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A lone pine on a cliff edge above the Copper Canyon at sunrise, with forested ridges fading into the distance
Sandra Dempsey / Unsplash

Ultra Caballo Blanco courses and aid stations

The Born to Run race in the Copper Canyons: four distances from the canyon-bottom town of Urique, up to a 100 miler that drops in from Cerocahui.

March 5 to 7, 2027 Urique, Chihuahua

Micah True, El Caballo Blanco, started this race in Urique in 2003, and it became known abroad as the Copper Canyon Ultramarathon through Chris McDougall's Born to Run. True Messages, the nonprofit that carries on his work, still runs it with the Municipality of Urique. You line up with several hundred Rarámuri runners, in a town at the bottom of one of the Copper Canyons of the Sierra Tarahumara.

The 80K, the marathon and the half marathon start and finish in Urique and climb the canyon's walls on dirt roads and trails. The 100 mile starts up in Cerocahui and comes down into Urique twice. The municipality also held a 14K recreational run in 2026, on Saturday morning, south of town to the second bridge at Guapalayna and back; UltraSignup doesn't list it for 2027.

The 2027 courses aren't out, so the map draws the 2026 lines from the GPX files the Municipality of Urique posts on its race site, with the aid stations we could find on OpenStreetMap. The organizer says there's little or no cell data in Urique: download the map before you go.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Ultra Marathon Caballo Blanco. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Caballo Blanco course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

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Caballo Blanco courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
100 Mile159.3 km (99 mi)5,330 m (17,487 ft)Sat, Mar 6, 10:00 AM38 h
80K (50 Mile)79.1 km (49.2 mi)2,935 m (9,629 ft)Sun, Mar 7, 6:30 AM15 h
Marathon (42K)43.4 km (27 mi)1,321 m (4,334 ft)Sun, Mar 7, 7:00 AM12 h
Half Marathon (21K)22.4 km (13.9 mi)839 m (2,753 ft)Sat, Mar 6, 8:00 AM6 h

Caballo Blanco 100 Mile

From Cerocahui over the high sierra to Urique, then up and down the canyon again.

Distance
159.3 km (99 mi)
Climbing
5,330 m (17,487 ft)
Start
Sat, Mar 6, 10:00 AM
Time limit
38 h

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Added in 2025, the 100 mile starts in Cerocahui and stays high for its first 70 km: El Gallego, Porochi and La Cruz, then out to Churo, above 2,200 m, and back to La Cruz. Past Huicorachi and El Naranjo it drops to Urique at km 91, the life base, where your drop bag waits. Then it climbs again through Guapalayna, Hormigueros and El Pinito to Cieneguita, about 2,100 m, and comes down past Cerro Blanco and Guadalupe to the finish in Urique. The 2026 chart gives 5,330 m of climbing and 6,397 m of descent.

The 2026 rules made you carry the official GPX on your watch and show you'd finished a 100 km race with real climbing, and no one under 18 could start.

The stops and cutoffs are 2026's. UltraSignup lists a 10:00 AM Saturday start for 2027, an hour later than in 2026, so the cutoffs may move too. Crucero de la Cienega (km 13.3), Porochi (27.3), La Cruz (32.2 and 66.3), El Pinito (117), Cieneguita (131.6, with a 1:00 PM Sunday cutoff in 2026) and Cerro Blanco (142.5) aren't on the map: we couldn't place them.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Cerocahui (100 Mile start)
19.4El Gallego
49.3Churo
70.5Huicorachi
78.5El Naranjo
91.1Urique (start and finish) Drop bagSun 4:00 AM (2026)
97.1Guapalayna
108Hormigueros Sun 8:00 AM (2026)
151.1Guadalupe
159.3Urique (start and finish)
A rocky ridge above deep, rugged canyons in the Barrancas del Cobre under a clear blue sky
Braulio Gómez / Unsplash

Caballo Blanco 80K (50 Mile)

The classic race: two big climbs north of Urique, then south along the canyon and back.

Distance
79.1 km (49.2 mi)
Climbing
2,935 m (9,629 ft)
Start
Sun, Mar 7, 6:30 AM
Time limit
15 h

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The 80K is the classic distance and the one most Rarámuri runners take on. It goes north from Urique to La Higuera and Guadalupe, climbs to Cerro Blanco, about 1,300 m at km 16, and comes back. The second climb goes past Mezcalera to El Naranjo, about 1,180 m at km 38.6, and back down to Urique at km 49.8. The last 30 km head south through Los Mezcales, Guapalayna and Puente Laja to Los Alisos and back, lower but in the heat of the day. The 2026 chart gives 2,935 m of climbing.

In 2026 the cutoffs were 4:00 PM in Urique (km 49.8) and 5:30 PM at Puente La Laja (km 58.8). El Puente, Mesa Reyes, Cerro Blanco, Mezcalera, Los Mezcales, Puente Laja and La Pandura aren't on the map.

Caballo Blanco Marathon (42K)

The 80K's first climb to Cerro Blanco, then a mostly flat run south of town.

Distance
43.4 km (27 mi)
Climbing
1,321 m (4,334 ft)
Start
Sun, Mar 7, 7:00 AM
Time limit
12 h

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Added in 2017, the marathon follows the 80K north to La Higuera and Guadalupe, climbs to Cerro Blanco at about 1,300 m, and comes back to Urique at km 33. The last 10 km run south to Los Mezcales and back to the finish in town. The 2026 chart gives 1,321 m of climbing and a 2:00 PM cutoff in Urique. The map leaves out El Puente, Mesa Reyes, Cerro Blanco and Los Mezcales.

A boulder-filled creek bed under pines and mist in the Copper Canyon country of Urique
Jorge Franco / Unsplash

Caballo Blanco Half Marathon (21K)

Up to El Naranjo and back, on Saturday morning.

Distance
22.4 km (13.9 mi)
Climbing
839 m (2,753 ft)
Start
Sat, Mar 6, 8:00 AM
Time limit
6 h

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

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The half marathon climbs north out of Urique past El Puente and Mezcalera to El Naranjo, about 1,180 m at km 10.6, and comes back the same way. The 2026 chart gives 839 m of climbing and a 6 hour limit. El Puente and Mezcalera, the stations on the way, aren't on the map.

Entering

You enter on UltraSignup. For 2027, international runners pay $300 for the 100 mile, $150 for the 50 mile, $125 for the marathon and $85 for the half. Residents of Mexico pay less. Entry includes the weekend's cultural events in Urique. There are no refunds, but you can defer to the next year if you ask before January 30. The organizer expects the races to sell out. Rarámuri runners entered free in 2026, at the municipal offices in Urique, Guachochi, Batopilas and Bocoyna.

True Messages also sells travel with your entry: a round trip from Chihuahua for $350, camping at Entre Amigos in Urique from $175, and hotel rooms in Urique or cabins at San Isidro, 10 miles away, shared with another runner.

Getting to Urique

A passenger train rounding a curve through pine forest in the municipality of Urique
Alan Lara / Unsplash

Chihuahua has the nearest big airport, about 8.5 hours' drive from Urique. The road is paved to Cerocahui. The last 40 km are dirt, often washboard and rocky, and the organizer recommends four-wheel drive or at least high clearance.

Without a car, take the Chepe train to Bahuichivo from Los Mochis or Chihuahua, or a bus from Chihuahua. From Bahuichivo it's about two hours to Urique, and by early Friday most rides down are gone.

Rooms in Urique fill early and few can be booked online. The municipality's race site lists about a dozen places to stay in Urique and as many in Cerocahui, most with a phone number. You can camp at Entre Amigos, at San Isidro or by the river. Urique has no banks or ATMs, so bring pesos from Chihuahua or Cuauhtémoc.

Heat, aid and what to carry

The climbs are hard, but the organizer says the heat and the exposure are harder. The canyon has shade for the first hours, but once the sun clears the mountains there's little. Highs usually reach the low to mid 80s °F and can hit the upper 90s. By Mexico's weather service's 1951 to 2010 normals, Urique's average March high is 31.3°C (88°F).

Aid stations come every 2 to 4 miles. All have bottled water and most have fruit; some have electrolyte drinks and pinole, a maize drink. Carry plenty of water and food anyway, with your own electrolytes, sunscreen and a buff for the dust. The 2026 rules required at least a bottle or a hydration pack. The course is marked with flags, painted rocks and marks on trees, and you collect wristbands at several points along the way. Red Cross teams wait at the major aid stations.

Caballo Blanco aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

  • Urique (start and finish)

    550 m (1,804 ft)

    27.21231, -107.91472

  • Cerocahui (100 Mile start)

    27.29802, -108.05534

  • El Gallego

    27.23491, -107.94075

  • Churo

    27.36227, -107.90257

  • Huicorachi

    27.29477, -107.95013

  • El Naranjo

    27.27291, -107.91786

  • Guapalayna

    27.17824, -107.89588

  • Hormigueros

    27.18167, -107.85050

  • Guadalupe

    27.24430, -107.87969

  • La Higuera

    27.23248, -107.88386

  • Los Alisos

    27.14982, -107.85272

Caballo Blanco FAQ

When is Ultra Caballo Blanco 2027?

March 5 to 7, 2027, in Urique. The half marathon and the 100 mile start on Saturday the 6th, the 80K and the marathon on Sunday the 7th, and the kids' races, the Caballitos, are on Friday. UltraSignup calls the start times tentative.

Is Caballo Blanco the race from Born to Run?

Yes. Chris McDougall's 2009 book Born to Run tells the story of the 2006 race, and made it known abroad as the Copper Canyon Ultramarathon. After Micah True died in 2012, it went back to the name it had always had in the canyons.

Do Rarámuri runners race Caballo Blanco?

Yes, several hundred of them, most in the 50 mile. The race keeps up a tradition from Micah True's day: every Rarámuri runner gets vouchers for food for their family, such as maize flour, beans and rice.

How hot is it at Caballo Blanco?

The organizer says an average year reaches the low to mid 80s °F and the upper 90s aren't unusual, with little shade once the sun is up. Urique averages a 31.3°C (88°F) high in March.

Is there cell service in Urique?

Little or no cell data, the organizer says, though the town has several internet cafés. Download the map in Goat Maps before you leave: your phone's GPS still shows where you are without a signal.

Is there a GPX file for the Caballo Blanco courses?

Yes. The Municipality of Urique posts a GPX file for each course on caballoblancoultra.com, recorded on a watch in January 2026, and the map here draws those lines. If you run the 100 mile, the 2026 rules made the official GPX on your watch mandatory. You also get a course map in your race packet.

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Updated . An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.