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

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

best book I've heard in a long time!

amazing book with incredible insights! the story keeps you engaged on many levels. couldn't put it down.

Really enjoyed this book!

Where does Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5, I haven't listened to a lot but I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen?

Everything! I wanted to listen to this book all the way through without stopping.

What does Fred Sanders bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great voice, not to fast not to slow. I feel he really cared about reading this book. Not mono-tone thank goodness!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I have no idea, Run, Run faster, don't stop, feet hit the ground over and over...

Any additional comments?

I don't run often, I don't like running. I liked this book though, awesome information awesome story.

Good Book, Little Information

This was a great and inspirational book. The author went into some great details about particular people and situations. However, I found the book lacked any actual instructions for becoming a better runner. It was more about the stories of people and their abilities to do things. I would say all the information in the book that would help a runner could be written down into one page.

Overall, the book is a great listen. It gave me tingles a few times because of how the writer described the situations. I do recommend this book if you like stories, I do not recommend this book if you are looking to increase your running skills.

Great Read for those who Love to Run!

What made the experience of listening to Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen the most enjoyable?

The author's way of weaving multiply characters into a story without confusing the reader. He always goes back and continues with the original story after heading off on a soapbox. I've never visited this area of the United States and Mexico, but by listening to this book the audience gets a detail account of the geography and culture.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

When spanish words are used, the english translation follows. Woven throughout the book, small stories of how the culture like drug gangs, native people, and visitors to the area shape the Mexican landscape.

What about Fred Sanders’s performance did you like?

His voice is perfect for this audiobook. easy listening.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Perfect book for a long run whether a 5k, 1/2 marathon or more.

A must read for all of us born to run

How often can you say that a book changed your life? For me, only one has -- this one. While I had started down the path of barefoot running before I read this book, this book has firmly set my course. Christoper McDougall has created a wonderful story from true events so riveting you'd swear this was fiction. By the middle of the book, I was already anxious to listen again, and so I did. I can only wish for a movie or documentary to reinforce the great information and drama this book provides.

Great Story!

Truly entertaining and informing! It makes you want to meet a bunch of these seemingly crazy runners.

The most motivating running and thinking audiobook in a while

Hear the stories, think about it and run. Impossible be happier with less. This is like audiobook yoga.

misquote of the title bugged me

misquote of the title bugged me. Pretty easy to get that right. the rest was great.

Hit the trail inspiration.

What did you love best about Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen?

Having lived in Chihuahua, Mexico for 3+ years in the '90s, I was thrilled at the depiction of the Copper Canyon region and the Tarahumara way of life, despite the descriptions of the many negative impacts the modern world has inflicted on both.

What did you like best about this story?

Many times this book made me laugh out loud.

Have you listened to any of Fred Sanders???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I am not familiar with Fred Sanders but I would definitely seek him out again - a very strong performance.

Any additional comments?

I was intrigued by the (semi) scientific aspects of the book and was inspired to a) buy my first (but not my only) pair of barefoot shoes and b) to actually run in them... This is also one of the few books which I also own in a paperback version, as after listening to it I wanted a hard copy to refer to.

Sensastional

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It is a good story, but the foul language and sensationalism make recommendations conditional.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Most interesting aspects were the hidden tribe idea and and the whole concept of running such great distances. I had never heard of either of these, and I found it intriguing. Since I live within a couple of hours of one of the annual races, I am thinking seriously of going to the finish line this year.

If you could give Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen a new subtitle, what would it be?

The budding sport of ultra-marathon running.

Any additional comments?

McDougall's writing is sensational. He sensationalizes everything in the story, from personalities and food to particular races and theories. More notably, he pictures all ultra-marathon racers as kind of crazy, reports theories like evolution, running bare foot, and human bio-mechanical design like they are hard facts, and describes race courses as nearly impossible. The sensationalizing starts on the first paragraph and continues until the end. To listen, I had to get past it, and I must say I kind of enjoyed it then. The text is full of F bombs and some other obscenities. It detracted from the story as far as I was concerned.