Born to Run Book Review
By Marnie Kunz
Recently I was able to check out “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen,” by Christopher McDougall, and finally read the popular running book that everyone has been talking about for years. And the book does live up to the talk - Born to Run offers an inspiring look at some of the world’s best distance runners, delving into the world of ultra runners and Mexico’s Tarahumara tribe of super runners in a tale of running adventures across the desert.
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Born to Run Summary
Born to Run begins with a simple question - the author, Christopher McDougall, a longtime runner, and journalist plagued by running injuries, sets out to find how the world’s best distance runners can trek hundreds of miles without getting injured. While so many fellow runners in his circle were becoming injured despite all the advances of Western medicine, Runner’s World journalist McDougall wondered if they had to hang up their running shoes with the approach of middle age. Or was there was a way to harness the power of the Tarahumara and run happy and injury-free for life?
Through a winding journey into Mexico’s Copper Canyons, in pursuit of the elusive Tarahumara tribe of legendary ultra runners, McDougall takes the reader on a running adventure to remember in Born to Run. Along the way, we meet characters such as Caballo Blanco, a mysterious running loner living among the Tarahumara, as well as wild American ultra runners Jenn Shelton and Billy Barnett, “Barefoot Ted,” and ultrarunning champ Scott Jurek, who come along for a race of a lifetime with the Tarahumara.
Throughout the narrative, McDougall interweaves his own story of finding his way into a more natural, healthy way of running and reviving his running life while also examining what makes the Tarahumara legendary distance runners.
In the book, McDougall describes his journey to find the Tarahumara and learn their “secrets” after reading an article about the incredible stamina of the secretive native tribe in Mexico, who are known for running hundreds of miles in sandals and on a plant-based diet.
As he searches for the Tarahumara in Mexico’s backcountry, McDougall tracks down the elusive loner Caballo Blanco, who is one of the very few people outside that tribe that the Tarahumara allow into their society. Caballo Blanco sets out to create the world’s first ultra race with the Tarahumara in mind, and he draws McDougall, ultrarunning champion Scott Jurek, young ultra runner wild couple Jenn and Billy, and the Vibram endorsed athlete “Barefoot Ted” to the race.
The story follows the motley crew’s running adventures with the Tarahumara and also delves into the scientific background of running, anatomy, performance, and culture’s effect on training.
McDougall and Barefoot Running
“Born to Run” does more than tell a tale of running adventures though— the book also explores the answers to questions about running training methods and injury prevention. In “Born to Run,” McDougall draws upon scientific research into human physiology and the history of running to explore how humans evolved to run long distances and what kept them running injury-free in little to no shoes.
In the book, he interviews Dr. Daniel Lieberman, an anthropologist at Harvard who makes a convincing argument for a more natural, minimalist style of running on the midfoot and forefoot. “Many running injuries are caused by our feat being weak,” Lieberman says. “Before Nike in 1972, people ran in thin-soled shoes and had a much lower incidence of knee injuries.”
“Born to Run” serves up a critique of Nike and Bill Bowerman for creating the modern cushioned running shoe, that causes people to heel strike instead of landing on their midfoot or forefoot as tribal runners have done for centuries. The heel strike causes more impact in the legs, which calls for additional running shoe cushioning, according to the book. So in effect, Nike created a demand for a product that causes injuries, McDougall contends.
The Tarahumara run with thin sandals and in fact, when one of the Tarahumara is instructed to run in a sponsor’s heavily cushioned shoes, he is greatly hindered and ends up chucking the shoes.
Inspired by his findings, McDougall trains in minimalist, thinly cushioned running shoes in preparation for his 50-mile race with the Tarahumara, and this, along with lifestyle changes, helps him successfully complete the race.
“Born to Run” was so influential in its study of minimalist styles of running that it helped catapult the minimalist and barefoot running movement to front and center in the running world.
Training Tips from the Book
In addition to adopting running shoes inspired by the Tarahumara, McDougall changes his lifestyle to more closely reflect theirs as well. He contrasts the Tarahumara lifestyle of eating a non-processed, plant-based diet and running in sandals to the hyper-consumerism that drives American runners to buy high-priced, heavily cushioned running shoes, and consume lots of processed foods and meats.
In the book, the Tarahumara eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and natural carbs and low in protein. McDougall changes his own diet to mirror theirs and delves into studies showing that plant-based diets are easier to digest so help ultra runners keep going for so many miles without being bogged down by extended digestion from heavy foods like meat.
Other takeaways from the book include running for the love of it. The Tarahumara grow up with running games and running as an important part of their culture, and this love of running is also reflected by Scott Jurek and the ultra runners in the race.
My Critique
I found “Born to Run” to be an intriguing and inspiring look at running and the characters who bring ultra running to life. The major critique I have of the book is that it doesn’t offer a lot of insight into the Tarahumara from their point of view. I would love to see more character development and insight from some of the Tarahumara runners in the book instead of the more colonial approach of the white man telling the story of the “exotic” people offering secrets to help white people live better. I know the book came out before there was a movement for more diversity in running and hearing diverse perspectives, so I did keep this in mind while reading.
For anyone interested in finding out more about the Tarahumara, there is a Netflix show called Lorena, Light-Footed Woman, about Tarahumara runner Lorena Ramirez. I have not checked it out yet but if you do, let me know what you think. The Infinite Race on ESPN offers another look at the Tarahumara with a lot of interviews from the Tarahumara themselves.
“Born to Run” Movie
“Born to Run” is currently being made into a movie starring Matthew McConaughey.
Have you read “Born to Run?” What did you like or not like about the book? Comment below or tag @Runstreet on Instagram to share your take.
Resources: “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen,” Lorena, Light-Footed Woman on Netflix, The Infinite Race
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Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified personal trainer, USATF and RRCA-certified running coach, and the creator of Runstreet Art Runs, which bring together communities through running and street art. She is a Brooklyn resident, trainer, Akita mom, and writer. She enjoys running coaching, traveling, art, and eating messily. You can follow her running and training at @Runstreet Instagram.
