This June 25, 2010, photo provided by Sole Sports Running Zone, shows, from left, Lance Muzslay, Maria Walton, Micah True and Karen Pitre Seymour in Tempe, Ariz. Search teams intensified efforts Saturday, March 31, 2012, to find renowned long-distance runner True, who mysteriously vanished four days ago after heading out for a morning run in New Mexico's rugged Gila National Forest. (AP Photo/Sole Sports Running Zone)
This June 25, 2010, photo provided by Sole Sports Running Zone, shows, from left, Lance Muzslay, Maria Walton, Micah True and Karen Pitre Seymour in Tempe, Ariz. Search teams intensified efforts Saturday, March 31, 2012, to find renowned long-distance runner True, who mysteriously vanished four days ago after heading out for a morning run in New Mexico's rugged Gila National Forest. (AP Photo/Sole Sports Running Zone)
In this Friday, March 30, 2012, photo, provided by New Mexico Search and Rescue via Silver City Daily Press & Independent, search and rescue team members prepare to search for missing runner Micah True, in Silver City, N.M. Search teams intensified efforts Saturday, March 31, to find True, who mysteriously vanished four days ago after heading out from a lodge for a morning run in the rugged wilderness near New Mexico's Gila National Forest. (AP Photo/New Mexico Search and Rescue via Silver City Daily Press & Independent)
In this March 29, 2012, photo, provided by New Mexico Search and Rescue via Silver City Daily Press & Independent, search and rescue teams, including dog teams, horse teams, a National Guard helicopter and a Civil Air Patrol fixed-wing aircraft scour the wilderness surrounding the Gila Cliff Dwellings in search for missing runner Micah True, in Silver City, N.M. Search teams intensified efforts Saturday, March 31, to find True, who mysteriously vanished four days ago after heading out from a lodge for a morning run in the rugged wilderness near New Mexico's Gila National Forest. (AP Photo/New Mexico Search and Rescue via Silver City Daily Press & Independent)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) ? Up mountainsides, through deserts and the wildest of rugged terrain, there was little that could break the serenity or solitude of Micah True as he ran. Only, perhaps, the pounding beat of his heart or the rhythm of his feet as they hit the trail, mile after mile after mile.
For True, running ? the pure act of running relentlessly and running far ? was a passion that needed no justification. To those who knew him well, it also brought forth an intense playfulness in the 58-year-old ultra-marathon runner.
"When he was out on the trail running, it was like someone just rang the school bell and said, 'Recess.' It was utter playfulness," recalled Chris McDougall, a friend of True's and author of the nonfiction best-seller "Born to Run."
True's body was discovered Saturday evening in a remote part of southern New Mexico's Gila Wilderness. The search began for him days earlier after he failed to return Tuesday from a 12-mile run.
His body was found near a cold stream, his legs still in the water and his water bottle next to him, about a mile southeast of the Gila Cliff Dwellings.
The cause of death wasn't known Sunday. There were no obvious signs of trauma, and State Police Lt. Robert McDonald said it could take a couple of days before authorities know what happened.
But word of his death spread immediately and sorrowfully through the community of runners, both amateur and accomplished, some of whom view True as an inspiration, a reason they took up the sport. Friends and admirers also posted condolences and shared fond memories on social networking sites of a man who, by nearly all of those accounts, was a truly memorable person.
Barry Anderson, a manager at Runner's Den in Phoenix, said the sport would miss True greatly.
"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. "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."
Many on Sunday described True in the most reverential and laudatory of terms, with "legendary" and "inspirational" chief among them.
True was the race director of The Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon, a 50-plus mile extreme race that took place in Urique, Mexico. This year's race marked a record turnout with hundreds of runners, including the local Tarahumara, or Raramuri, Indians who are known for their running traditions. True was featured in articles in running magazines and was a central character ? known by his nickname, "Caballo Blanco" ? in McDougall's "Born to Run."
McDougall, who was leaving New Mexico on Sunday after having helped with the search, said he based his book on the first Copper Canyon marathon that True organized in 2003.
Without True, McDougall said he's not sure whether the Copper Canyon race will be able to continue. The Tarahumara are extraordinarily reclusive and True was able to build a relationship with them based on trust and confidence, he said.
"He is the only person, I think, in our lifetime who has done a great job of very respectfully bringing awareness of that tradition to the rest of the world and creating a race that is a celebration of who they are."
And then there was True's smile, recognized by runners around the country.
Mark Cosmas, owner of iRun in Phoenix, said True was all about living life and helping other people enjoy running.
"He might not have been the fastest or the most talented, but the joy and the passion that he brought to the ultra-running community was just infectious," Cosmas said.
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Associated Press reporters Bob Christie in Phoenixvand Thomas Peipert in Denver contributed.
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