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

Sep 26, 2015 David Rubenstein rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction, audiobook

While I am not a runner, I found this book to be quite engaging. I can recommend it to anyone interested in running, indigenous peoples, or wacky characters!

This book is about long-distance races over rugged, desert terrain. It is about a hidden tribe, the Tarahumara, who live in the Copper Canyone area of the Sierra Madre, a remote, desert region in Mexico. The tribe is very wary of strangers. They speak their own native language. They live in a rugged, wild country that takes days to reach. Ju While I am not a runner, I found this book to be quite engaging. I can recommend it to anyone interested in running, indigenous peoples, or wacky characters!

This book is about long-distance races over rugged, desert terrain. It is about a hidden tribe, the Tarahumara, who live in the Copper Canyone area of the Sierra Madre, a remote, desert region in Mexico. The tribe is very wary of strangers. They speak their own native language. They live in a rugged, wild country that takes days to reach. Just getting there is dangerous, as it involves evading drug runners and rugged, roadless desert terrain.

It is a wonder that the tribe flourishes, because just getting from one village to another requires enormous athleticism and stamina. But this seems to be no problem for the Tarahumara, many of whom are superathletes. They frequently run enormous distances, over 100 miles, without a problem. They don't wear running shoes; they usually wear homemade sandals made of a thin strip of rubber.

The main story is about a 50-mile race through Copper Canyon in a heat-scorching sun. Many colorful characters compete in the race. Their attitudes toward life and toward running are fun and often funny. I cannot imagine how some of them could have made it out of the desert alive at all, let alone made it across the finish line.

The most surprising part of the book is the description of how high-end running shoes tend to slow runners down and make runners twice as prone to injuries as low-end shoes. Imagine their surprise when Nike employees visited a college track team, and saw that they were practicing barefoot. Running barefoot is less conducive to injuries that top-of-the-line running shoes!

The antics of a couple of the characters in the book started to make me feel like this was just a sophomoric book about happy-go-lucky college kids. But there was enough interest in the book to keep me engaged to the very last page.

I didn't read this book; I listened to the audiobook version. Fred Sanders is a very good reader, and his accents sounded realistic and help propel the story forward. ...more

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Aug 25, 2010 Stacey rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, BUT: the story was so exciting, the arguments so sweeping, the characters so large, that I couldn't help but question whether the author wasn't perhaps embellishing here and there. I've done some research since finishing the book, and there are certainly people out there who share my skepticism (esp. regarding some of the evolutionary arguments). It's also interesting that the author takes aim at Nike (he basically claims that running injuries are worse - or at le ...more

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May 17, 2011 Brian Pagano rated it it was amazing

Shelves: running, favorites

I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that this book changed my life. It's not something I say often.

McDougall knows how to tell a story. His experience writing feature articles for magazines has honed his chops for introducing and developing "characters", creating conflict, and keeping the pages turning while mixing backstory.

I was dubious of the whole minimalist running thing until I saw a few studies indicating some actual scientific merit. I picked up this book and I'm glad I did ...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Jennifer rated it really liked it

I read a review of this book, thought it sounded interesting, and put it on hold at the library. When I checked it out I couldn't remember why I thought I would want to read it - but once I started, I was hooked! Great storytelling, but even better I am so interested in the idea that the plainer the running shoe (or no shoe at all) the better you will be at running, and injury free to boot. Plus the bits about eating vegan and having the stamina for ultramarathons has really got me thinking. Rea ...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Kathleen (itpdx) rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

Christopher McDougall is a wonderful story teller. In this book he takes on a great story and some wonderfully crack-pot people to tell stories about.

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