Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen Paperback – March 29, 2011

"A hidden tribe, superathletes, and the greatest race the world has never seen"Thought provoking - Entertaining - Motivating - A must read for runners and non-runners alike!Once I started reading this book I could not put it down. It has been a while since I have sacrificed night time TV watching for a book, but this one became an addiction. I devoured it in two days and was raving about it non-stop afterwards.I must admit that after reading the first few chapters I was questioning whether this was a fictional book. I am not that familiar with the ins and outs and personalities within US running circles. This coupled with high tales of the Tarahumaran Indians and a reclusive gringo gone grunge in the deadly Copper Canyons going by the name of Caballo Blanco just threw me for a six. As I eased into the story however I realized that what the author Christopher McDougall was doing was representing every character and their story. If something didn't make sense, it wasn't meant to as there more was to come and loose ends would be tied when they needed to be. He did an outstanding job of not only weaving a magnificent tale but also intertwining tidbits and findings about running science, history and anthropology.For the reader each character comes alive and you empathize and sympathize with them during their part of the journey. You also begin to question everything that you think you know about running that has been fed to you by the big brand names. Do I need stabilizing shoes to minimize injury or does the shoe in fact cause the injuries? Will running over twenty miles kill my joints or will it set me free?This book has also been the catalyst for a miracle... my husband has started to run and has been enjoying it. Now, he hasn't read the book (yet) but he has spent a few hours on and off with me discussing a lot of the pertinent issues and findings brought up in the book. I think the enthusiasm and excitement I displayed along with the gleam in my eye as I shared this tale convinced him (or at least tweaked his curiosity) that there was some sense behind running.This book has inspired me to believe that I was in fact born to run. Oh - and that I want a pair of Vibram Five Fingers (or the like) for Christmas (please Santa).

Christopher McDougall's "Born to Run" contains an epic tale about a race between some of the greatest modern ultra-runners pitted against the original (and elusive) extreme distance-runners, the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico. I was impressed on multiple levels and look forward to re-reading this book in the future.I chose to read this book at this time because I am in the middle of training for my second half-marathon and thought it would give me an extra boost of inspiration for my training. Not only was the book helpful for my training, it was educational and thrilling at the same time. This book pack quite a punch — certainly more than I bargained for, which was a pleasant surprise.The Tarahumara Indians are a group of native Mexicans that are well-known for their ability to run ultra-marathon distances. They are difficult to locate due to their ability to camouflage their homesteads, and prefer hermet-like isolation to interacting with the outside world. It is difficult to earn their trust, and McDougall explains the process that he went through to locate them and then cultivate a positive relationship with them. I found the story of the Tarahumara fascinating and even jaw-dropping at times, and McDougall does an excellent job describing their background to his readers.There is a character in the book named Caballo Blanco, who is a former-American that lives primarily in the Copper Canyons where the Tarahumara are located. He is capable of running ultra-marathon distances daily, just like the Tarahumara, and he has befriended the Indians over a long period of time. "Born to Run" begins with the search for Caballo, who takes McDougall under his wing and eventually orchestrates an incredibly unique ultra-marathon race between the Tarahumara and a small ragtag group of modern ultra-runners.The book takes a brief detour to discuss the correlation between modern running shoes and injuries. I was very interested in this section and absorbed a lot of helpful information that I plan to gradually incorporate into my running practice. Next there is a section that offers evolutionary evidence that shows that our species may have evolved the ability to run long distances specifically for persistence hunting (running animals to death by exhaustion). Is it really possible that modern-day humans are built for long-distance running because it provided an evolutionary advantage over the Neanderthals? I will have to reserve my judgment for this theory until I read more scientific evidence, but it is certainly an interesting theory. And it inspires me to encourage everyone I know to pick up running, since we may have literally been built for it!The climax of the book centers on the race between the Tarahumara Indians and modern ultra-runners. The race sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and McDougall's description of it is enough to make any runner salivate with desire to take part. "Born to Run" is an excellent book that provides a thrilling yarn, a history of an ancient group of ultra-runners, an in-depth look into the possibility that modern running shoes cause running-related injuries, and an evolutionary theory about our ancestors' ability to run long distance for hunting animals. I would advise any runner who is interested to give it a read, and look forward to reading it again in the future.