What did the SNEWS team learn this week that other outdoor industry insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out.

• The running world was shocked to learn that Boulder, Colo.’s very own Micah True, also known as Caballo Blanco (subject of the book "Born to Run"), was found dead in the New Mexico wilderness last week after setting out for a 12-mile run days prior. Many of us met him at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2011. This Runner’s World blog post discusses how it could happen to any runner, and reminded us to take time before we leave to kiss the ones we love, say goodbye and make sure they know how we feel. Run in peace, Caballo Blanco, you were an inspiration to so many.

• SNEWS was all over diversity in the outdoor industry in the Day 1 issue of the O.R.D. for Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, but the Huffington Post recently ran a three-part series on the topic. Check out part three of their series, which calls out great organizations like Outdoor Afro and the National Brotherhood of Skiers.

• Getting outdoors with our families for activities from sailing to hiking to fly-fishing was a great childhood pastime for those of us here at SNEWS. But a study recently recapped in this CBS News story stated that parents these days simply aren’t taking their kids — especially little girls — outside to play.

• It’s a high-school senior tradition in Ravenna, Neb. to camp out. But five friends decided to take their adventure to a whole new level. They pitched their tents on March 5 and plan to keep camping until the last day of school to raise money and awareness for the Love in Action Food Pantry in Ravenna and Crossroads Homeless Shelter in Kearney. Check out this Independent story for details on how to help their cause. 

• SNEWS recently got invited to run the Gore-Tex TransRockies Run, and after enthusiastically saying yes, we started to freak out. Thanks to this iRunFar blog post about the essential elements for successful ultramarathon training, we’re feeling a little less fearful.

• We’ve heard that spending time on a bicycle seat can cause erectile dysfunction in men, but recent studies show that it could also affect women’s sexual health. A Yale University study showed that women cyclists had less genital sensation than female runners, leading them to believe that female cyclists are at risk for problems similar to those of male cyclists. Check out this New York Times story.

• Vermont resident Jason Franklin has lived within the same 20-mile radius his whole life. So when he got a craving to explore the West, he looked into the National Outdoor Leadership School, with which he went on a 94-day expedition through the Rockies. Franklin recaps his amazing experience in this Brattleboro Reformer story. 

• From a story about how parents aren’t taking their kids outdoors to this story in the Des Moines Register about teenagers starting a Pheasants Forever youth chapter, SNEWS sees a glimmer of hope. The organization is dedicated to conservation and outdoor recreation and the youth involved are planning to raise funds for activities like camping, archery, hunting, fishing and canoeing. 

• Who said city folks can’t develop a love of the outdoors in a concrete jungle? Just ask Mauricia Baca, who was featured in this Las Vegas Review-Journal article. Baca used to go on what she calls “urban hikes” around her native New York City. Now she heads up the Outside Las Vegas Foundation, which connects southern Nevada residents to outdoor adventures on public lands.

• Our New Mexican friends can attest to the horrific potholes that plague the roads there after a snowstorm. But they're nothing compared to the worst roads in Peru, along which some daring folks will ride during the Mototaxi Junket. The Mototaxi has been dubbed "the worst vehicle ever invented" and appears to be some hybrid of a motorcycle face with a golf cart butt. Check out this video on The Adventure Blog.

Have you read anything interesting you'd like to share with us? Maybe we'll include it next week's column with a little shout out to whoever sent it to us. Send a link to the story with the subject line "SNEWS Reads" to be considered.

--Compiled by Ana Trujillo