Born to Run

I've been an Amazon customer for many years now, but have only just been moved to write a review. This book is brilliant. Not just as a running book, nor just as a sports or travel book. This is just a great book. Probably the most enjoyable book I've ever read. I whizzed through it in record time. It's insightful, eye-opening, interesting, inspirational, moving and funny. You couldn't make the characters up in this story - and they're all real! This could have just been another one man versus *insert challenge here* but McDougall has created something much more than that. He puts forward lots of ideas about running technique, especially barefoot running, (non-runners, please don't be put off) but it's all backed by scientific studies. It's a perfect mix of anecdote and techy bits. He has quotes from some of the leading coaches and biomechanical experts in the world and it just helps to tie the whole yarn together. It's genuinely changed my outlook on running and even THE WAY in which I run. More than that it's a great story, using McDougall as the vehicle to put into action Caballo Blanco's dream about staging the Ultramarathon to end all others: The esteemed Tarahumara tribe taking on the best of the rest of the world in their own back yard. I've been raving about this book to everyone I know and have offered to lend it to them when I finish. I finished it a week or so ago but can't bring myself to pass it on. I'll be re-reading it again soon - it's that good. So many pearls of wisdom, I'll be taking notes this time too. Five stars.

This is a (slightly) flawed masterpiece for runners but is essential reading for anyone who runs in any sort of serious way. It's a great tale, fairly well told and it has made me think very hard about how and why I run. McDougall tells the story of the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico, shy, retiring and superhuman ultramarathoners. Put onto the scent he tracks down someone who is almost a legend - Caballo Blanco - an American who has gone native with the Tarahumara and lives and breathes running. The author skilfully blends the build- up to a joint US/Tarahumara 50-mile race in the mountains and heat of Mexico with research into how and why we run, taking in barefoot running, why we wear trainers (and - perhaps - why we shouldn't), why runners get injured and what runners should eat. He also manages to tell the story of the Leadville 100 - a daunting 100 mile race in the US mountains - which he makes a real page turner. I read the book in the build-up to running 2 marathons in a week ( I have just finished the second) and I was inspired by it, despite thinking I know what I am doing, having run 17 marathons over the last 27 years. I was also dismayed to find that there's more to inspiration required to run long distances well, but I am certainly going to try out some of the techniques mentioned in this book, especially the new ultra-thin shoes that make you feel as though you are running barefoot, something the author (persuasively) maintains is the way to avoid running injuries. The idea of running an ultra-marathon (say - 50 miles?) is made very tempting, although just doing 26 today was really hard. One day maybe.... This is not a perfect book - it's style is a little breathless (no pun intended), there are lots of US sport references which are hard to decipher, everyone he meets seems to be a "real character" (although maybe they are) and it bangs on in massive detail about every meal everyone eats. I also got a bit confused as to who was who and where all these races where some of the time. But don't let these minor quibbles put you off - this is simply something you have to read as a runner. It will make you think, and it's also an entertaining page-turner. It's also full of nice quotes about running, my favourite of which is "You don't stop running because you get old - you get old because you stop running." It is also now made poignant by the fact that Caballo Blanco died earlier this year while out running at the age of 59 - seems as though a heart condition did for him. If you run and you are reading this and you haven't yet rad this book please do yourself a favour - buy it, read it and see how it makes you re-evaluate the way you run. Massively recommended.

Got the audio version of this book. Quick download and synched seamlessly across several devices. The reader was easy to listen to and read the book with good vocal tone/clarity and expression. The story and book itself was slow to start and I felt there was a lot of faffing and page filling without saying much. Once it got into the real story and racing it brought a sense of excitement and anticipation through words. Some useful info but not a book for those looking for training tips or plans. I'd recommend this book, especially for runners looking for additional motivation or thinking of taking on the fun of an ultra.

Uma jornada incrível, vc corre com eles!

I started to read this and i was bummed everytime I had to put it down, and then I got the audiobook and I could barely stop listening. Christopher unravels the story of the Tarahumara, the running people located somewhere in the Barrancas and feeds you on their ease of lifestyle, and passion of running. As someone who forced themselves to run 45 minutes a day, I now find that running to me is more of an enjoyment and that there is so much more than “just running.” This book was a joy, and subtly compares running an Ultra, to the race of life which I personally feel inclined to liken to my own journey of faith as a Christian. Humans were born to run, because we were made to run. Our own two legs are the best vehicles we were ever given, and after reading this book, I’m sure you’ll be convinced likewise.

Super recommend for runners at all levels.

Me encanta ese libro! Me motiva a salir a correr y he aprendido nuevas técnicas y mucha información. También lo tengo en castellano!

ES DE MIS FAVORITOS, gran libro , sentí emoción de nuevo por correr, la historia se basa en hechos científicos, la narrativa es interesante , me encantó ! , si te gusta correr te va a fascinar y si no te gusta es muy probablemente que le encuentres un muy buen gusto a empezar