Christopher McDougall

A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

Born to Run

At the heart of Born to Run lies a mysterious tribe of Mexican Indians, the Tarahumara, who live quietly in canyons and are reputed to be the best distance runners in the world; in 1993, one of them, aged 57, came first in a prestigious 100-mile race wearing a toga and sandals. A small group of the world's top ultra-runners (and the awe-inspiring author) make the treacherous journey into the canyons to try to learn the tribe's secrets and then take them on over a course 50 miles long.

With incredible energy and smart observation, McDougall tells this story while asking what the secrets are to being an incredible runner. Travelling to labs at Harvard, Nike, and elsewhere, he comes across an incredible cast of characters, including the woman who recently broke the world record for 100 miles and for her encore ran a 2:50 marathon in a bikini, pausing to down a beer at the 20 mile mark.

Ein vergessenes Volk und das Geheimnis der besten und glücklichsten Läufer der Welt

Chris Farrell 

This was the best book I have read in 2017. It has been on my reading list for a couple of years, but, I managed to pick up something else first. My mistake. I have been a consistent, long distance runner for 2 and a half years. I learned as much about myself as I did about the Tarahumara.

Michael Knepprath

I had already started to run more frequently, but this book inspired me. It's a real life adventure story - I highly recommend you read it!

The astonishing national bestseller and hugely entertaining story that completely changed the way we run.

An epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt?
 
Isolated by Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall’s incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.
(back cover)

Fantastic book in terms of the story and adventure in it all. Could have done with less about the theory behind the runners and more on the characters of the story. Definitely veered into some sketchy scientific territory sometimes but overall still quite enjoyable. 

Abigail Swallow

jakten på löpningens själ

Born to run

Not only a great story, there's a lot to learn here, biomechanics of running, even down to a rough idea of diets and an understanding of the elusive group of Tarahumaras 

Kash B

Tuago

Couldn't digest the author's character who seems to think he knows it all. The stories also seem very exaggerated.

Lord Aragorn

Entertaining read about ultra runners. Enjoyed reading about the colorful characters and the book is motivating me to run

The astonishing national bestseller and hugely entertaining story that completely changed the way we run. An epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall’s incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.

Maddie

Lovely story interspersed with interesting studies and details about the evolution of humans and how our bodies function.

Ben Radford

This is a great read for those who can identify to any degree with the benefits and pleasures of running. Having run two marathons to date gave me a bit of an appreciation and perspective for the ultra running community and culture. McDougall's writing is light, humorous, and entertaining yet he offers an in depth look at the history and anthropology of running and it's utility to our society.

Starts off unbearably slow, also what is it about white men who feel the need to profile these kinds of stories? Whatever, I guess. The last like 30% of the book was compelling. I enjoyed learning about the different runners and the race itself. I probably wouldn't recommend it though.

Julia Rivera

Honestly re-inspired me to appreciate and learn to fall in love with running again. 

Rin Dav

Stephanie Honour

"i want to run!" is exactly the phrase this story will send spinning through your mind. it's motivation for all the runners out there who are tired of running. not only does it throw around some pretty cool notions about sneakers versus barefoot running, but it also unveils a neat twist on the evolution of the running man (formerly understood to be the evolution of man, in my memory). this is a must read for runners!

Ahmed Salem

I came to this book with one goal. I want to have quick speed tips and tricks for my non-existent Running skills.

HOWEVER ....

This book has shifted my mind totally toward the activity of Running. Running is not a tool you are using to get fit or enhance your body shape. It is something evolved with us through hundred of thousands of years. It is something like sleeping, thinking, reproducing and other out of box features of human beings. We are animals crafted to run. Actually we are the best running animals over this planet. 

It is not optional any more to be start training to be a Marathon runner :) 

ABSOLUTELY RECOMMENDED

Terry Thomas

Born to Run is for barefoot running what Rich Dad, Poor Dad was for investing: a game-changing book that introduces the topic in an accessible way. 

It talks about things that, once you read them, seem obvious and self-evident. 
It makes you realize that you've been following the herd in some aspects of your life in very counter-productive ways. 
It makes you want to both just get started (managing your money better/ditching bad, overpriced running shoes) and learn more about the subject. (Of course, once you do learn more about the subject, you realize that the authors have over-simplified many aspects.. But the core of the message remains fundamentally true.) 

Written in punchy, unputdownable prose, chock-full of stories about inspiring superhuman runners along with information for the average person, this is a must-read for any runner.

Emma Friedheim

I know I’m late to the party but I finally got around to reading this and LOVED it. A fascinating story filled with such colorful characters...and good running inspiration :)

Wow!!!! Makes me want to run again barefoot and then research everything this book mentions. Very interesting and it's true too!!!

Melody Izard

Entertaining, inspiring, funny, informative. Loved it. It's the story of the authors interest in discovering more about our natural ability to run (uh huh, oh yeah we do all have a natural ability to run) and he sets out to learn more about the Tarahumara - an indian tribe in Mexico who have an uncanny ability to run for miles and miles up and down canyons while smiling. He sets up an ultra marathon with a cast of interesting ultra-marathon characters and in between telling us about the race he gives us interesting running facts.

Erin Noel

When I picked up this book, I thought I might get a little inspiration to do the one activity I do not enjoy, but it is so much more than a book about running. It's a beautifully crafted story of a motley crew coming together to participate in the world's first mixed gringo and Tarahumara tribe ultra-marathon through the Copper Canyon in Mexico--a place most people do not survive. Each of the runners share a common passion, pure enjoyment and down right spiritual zen-like state of running. They run with heart, breaking records and defying the human body's natural limitations without even trying to.

Rob Erekson

I can easily say that this book changed my life. I had just about given up on running entirely due to recurring shin splints that I just couldn't seem to get rid of. While at the park running one day, I got into a conversation with a guy that recommended this book to me. Having previously heard of the book, I knew it was something I'd be interested in, so I purchased it immediately, planning to read it on vacation in a couple weeks. Little did I know it wouldn't make that long! Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down until I finished reading it.

This book gets a lot of credit for fueling the barefoot running movement. While the book doesn't really come out and advocate barefoot running, it does recommend not running in thick-soled running shoes with large heel drop measurements. The main thing I took away from Born to Run was why to run. Every time I read the book, I wanted to get out and run.

So how did this book change my life? It helped me learn the proper running technique, so I no longer got shin splints from running. More importantly, however, it taught me to love running again, and why to love running.

Elizabeth Garza

What a funny, engaging, and engrossing read! I 100% believe you do not have to be a runner or even particularly like running to enjoy this book. But, if you ARE a runner, this book will make you just want to strip down to your skivvies and RUN FOREST RUN. 

It was fascinating and so inspiring to read about this group of indigenous people that just love to run for the sake of loving to run. And as the reader learns more about the Tarahumara they also learn about ultrarunning culture here in the US and some of the stars of this very small niche (though it has been growing since the publication of this book and still growing I'm sure) in sports. It was so inspiring and fascinating to learn so much about how we humans are meant to run, it's just we've gotten away from enjoying just being able to move our bodies like we once used to. 

Lastly, the writing is fantastic! I have a hard time reading some sports-nonfiction because sometimes the writing is just not that good. This is fine since I know being a great writer is not these people's top priority. But it was so nice to read a sportsbook with really good writing because it makes the reading experience so much more fulfilling.

Shantesh Patil

If a book could inspire you to run this is it

Carolina Lopes

Books about running are officially the best thing to listen to while running

Carlo Zottmann

A great, inspiring, interesting and eye-opening book.

Les Reynolds

Well told and eye opening. Makes me want to run (and I hate the slog).

Born to Run A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

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