• Born to Run

  • A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
  • By: Christopher McDougall
  • Narrated by: Fred Sanders
  • Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (19,838 ratings)

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Born to Run  By  cover art

Born to Run

By: Christopher McDougall
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
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Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The astonishing 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?

“Equal parts quest, physiology treatise, and running history.... The climactic race reads like a sprint.... It simply makes you want to run.” —Outside Magazine

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.

©2009 Knopf (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

“Compelling. . . . Entertaining. . . . [McDougall] uses an extended portrait of one of the world's least known cultures, the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico's Copper Canyons, to put modern American running under an exacting magnifying glass.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Equal parts quest, physiology treatise, and running history. . . . [McDougall] seeks to learn the secrets of the Tarahumara the old-fashioned way: He tracks them down. . . . The climactic race reads like a sprint. . . . It simply makes you want to run.”—Outside Magazine

“Hugely entertaining. . . . One of the most joyful and engaging books about running to appear for many years.”—The Irish Times

Featured Article: The Best Running Audiobooks You Should Be Listening to


Running can be an arduous task, especially for those who are new to the sport. It can also be a life-giving force for those who are already more involved in the running community. Either way, it’s one of the best athletic ventures to couple with a great audiobook. Listening to the inspirational stories of other runners can be just what you need to push through a difficult jog or set a new personal record. Our list of great listens about running has you covered.

What listeners say about Born to Run

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book to run to!

I tend to download books to listen to while I run. Out of all the books which I have listened, this book was the most motivating. McDougall touches on all of the reasons I enjoy running. Listening to this book I found it easy to push through that extra mile or two.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding

I really enjoyed this book. It is by far one of the best listens out there. I found myself looking for chores/tasks to do that would give me an excuse to keep listening to the book. Well written, funny and educational.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly, I hated this book

I am a runner, and I love history and non-fiction. So, I thought I would really enjoy this book. But I never warmed up to it and gave up before the second file. The story-telling was too over the top and I missed a likable character to anchor the story.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent.

I have regularly runs ultras since 2001. This book has spurred more growth in a single listen than all those years, combined. What others have called "bird walking" is the true substance of this book. While the actual race is fascinating, the research and stories about running, in general - shoes, or the lack thereof, nutrition, physiology, and psychology - are a veritable goldmine for an ultrarunner, or anyone aspiring to try.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • TM
  • 04-23-14

Pitch Perfect Performance of an Inspiring Book

Any additional comments?

Masterfully crafted narratives that engage even non-runners in the lives of the most extreme runners in the world.

I had already started down the path of barefoot or at least minimalist running/walking due to realizing that whilst on vacation in Europe, I had walked a marathon in two days in flimsy fashion sneakers with barely any sole - and NO pain!

This book has inspired me to stay on my minimalist journey - a personal one - and continue to be bipedal, especially on the trails in my neighborhood.

Humans were designed to be in motion, in nature, and this book helps me to remember that.

Thoroughly recommended.

Narration was perfect too.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Do yourself a favor- read this book- life altering

Any additional comments?

I can honestly say that this book made more of an impact on my lifestyle than anything else I've ever read or listened to. This book is not preachy nor is it a self help book. It is simply an interesting story (non-fiction) that inadvertantly lights a fire inside of you. As a result of reading this book, I'm much more active, I eat healthier, and I've lost a lot of weight. Best of all - it's a great read. If you're reading this review right now, do yourself a favour and buy this book!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

No need to be a runner to be inspired & fascinated

The full title is key to understanding everything this book has to offer. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. What you don't know from that title, though, is that you do not have to be a runner to get caught up in this story and be completely fascinated.

Born to Run is known as one of *the* books to read in the running community. McDougall's tale of an unknown tribe and the athletes who wanted to keep up with them is succinct and fascinating, and no stone is unturned as he analyzes his own running techniques. Reviewing controversial insights into the "right" shoe to wear, the "right" form, and his experiences with the ultrarunning athletes who are wildly impressive (and just plain crazy) kept me up late, rapt with attention. (Ultrarunners are those who complete distances further than the marathon distance of 26.2 miles. In fact, what is normally considered a minimum ultrarun, according to Ultrarunning's site, is 31.07 miles (a 50k), and extending all the way to 100 miles. There are even events that go for days, not just distances.)

All runners experience injuries and McDougall is no different. When his foot hurt, doctors advised a break. He kept running, and with the help of the mysterious Caballo Blanco, met the Tarahumara tribe of Mexico who easily run extreme distances daily, mileages that will make your jaw drop. They blew me away, I admit. Could anyone easily run a distance from New York to Detroit within a couple of days and not be completely destroyed? Probably not. But the Tarahumra tribe can. And when they run, they wear thin soled sandals that go against everything you were taught to believe about the "right" running shoe. Sometimes, the tribe even run barefoot and still, no issues.

The audio book is a perfect choice to listen to while running, especially if you're like me and don't like to listen to music. I was motivated to get out there and feel inspired by the ultrarunning legends, and the talents of the Tarahumara tribe. Born to Run will definitely be on my list of best books read in 2012, and I will be referring to this book several times over for motivation and insight. Whether you think you are "built for it" or not, you may become convinced we really were born to run, and to run long distances at that.

Interesting fact from the book: We were faster in the 1970s. Six amateur men in a local running group could break a 2:12 marathon mark, but in 2000 we didn't have any US marathoner in the Olympics who would have been able to meet that time. In fact, for the men's marathon, we finished in 69th place. Could it be the way shoes are made nowadays? The Tarahumara go barefoot a lot.

Runners and non-runners: You can't go wrong with this incredible story of Christopher McDougall's quest to understand running that first started because he wanted to find out why his foot hurt. In fact, those who don't run may actually be inspired to go for a short run. I would recommend that. After all, you might surprise yourself.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

renewed my inner athlete

Wow. This can be a life changing story. Made me want to run again. Beautifully tied together humanitarian and athletic activities. A technical bio-mechanics read as well as a great listen. Should be read by every athlete.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Inspiring read for runners and non runners alike

As a 40 something mediocre runner with aspirations to do a marathon, I found this book completely inspiring. McDougall weaves so much information into an engrossing storyline. Science, anthropology, medicine, humor and suspense....makes you want to kick off your shoes and keep going. I listened while I ran and hardly wanted to stop.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A galloping listen

Not your typical running book. A tour-de-force on the joy of running that argues that distance running helps explain why Homo Sapiens became the world's dominant species. McDougall introduces the reader to an entertaining cast of characters who square off for an amazing 50-mile race in forgotten canyons inhabited by the Tarahumara superrunners. The galloping narrative is informed by solid reporting on the science and history of running, the zaniness of ultramarathoners and McDougall's quest to determine how to stop getting injured.

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