There are few “sure things” in running. Marathon or spirit? Treadmill or trail? With music or without? All great, debatable questions. However, I want to recommend one “sure thing” I am certain every runner will enjoy: the book “Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen ” by Christopher McDougall.
The book follows the author to the remote Copper Canyon of Mexico in search of the famed endurance runners of the Tarahumara Indian tribe. It’s an epic adventure as an eclectic group of distance runners make the journey to find the Tarahumaras and compete in a grueling endurance race across unforgiving Mexican terrain. In addition, McDougall takes a step back and looks at the history of human running visiting everyone from anthropologists to bio-mechanic specialists to learn how we were born to run.
The book has become popular with proponents of barefoot running for its focus on getting back to the basics of running, but thankfully avoids a strong dogmatic tone. McDougall simply presents the case that humans have been running (and running well) for thousands of years before the first running shoe arrived on the scene. And maybe in this time when 70% of all runners are afflicted by some running-related injury, taking a long hard look at how we run might not be a bad idea.
This is one of my favorite books of all time.
McDougall is an excellent storyteller and his material here is so rich with remarkable characters and exotic locations it is hard at times to believe this isn’t a work of fiction. “Born to Run” is simply an immensely enjoyable read, regardless if you ever laced up a pair of running shoes or not. But if you spend any time running, I guarantee that you will thoroughly enjoy “Born to Run.” Pick up a copy this summer and enjoy it poolside after logging your long run.