It was somewhat by chance that I discovered the book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. A truly cult book for long-distance running enthusiasts.
Initially, I had set out to buy the book «42 km 195» by Bernard Thomasson , then I came across Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. After hesitating, I finally bought both and it turns out that while Bernard Thomasson's book is a good one, Born to Run belongs to that very rare category of books that transform us and make us see the world differently. It is unquestionably the best running book I have read, and one of the books that has left the biggest mark on me in recent years.
Order Born to Run on Amazon – paperback format – €11.90
In search of the Tarahumaras, the best runners in the world
The author, Christopher McDougall, is a journalist who writes regularly for specialist running magazines in the US while also being a passionate amateur runner. Frequently injured, and after meeting several doctors who advised him to stop running – because, according to them, it is “not natural for human beings” – he undertakes his own research and discovers the Tarahumara Indian tribe, who are capable of running very long distances in simple sandals and a chia seed diet.
The sandals of the Tarahumara runners
After researching minimalist running and barefoot running, he decided to set off in search of the famous Tarahumaras, «the world’s best runners», who live hidden away in remote villages in the Copper Canyons, a hard-to-reach region in northern Mexico, with its vertiginous terrain and controlled by drug traffickers.
He makes contact with a mysterious American Micah True, a man with a chequered past, who calls himself the “Caballo Blanco” (White Horse), who lives in the Copper Canyons and who has adopted the lifestyle of the Tarahumara. He lives alone, he runs in the mountains, and he is the only white man who has ever failed to gain acceptance amongst the very reclusive Tarahumara.
Micah True, the Caballo Blanco
Thanks to him, he is going to meet the best Indian runners and discover their way of life. This meeting will lead to the organisation of the “Copper Canyon Ultra-Marathon”, which will allow a face-off between Tarahumara runners and the top US trail runners of the time, such as Scott Jurek and Jenn Shelton
The book *Born to Run*, a plea for minimalist running
This book is as breathtaking as it is unclassifiable. Part novel, part autobiography, part documentary, it speaks not only of running, but also of culture, anatomy, physiology, nutrition, training methods and anthropology.
It is full of real-life anecdotes from athletics history, such as those concerning Emile Zatopek at the Olympic Games or those about ultra-marathons and notably the performances of Ann Trason.
One of the book’s main themes is minimalist running. The author concludes that human beings are perfectly designed for running, with feet and ankles that enable them to absorb shock. The foot is a marvel of technology, comprising numerous bones, and requires no artificial cushioning. Cushioned running shoes have altered the way we run, forcing a heel-strike that prevents the foot from fulfilling its natural role, and which is the cause of injuries. He cites as proof the fact that the Tarahumara Indians, who run in sandals, do not suffer injuries, and that as running shoes are refined and become increasingly cushioned, the rate of injuries amongst athletes is not decreasing.
Excerpts from the book Born To Run
“I realised with astonishment that the Taoist adage, “the best runners leave no tracks”, is not a figment of the imagination but a training method.”
“Shoes prevent neither pain nor impact! Pain teaches us to run comfortably! As soon as you do it barefoot, your way of running changes.”
Kilian Jornet talks about the book Born to Run :
“It’s true that with this technology we’ve lost that sense of the ground, that sense of our bodies (…) I think it’s important to run with just the bare essentials.”
Order Born to Run on Amazon – paperback format – €11.90
Homo sapiens, the champion of long-distance running
The author also puts forward an interesting theory about hunting by exhaustion, a hunting technique that involves pursuing prey for hours until it dies of exhaustion, which our ancestors are said to have used thanks to Homo sapiens’ exceptional ability to run very long distances.
Contrary to the claims of the doctors he met, man is designed to run, to run for a long time, and at this game he is even the undisputed champion of the animal kingdom. Long-distance running is not a trend, but an ancestral art found across different eras and on all continents.
Echoing this, the ultra-marathon represents more than just a sporting discipline, but a genuine way of life that allows its participants to live freely and develop through self-transcendence.
Scott Jurek and Arnulfo Quimare, symbols of the book Born to Run
You've got to read Born to Run!
If you have to read only one book in 2024, read Born to Run! It is a book that boosts the urge to run and which introduces us to some incredible characters, most of whom are still alive and can easily be found online.
To conclude, I have chosen two extracts from the book. The first is a quote from Herb Elliot, Olympic champion and world record-holder in the mile, who trained barefoot and remained undefeated: “Poetry, music, forests, oceans, solitude… these are the things that give one extraordinary spiritual strength. I came to realise that this state of mind needed to be cultivated at least as much as physical fitness before a race.”
The second is the final sentence of the book, spoken by Cabalo Blanco: “Racing has nothing to do with business. Racing must be free.”
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