Born to Run

Born to Run 
by Christopher McDougall

I always enjoy reading an ‘investigative report’ book.  In Born to Run, the author, Christopher McDougall, goes to a world-renowned sports doctor seeking answers regarding his injured foot that is prohibiting him from running. McDougall presents a compact history of amazing athletes, those who were marathon winners through the secret tribe, the Tarahumara Indians, who reside in the Copper Canyons in Mexico.   McDougall seeks to solve the mystery of what makes runners successful.  Diet?  Running footwear?  Training?  Body type?  He interviews scientists, athletes, running aficionados, doctors, and the companies who make the billion dollar products to help runners do better…but do they really?  This is one of the most thorough and helpful data-based books that illustrates that running without footwear may be better for your feet!  Try telling that to Nike or New Balance.  McDougall meets with the extreme runners, who run forty hours through the desert, all the way through the ultra-marathons and Olympic marathons.  He introduces some pretty interesting characters he meets going across the globe.  The last chapter brings McDougall to recovery, training for his first ultra-marathon with a new diet and wearing cheaper sneakers, which are shown to be better for feet than heavily padded & expensive two-hundred-dollar sneakers.  A well-researched book, worth the read, especially for wannabe or veteran athletes.