Synopses & Reviews
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.
Synopsis
Part adventure, part extreme sports, all inspiration,
Born to Run is a riveting story about one journalist's quest to discover the secrets of the world's greatest distance runners — a reclusive Indian tribe living deep in the Copper Canyon of northern Mexico.
Isolated by near-impenetrable terrain, the Tarahumara Indians are one of the most healthy and serene people on the planet and perhaps the greatest runners — able to cover hundreds of miles without rest. With the help of a man called Caballo Blanco — an almost mythical Westerner who lives among the tribe — Christopher McDougall was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but to join them on a fifty-mile trail race through this rugged landscape with an international gathering of ultramarathoners.
In a razor-sharp narrative McDougall describes the growing worldwide popularity of this grueling new sport, takes us through the dizzying preparations for the climactic race with the Tarahumara, and chronicles the truly awesome event itself. It's a story filled with surprise, near-death experiences, crazy prerace drinking sessions, obsessed — some would say mad — runners, and, of course, the Tarahumara themselves, who make it all look easy.
Galvanizing from start to finish, Born to Run will leave you breathless.
About the Author
Christopher McDougall is currently a contributing editor for Men's Health and a writer-at-large for Runner's World. He has written for Esquire,The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Outside, Men's Journal, and New York. He lives in Pennsylvania and is an obsessed ultramarathoner.