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1st out of 68 books
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101 voters
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Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows ...more
Hardcover, 287 pages
Published
May 5th 2009
by Knopf
(first published 2009)
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Let me begin this review by saying that I am not, and never have been, a runner. Despite that fact, I was surprisingly fascinated by Chrisopher McDougall's account of how his desire to run without pain started him on a quest that led him both deep into Mexico's remote Copper Canyons and human evolutionary past.
Born to Run begins as an adventure story. While trying to figure out how to get his own foot to stop hurting, he saw an article about a tribe of Mexican Indians called the Ta...more
Born to Run begins as an adventure story. While trying to figure out how to get his own foot to stop hurting, he saw an article about a tribe of Mexican Indians called the Ta...more
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Where do you begin to tell how much a fantastic book means to you? This thing is amazing, plain and simple. If you are a fan of running, a runner, want to learn more about running or enjoy working out you have to read this book. Kind of like “it’s not about the bike” but for runners and no cancer, so incredible. This is the truth about running. Fantastically told. You will learn more about it within these pages than probably in history passed. I know I did. After I’ve finished this book, which ...more
Jeanette
rated it
Painful as it was, I stayed with this until slightly past the halfway mark. I kept hoping I might learn more about the Tarahumara people, but it was not to be. There's very little about the Tarahumara, and almost everything about a bunch of self-absorbed, obsessive long-distance runners. I have no patience with extreme athletes. They need to strive for some balance in their lives. The sport is not everything. I also got tired of the "gee golly wow ain't it all just lipsmackingly wild and ...more
I'm not born to be a runner, but God given us something to run. Since elementary or let me say since the day I was born, I'm not really into running. I'm weak physically but I can do things simple and I can play table tennis, more than that, I'm like a weakling of our generation. I always ask myself, what does it feels to be running in a field or grass and flowers or in a place where orange sand, cactus and animals that spits poison can be found? Reading books was like running, it was like lifti...more
So I picked this book up, thinking it would be a cool story about this lost tribe of distance runners -- which it was -- but I got soooo much more than I bargained for.
Yes, I did learn about the Tarahumara tribe, but I also learned about the biomechanics of running and how shoe manufacturers disregard runner safety in preference of turning a profit, ultramarathons and the hardcore runners who participate in them, the lawless culture of Copper Canyon, the nearly lost techniques of per...more
Yes, I did learn about the Tarahumara tribe, but I also learned about the biomechanics of running and how shoe manufacturers disregard runner safety in preference of turning a profit, ultramarathons and the hardcore runners who participate in them, the lawless culture of Copper Canyon, the nearly lost techniques of per...more
I have reached a point in my life where I can say that I actually like running. Some days, I even LOVE it. This book is filled with colorful characters, races, and topics surrounding this activity. A journalist begins running and is plagued with some running injuries. After being told by two sports medicine doctors that his best option would be to quit, Christopher McDougall stubbornly chooses another path. He tries to find the Tarahumura, a super-secret hidden tribe in the Copper Canyons o...more
A compelling read, brilliant story and fascinating subject matter, but somehow falls short of being a great book.
I'm not sure where it goes wrong exactly, but for me it might have been the number of characters which I struggled to keep track of, the slightly preachy tone of the anti-shoe chapters (persuasive though they are) or the negative coverage of apparently less worthy ultra runners who dared to accept sponsorship or promote their own books. None of these, or other faults, comp...more
I'm not sure where it goes wrong exactly, but for me it might have been the number of characters which I struggled to keep track of, the slightly preachy tone of the anti-shoe chapters (persuasive though they are) or the negative coverage of apparently less worthy ultra runners who dared to accept sponsorship or promote their own books. None of these, or other faults, comp...more
Really enjoyed this book. Great combination of narrative about a grueling desert footrace and revelation about the science of running. Might just inspire me to get out there and pound some pavement again! Narrative is not as tight as Into Thin Air, but had a similar feel to me.
This book was so awesome that it almost made me want look at running as something other than torture, and then once I could do that, to start running for fun. Almost.
There are a lot of derails (or seeming derails) in this book. So the continuity of the story gets lost semi-regularly. However, the derails are always interesting material, and almost always tie back into the overarching story really well in the end.
There are a lot of derails (or seeming derails) in this book. So the continuity of the story gets lost semi-regularly. However, the derails are always interesting material, and almost always tie back into the overarching story really well in the end.
With its excessive hyperbole, convenient omissions, misleading statistics, logical inconsistencies and plain old errors, I stopped thinking about this book as actual journalism after fifty pages. Trying to read it as a novel wasn't that satisfying either because the book reads like several magazine pieces glued together rather than one continuous work. The personality profiles Jenn and Billy and the screed against running shoes felt particularly extraneous. However, the book has a fun core of se...more
A fast, easy read. Inspiring in so many ways. Having conquered 13.1, it is still nearly impossible for me to grasp the concept of running 50 or 100 miles in.a.row. Without dying.
Interesting tidbits about the history of Nike, marketing of running shoes, and industrialization (especially the effect of modernization on the often elusive Tarahumara Indians). The author set out to discover why his foot was bothering him and why, despite the fact that running has existed for centuries, run...more
Interesting tidbits about the history of Nike, marketing of running shoes, and industrialization (especially the effect of modernization on the often elusive Tarahumara Indians). The author set out to discover why his foot was bothering him and why, despite the fact that running has existed for centuries, run...more
Ana Rusness-petersen
added it
Amazing book! Insightful, interesting, full of information and easy to read and get engrossed in. Reading about the author's own journey into running that was woven throughout the narrative of Caballo, the Tarahumarians, and the ultra-marathoners was encouraging to beginning runners such as myself. There were several references to running that I wouldn't have fully appreciated a year or so ago, before I started running, which completely echo why I run and how I approach running. It was awesome t...more
This would actually be four-and-a-half stars. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and was surprised to find that my favorite parts were the chapters explaining why shoes aren't very good for your feet and how some U of U professors think that humans developed (and thrived) because of their awesome running abilities. I certainly don't think of myself as being much of a runner, but reading this made me want to try harder! I think my only complaint would just be that the final race seemed a little b...more
I really thoroughly enjoyed this book: it did have a little case of split personality, though: the first and second half are nearly like different books. That didn't stop me from enjoying every moment. The first half reads like fiction, almost, while the second delves more into the actual mechanics of running and practical ways to become more like the Tarahumara, romanticized in the first half. Yes, I have totally jumped on the band wagon, am working on building up my barefoot running endurance ...more
Born to Run is one of the most captivating, informative, and inspirational books I have ever read! It covers a dizzying array of subjects: history, philosophy, anthropology, nutrition, geography, physiology, (the dark side of) business, biographies (of ultrarunning legends), and more. Ultimately, it is a story of adventure, discovery, and way of life.
The highlights include how humans are designed by natural selection to be long distance runners, how modern shoes contribute to running i...more
The highlights include how humans are designed by natural selection to be long distance runners, how modern shoes contribute to running i...more
A side of running I didn't really know existed. I run for time, for speed, for miles and calories burned. But just recently I've been running more than ever before because I like it, I look forward to it, maybe because I'm starting to love it.
McDougall captures all of this and more and elevates the philosophy of running to one of the highest, and concurrently the most primal, of human endeavors. Despite his spending what seemed like a quarter of the book delving into the ham-handed "...more
McDougall captures all of this and more and elevates the philosophy of running to one of the highest, and concurrently the most primal, of human endeavors. Despite his spending what seemed like a quarter of the book delving into the ham-handed "...more
I never envisioned myself to be a runner when I first entered high school, let alone be a long distance one. Four years later, I began to believe that I had finally come to appreciate the true benefits of running, including great health and a competitive nature that would in some ways ‘carry on’ into other aspects of life. After reading Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run, however, I realized that I still had much to learn before I could convince myself that I was an experienced runner.
The...more
The...more
The author of this book is not only a runner, he was a hurt runner with no one who seemed to be able to offer him more than occasional shots of cortisone into the sole of his foot. That wasn't good enough so we went on a quest to find someone who could offer something more.
This starting point lead McDougall on an unexpected and unpredictable trail that led eventually to a hermit-like running man who lived in the extremely isolated Copper Canyon of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, hom...more
This starting point lead McDougall on an unexpected and unpredictable trail that led eventually to a hermit-like running man who lived in the extremely isolated Copper Canyon of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, hom...more
Spoiler alert - not a book about Springsteen. After overcoming your disappointment over the Springsteen thing, McDougall's tale of the runners with the cool name, Tarahumara, mostly entertains particularly if you see running as something more than just what you do when that guy chases you with a stick. McDougall take participatory journalism to the extreme by learning, mostly, to run 50 miles all at once in order to get inside the extraordinarily isolated Tarahumara encampments in remotest Mexi...more
I'm not a runner and only picked up this book because it was my Book Club's selection this month. But I ended up really liking this story. Christopher McDougall is a talented researcher and writer and best of all, he has a great sense of humor.
I never heard of ultra runners or the Tarahumara people. It was like reading about a species from another planet. Fascinating. I kept looking at the book jacket to make sure the characters were real and this was a true story because it...more
I never heard of ultra runners or the Tarahumara people. It was like reading about a species from another planet. Fascinating. I kept looking at the book jacket to make sure the characters were real and this was a true story because it...more
This book has the distinction of being read while in labor ... very readable.
By most objective measures, I don't think this is a good book. It opens with the sort of exaggerated tone I associate with breezy Maxim stories more than I do a book, and McDougall never fully surrenders that style the rest of the way. Combine this with the sort of zealous defense of itself and its claims that this book offers on nearly every page and this feels like the sort of thing I should abandon long before I finish.
And yet, I didn't. Almost despite himself, McDougall has ac...more
And yet, I didn't. Almost despite himself, McDougall has ac...more
I would probably give this 2.5 stars if I could. This book has been over-hyped. Don't expect it to provide much knowledge.
As I have seen another reviewer say, at the half-way point I wanted to give up on this book. It read like one of those long, bloated articles you get in a magazine that you never bother reading, and the style of writing was very magazine-like (not in a good way), full of hyperbole and unconvincing waffle about a bunch of people I had no interest in.
I'd...more
As I have seen another reviewer say, at the half-way point I wanted to give up on this book. It read like one of those long, bloated articles you get in a magazine that you never bother reading, and the style of writing was very magazine-like (not in a good way), full of hyperbole and unconvincing waffle about a bunch of people I had no interest in.
I'd...more
As an avid runner, I pick up nearly every new book about the sport. The ultrarunning scene has never appealed to me and still doesn't, but the ideas in the book do.
What I took away from the book:
Minimalist shoes, ie shoes with less cushion and a smaller heel to toe drop are beneficial. Barefoot is best when possible. This is because humans have been running barefoot or next to it and we've evolved and are meant to run that way. Anything else is unnatural. The cushioning in m...more
What I took away from the book:
Minimalist shoes, ie shoes with less cushion and a smaller heel to toe drop are beneficial. Barefoot is best when possible. This is because humans have been running barefoot or next to it and we've evolved and are meant to run that way. Anything else is unnatural. The cushioning in m...more
A Christmas present from my husband, and my last read of 2011, fitting as I resolve to focus more on my running in the coming year. I read for tips and motivation, and will try some out. The book is anchored on the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico that routinely run 100+ miles. How can an entire tribe run so much, when the rest of us are convinced some of us have "it", but most of us don't? We are too old, too injured, just not built for it, etc. The book talks about other ultrarunners, and ...more
Really liked this one, and not just because I'm a runner with an interest in endurance contests. When I finish a book like this, I like to go to the "one-star" reviews to see what the gripes are. Yes, I agree that Mcdougall has quite the gift for hyperbole and may have made some of the real-life characters a little larger-than-life, but that doesn't bother me. The best writers can take an interesting non-fiction subject and make it read with the suspense of the best fiction, and McD...more
I read this book about a year and a half ago, and I totally forgot to add my review.
5 Stars, no question.
I read this book with no expectations, just wanted a fun read. Well, almost 2 years later, I am still totally fascinated by various topics that are explored within the pages. No exageration, this book probably comes up about once a week in casual conversation with me. Of course, I did become slightly obsessed with the idea of perseverance hunting ... but my point stil...more
5 Stars, no question.
I read this book with no expectations, just wanted a fun read. Well, almost 2 years later, I am still totally fascinated by various topics that are explored within the pages. No exageration, this book probably comes up about once a week in casual conversation with me. Of course, I did become slightly obsessed with the idea of perseverance hunting ... but my point stil...more
This book had me mezmerized. It also led to an interesting dicussion with a fellow passenger on my flight. Reading a book in a public place opens doors to all manner of experiences.
Anyhoo...this book was so amazing. Born to Run was not only well written it was informative. Who knew the history of the running shoe? And who knew that runners were bad for your feet???? And who knew about these wonderful people and this wonderful place on earth where they lived?
B.T.R. encompas...more
Anyhoo...this book was so amazing. Born to Run was not only well written it was informative. Who knew the history of the running shoe? And who knew that runners were bad for your feet???? And who knew about these wonderful people and this wonderful place on earth where they lived?
B.T.R. encompas...more
The breathless men's-magazine style of the prose grated on me at first, but I grew to like this book quite a bit. McDougall reminds me a bit too much of Bill Bryson—paints every single person he depicts as a crazy, larger-than-life character, and absolutely oozes anxiety about every possible thing that could go wrong—but once he settles into the groove, things get smoother. As for the sciencey stuff, the anti-running-shoe-technology chapter was by far the strongest. The morphological info about ...more
For me, the recipe for kick-ass non-fiction has three ingredients:
1) It’s well written (duh, but it matters)
2) It is as tough to put down as outstanding fiction
3) It successfully challenges and alters my previous beliefs
One and two are corn-in-Iowa abundant. Three, however, is an infrequent and indulgent treat. I count Born to Run in this camp.
McDougall’s premise is that we are literally ‘Born to Run.’ Within this Springsteenesque title, there are really two a...more
1) It’s well written (duh, but it matters)
2) It is as tough to put down as outstanding fiction
3) It successfully challenges and alters my previous beliefs
One and two are corn-in-Iowa abundant. Three, however, is an infrequent and indulgent treat. I count Born to Run in this camp.
McDougall’s premise is that we are literally ‘Born to Run.’ Within this Springsteenesque title, there are really two a...more
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Christopher McDougall (born 1962) is an American author and journalist best known for his 2009 best-selling book Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. He has also written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Outside, Men's Journal, and New York, and was a contributing editor for Men's Health.
McDougall is a 1985 graduate of Harv...more
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“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.”
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“The reason we race isn't so much to beat each other,... but to be with each other.”
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