Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

Christopher McDougall

BookHigh SchoolAthlete

About

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The astonishing and hugely entertaining story that completely changed the way we run. An epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt?

“Equal parts quest, physiology treatise, and running history.... The climactic race reads like a sprint.... It simply makes you want to run.” —Outside Magazine


Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall’s incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.

Look for Born to Run 2, out now!

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Why it’s great

Part adventure tale, part sports science, McDougall’s quest to understand pain-free ultrarunners leads him to Mexico’s Tarahumara tribe and a desert ultra-race showdown. Teens fascinated by human limits learn about biomechanics, nutrition, and minimalist footwear along the way. Storytelling is fast and funny, making physiology anything but dry. Sparks debate on what “natural” running really means.