Born To Run by Christopher McDougall – A Review

Hello and welcome to our Made From Mountains Adventure Stories review of Born To Run by Christopher McDougall

Born To Run by Christopher McDougall

Welcome to our Adventure Stories Review of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. This is a book that is part personal exploration, part scientific discovery. In it Christopher McDougall embarks on a journey through the world of long distance running that takes him on a study through the human reasons why we run, the history of the running trainer and the impact it’s had on our evolution. He travels from the peaks of the rocky mountains to the sun-baked desert of Mexico in order to find out the secrets of ultra running and how it might heal his ability to run.

Background Story

The book follows the author’s burning question, “when I run, why am I in pain?” which is something that most runners ask themselves at some point in their life. In his search for an answer, Christopher McDougall, travels to the Copper Canyons in Mexico to seek out the reclusive Tarahumara Tribe.  Legendary for their record-breaking ultramarathon times, homemade sandals and avoidance of publicity, McDougall discovers that the Tarahumara not only gracefully run hundreds of miles but are free from running injury and just about all western illnesses. 

On his journey he seeks out the Native Mexican tribe McDougall meets some of the world’s most exceptional ultra-runners, sport fanatics and athletic champions who come together to race the mother of all ultras.  Along the way he traces the story of running, from human evolution to the perils of modern running shoes, all the while recovering and retraining his own body to run again.

A Book For Ultra Fans

For anyone who‘s interested in ultramarathons and long distance cross country races then this is a great read. It’s also a good book to keep you treading those miles if you get it as an audiobook. The narrator breaks apart his own experiences tracking down the Raramuri (literally “runners on foot” in Tarahumara) with insightful offshoots into the world of ultra running. A big focus is given to the Leadville 100 in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, where Tarahumara runners came to the attention of the running world when 52 year old tribesman Victorian Churro won the 1994 race. 

This isn’t an emotive exploration of what it means in your heart, to conquer the hills but it does nod towards the social spirit of the ultramarathon community. McDougall also examines the psychological benefits of happiness through running, establishing a fairly firm link between team running, kindness and support with the long distance success of the Tarahumara.

Modern running and why we get injured

A lot of the book is given over to scientific background information on the causes and recovery methods of modern running injuries. Based on the principle belief that the Tarahumara (who wear home-made strap sandals) rarely sustain running related injuries, the author embarks on the mammoth task of examining why so many western runners do. 

From barefoot running to the dubious marketing claims made by some of the sport’s biggest brands, McDougall’s research is anecdotal but really interesting. He also explores how running shaped our evolution into upright, sweaty humans and how running light and easy can turn a killer slog into an enjoyable feat of human endurance.

Things you need to know before you begin this book

This is a great book to keep you motivated and distracted during a run. It’ll also familiarise you with some of the biggest names, races and favourite techniques in ultrarunning. There are some sound arguments against the commercialisation of running in regards to the quick turnover of big-brand shoes on shelves and whilst we’re not quite throwing our shoes away yet, a barefoot run is definitely on the cards.

Find similar books to Wild

Thank you for reading our review of Wild by Cheryl Strayed. If you enjoyed this book we recommend looking at similar adventure stories like:

• In Praise of Walking by Shane O’Mara
• Natural Born Heroes by Christopher McDougall
• Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui
• Mountain Man by James Forrest
• Eat & Run by Scott Jurek

Where Can I Buy This Book?

Book Stores – this book is available at most good independent bookstores. You can find lots of local independent retailers here.

Audio book – this book is available on Audible and narrated by Fred Sanders