small village at the bottom of one of the canyons. Micah invited me to not only film the race, but trusted me to document his life.”
“Micah’s genuine passion for honoring the sacred running traditions of the Tarahumara people was the essence of his being,” said Maria Walton, executive producer of Run Free and co-race director of the Ultramarathon Caballo Blanco. “We made this film to share Micah’s vision of hope for the Tarahumara culture and inspire people everywhere with his joy of running. Micah had an immense respect for his friends at Saucony and their generosity to help support his life’s mission truly honors that friendship.”
A percentage of the film’s profit will go to Norwas de Rarámuri (Friends of the Running People), the not-for-profit agency founded by True to preserve traditional Tarahumara culture. Norawas de Raramuri works to provide maize, non-GMO seed corn, and cash awards for the Tarahumara runners. In this way the organization offers Tarahumara families nutrition during drought and support for a tradition of small farms necessary to both physical and cultural survival.
Run Free Distribution
The Run Free film distribution strategy is aimed at delivering the documentary to the widest audience possible and includes:
· U.S. Debut: The U.S. debut of Run Free will take place in Boston, MA during the week of the Boston Marathon on April 16, 2015.
· U.S. Tour and Festivals: Run Free will launch a U.S. multi-city screening tour, including entry into major film festivals. The first screening of the film in a public movie theater will be at The Screening Room in Tucson, AZ during the Arizona International Film Festival on Saturday, April 11th at 4:00 pm. This will be followed by additional screenings of the film in the southwest and Midwest between April 21 and May 7.
· Digital Launch: The digital launch of Run Free will be on iTunes, Vimeo on Demand and Amazon Instant Video, among other channels, beginning September 1, 2015.
About Saucony: Saucony, a division of Wolverine Worldwide, is a leading global running lifestyle brand that fuses performance, innovation and style to create compelling footwear and apparel with its widely recognized brands Saucony and Saucony Originals. Founded in 1898, Saucony continues to inspire runners everywhere with its award winning innovations, including the “Geometry of Strong™, PWRGRID+™, ISOFIT™ and the Total Run System™ apparel line. At Saucony, a good day is when we get to run. A great day is when we inspire someone else to run. For more information, go to www.saucony.com.