When McDougall got back to the United States, he immediately contacted the editor of UltraRunning magazine, a man who knew every race and every name in the sport, to ask if he knew Caballo Blanco. When McDougall tried using his actual name, Micah True, the editor told him that he had rejected articles that he had submitted about his proposed race. Likewise, coach Joe Vigil had failed to meet him in Leadville and did not know of him. As promised, McDougall’s article was published in Runner’s World magazine and drew some renewed interest in the Tarahumara but no interest from runners concerning Caballo’s race (120). McDougall admits that he felt guilty for the lack of interest about the race because he “found it impossible to describe him truthfully without using the word ‘cadaverous,’ or mentioning that the Tarahumara called him ‘kind of strange’” (120).

In Chapter 19, McDougall introduces Scott Jurek, whom he describes as “America’s greatest ultrarunner” (123). Jurek grew up in Minnesota but did not blossom into a great distance runner until years later. Two weeks after winning the famous Western States 100 for the seventh time in 2005, he entered the Badwater Ultramarathon—a 135-mile race that takes place in California’s Death Valley, where temperatures average 125 degrees—and won that in record time (125-126). McDougall describes Jurek’s 2005 doubleheader as “one of the greatest performances in ultraracing history” (129). Not long after his remarkable feat, Jurek received another rambling email from Caballo asking him to compete in his race. Jurek typically deleted them, but this one caused him to consider competing against the Tarahumara. McDougall explains that Jurek “was up against the Curse of Ali,” meaning that every great modern boxer had to hear that he could not have defeated Muhamad Ali in his prime (131).

Nine months later, in February of 2006, the author was in El Paso and heading to Mexico to find Caballo again. Once Caballo heard from Jurek, he began organizing his race, which he set for March 5, and went from village to village to sign up Tarahumara runners. On the American end of the operation, once word got out that Jurek “might be going toe-to-toe with the Tarahumara, other ultra aces suddenly wanted a piece of the action” (133). Two such aces, Jenn Shelton and Billy Barnett, were both only 21 years old and traveling together from the East Coast when they arrived in El Paso. Jurek and Luis Escobar, another elite West Coast ultrarunner had already arrived and were at the Hotel bar. McDougall explains that “ultrarunning, like rap music, was split by geography; as East Coast playas, Jenn and Billy had done most of their racing close to home and hadn’t yet crossed paths (or swords) with many of the West Coast elites” (135).

In Chapter 21, the entire lineup of American runners traveling with the author have gathered at the hotel in El Paso and are scheduled to depart early the next morning. In addition to McDougall, Jurek, Shelton, and Barnett there is Eric Orton, “an adventure sports coach from Wyoming and a longtime student of the Tarahumara” who had been helping McDougall train for the past several months; Luis Escobar, an elite ultrarunner; and Escobar’s father, Joe Ramirez (136). Another runner known simply as “Barefoot Ted” because he was convinced that running shoes lead to foot injuries, thus was enduringly committed to always running barefoot, was scheduled to arrive later in the night. Except for the author, the entire crew went out for drinks and the two 21-year-olds returned extremely intoxicated. This led McDougall to believe that he would need to send the others ahead and stay back until they recovered, but somehow both were up and ready for the ride across the border. Upon their arrival in Creel, Caballo would be waiting for them and would guide them into the canyons.

Chapter 22 focuses entirely on Shelton and Barnett. McDougall explains that they met while both were lifeguarding in Virginia Beach. The two had many things in common, particularly literature, partying, and surfing. Eventually, they became romantic and got into running, working their way up to 100-mile ultramarathons. Shelton became one of the top three ranked 100-mile runners in the country, and her 14:57 time in the Rocky Racoon 100 still remains as of the writing of the book “the fastest hundred miles on dirt trails ever recorded by any woman, anywhere” (147). While interviewing her for an article about younger runners, McDougall discovered that “listening to Jenn was like communing with the Ghost of Caballo Blanco” (149). As soon as Shelton learned about Caballo and McDougall’s planned race with the Tarahumara, she asked if she and Barnett could come along. 

In Chapter 23, McDougall provides a biographical sketch of Barefoot Ted. After a 15-hour bus ride, the crew had just arrived in Creel to meet Caballo, and Ted immediately began talking to him relentlessly. McDougall argues that in their first 30 seconds there, “Caballo got blasted with more conversation than he’d heard in a year” (151). He explains that Ted was a very eccentric West Coast ultrarunner, who had led a very interesting life and become friends with a group of famous people. Just as Ted was getting into running, he began suffering from back pain but later stumbled upon the fact that when he went shoeless the pain went away. He began researching the idea of barefoot running and discovered that an international community of such runners existed and promoted the idea that your feet are “self-correcting devices” (156-157). Soon, Ted was recognized as one of the best barefoot runners in America (157).

As Caballo began to lead the crew to their lodging for the night, he stopped them and requested that they “swear a blood oath,” acknowledging that getting lost, hurt, or dying was not his fault (158). He then told McDougall that Manuel Luna likely would not race because his son Marcelino, the boy who he remembered from the rarajipari game, had recently been murdered in the canyons. Although no one was certain, he was likely murdered by drug cartel members. However, Caballo did say that there was a good chance that a few members of the famous Quimare family would show up and that he had been able to “put together a nice pot of prizes” (159).

In Chapter 24, McDougall discusses the group’s brief stay in Creel just before Caballo guides them into the canyons to meet the Tarahumara runners. He explains that being in Creel “was enough to put [Caballo] on edge in the first place” not only because of his love of solitude but also because of what the town represents (162). According to the author, Creel was named after Enrique Creel, “a land-raping kingpin of such dastardly magnificence that the Mexican Revolution was essentially thrown in his honor” (162). Nearly a century after the Mexican Revolution, that area of Creel “was now the launching area for every pestilence afflicting the Copper Canyons: strip-mining, clear-cut logging, drug ranching, and big-bus tourism” (162).

Tension began to break out between Caballo and Ted because of Ted’s insistence to hike into the canyons in his bare feet, a plan which Caballo knew was dangerous and could put the whole plan in jeopardy. When the ground is too rough, Ted slips on his Vibram FiveFingers, which are essentially a form-fitting thick rubber glove for your feet and toes. McDougall explains that with Vibram’s endorsement of Ted, he “had become America’s first professional barefoot runner of the modern era” (163). Despite the tense few moments between Caballo and Ted, the whole crew went for an early-morning run, regrouped, and loaded into a bus that would take them to the rim of the canyon.