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

Inspirational

Fantastic book, easy to follow, and very motivational. I'm looking forward to running my first 50 miler!

So good I am reading it again to catch more of the info I found to be MEANINGFUL...

Sooo many aspects of Meaningful information plus education information... WOW.... and every chapter grabbed me ... I did not want this book to end .... I definitely want to see & GO to the Copper Canyon , even if it will only be on the tourist train ... I’m on it ...

Intriguing, Inspiring, just WOW!

Incredible and full of facts that inspire. The Narrator put on an amazing performance! Very enjoyable to listen.

All Things Ultra Running

At first glance, this book is about Christopher McDougall's search for the ever elusive Caballo Blanco (aka Micah True). It then becomes a book about the fascinating Tarahumara tribe and their ability to run insanely long distances. Ultimately, this book is ends up being about Micah's dream of putting together a foot race with Tarahumara runners as well as a handful of American ultra runners.

What this book truly is, is all things ultra running. Mr. McDougall really digs into just about every aspect of ultra running...diet, footwear, psyche. He profiles all of the key players; Scott Jurek, Jenn Shelton, Billy Baxter, Barefoot Ted, etc. He delves into all of the facts proving that humans truly are "born to run". Had this book been on any other topic, I might have become frustrated on how Mr. McDougall kept meandering off on side topics. But it all came together so appropriately and beautifully, my attention never became lost.

I decided to use a credit on this book after listening to one of McDougall's other books "Running with Sherman". I adored that book and that story. This book was more focused on running, but still possessed the "heart" that I found in Sherman's story. Christopher McDougall's style of writing is very engaging and I look forward to reading or listen all of the other books he has written.

interesting story

maybe a bit dull in parts but overall a good listen! motivated me to ramp up my running and try out more minimal running shoes.

Great “read”

Overall an exhilarating story with scientific studies interlaced into it. Narrator can get a little monotonous at times, but worth pushing through!

Excellent narration! Engaging story. (I don’t run, yet.)

The mixture of content: dramatic narrative; academic research, with references; specific geographic locations and descriptions are woven into a unified whole which only disappointed me when it tied subjects back into the story—multiple times I wanted to further pursue the subject.
The narration is almost perfect.
Ken, 64 years old, Central Arizona, USA

Born to do it

We were born to run and it resonated with me and i am motivated to continue running. I have always wandered why I dreaded running but couldn't keep myself from doing it. funny enough after doing it, I felt happy and looked forward to the soreness too. Thank you for sharing your story and that of all..

Good story

although the story skips around a lot, the overall story is a good one.

Exceptional story

Loved the story from start to finish! It's a great book on the art of running and I would recommend it to anyone interested in endurance performance.