An epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt?
Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful... read full description
Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful... read full description
reviews
Feb 06, 2011
Lena
rated it: 
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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Feb 02, 2012
Wesley
rated it: 
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
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(7 people liked it)
Aug 22, 2011
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
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(9 people liked it)
Apr 19, 2011
Kwesi 章英狮
rated it: 
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
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(14 people liked it)
Apr 17, 2011
Lea
rated it:
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...
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(26 people liked it)
Aug 10, 2010
Annie
rated it:
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
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(3 people liked it)
Sep 20, 2010
Dan
rated it:
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...
Jul 09, 2010
Christinepeterson
rated it:
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.
Jul 11, 2010
Brooke
rated it:
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.
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Aug 30, 2011
Aaron
rated it:
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
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(3 people liked it)
Sep 04, 2011
April
rated it:
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...
Aug 11, 2011
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
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Feb 08, 2012
Elise
rated it:
I would be comfortable stating that this book is the best work of non-fiction I've ever read. I've recommended it to everyone regardless of if they run or not. In the past four years I've taken up running and even my paltry knowledge and enjoyment of the sport was greatly enlarged by reading this book. By the end of it I desperately wanted to be able to run an ultra-marathon. Unfortunately my body isn't really capable of that, and I think after 4 miles I might just give up.
I loved M More...
I loved M More...
Feb 06, 2012
Alanna
rated it:
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
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Feb 01, 2012
Colie!
rated it:
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
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Jan 25, 2012
Kerry
rated it:
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...
Jan 25, 2012
Jesse
rated it:
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...
Jan 24, 2012
Arjun
rated it:
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...
Jan 19, 2012
Alan
rated it:
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...
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Jan 17, 2012
Jonny99
rated it:
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
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Jan 15, 2012
Kristi
rated it:
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...
Jan 18, 2012
Elese
rated it:
This book has the distinction of being read while in labor ... very readable.
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Jan 10, 2012
Adam
rated it:
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...
Jan 08, 2012
Porkins'
rated it:
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...
Jan 04, 2012
Adam
rated it:
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...
Dec 31, 2011
Lis
rated it:
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
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Dec 28, 2011
Michael
rated it:
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
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Dec 27, 2011
Katherine
rated it:
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...
Dec 11, 2011
Alexa
rated it:
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...
Nov 26, 2011
Max
rated it:
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
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