Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Summary:
Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world's greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong. Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder. With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.
Staff Review:
Born to Run is an epic journey for all those involved. Christopher McDougall weaves a story that is part anecdote and part research into something that is both compelling and engaging. The beginning of this adventure starts off with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search for an answer to this question, the reader gets to explore all the wild places and amazing people Christopher McDougall encountered on his journey. The book introduces us to characters from all over the world with one thing in common: running. As we meet each new person, we take a seamless step off the main path of the story to explore the story of this individual. Christopher McDougall talks people, nutrition, anthropology, history, and personal experience, with plenty of information to grasp onto, and never leaving us lost from the story that is being told. We start the book with Christopher McDougall at home wondering why his foot is hurting, and end in the Copper Canyons with the Tarahumara Indians and a group of outsiders for, as the sub-title tells us, the greatest race the world has never seen. I would highly recommend this book to any and everyone; you don’t have to love to run to love this book.
-- by Lee V.