Born to Run - Book Review

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Since its release, Christopher McDougall's Born to Run has created its fair share of controversy.

The book is subtitled, The hidden tribe, the ultra-runners, and the greatest race the world has never seen, and this pretty much sums up the rollicking adventure tale that is Born to Run, whilst also only just scratching the surface.



Christopher McDougall is a journalist and a runner, and in Born to Run he takes the reader on a trail of discovery as he seeks to answer questions about modern running, running injuries, and 'super athletes'.

McDougall skillfully blends his research with his own tale of discovery, as he takes us into Mexico's Copper Canyons to meet a native tribe called the Tarahumara or Rarámuri (the running people) for whom running incredibly long distances is still an essential part of daily existence and culture.



Along the way, McDougall will take detours, introducing us to a cast of characters who are breaking ground in the world of sport or research.

Even as McDougall's words sent hoards of readers running off on the trails (often shoeless) it also created a backlash. Many disliked the book's romanticisation of long-distance running and the Tarahumara's way of life , as well as the (shocking) suggestion that perhaps athletic brands had profit, rather than the wellbeing of athletes' feet, in mind.



Whether you find yourself agreeing with McDougall's theories on running and human evolution or not, and whether you are a runner and a writer or not, this is still a powerfully told tale for anyone who loves a good adventure story. And in the middle of a pandemic, with travel pretty much impossible, isn't that all of us right now?

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