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  • Born to Run

  • A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
  • Written by: Christopher McDougall
  • Narrated by: Fred Sanders
  • Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (534 ratings)

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Born to Run cover art

Born to Run

Written by: Christopher McDougall
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
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Publisher's Summary

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.

©2009 Knopf (P)2009 Random House

What the critics say

“Compelling. . . . Entertaining. . . . [McDougall] uses an extended portrait of one of the world's least known cultures, the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico's Copper Canyons, to put modern American running under an exacting magnifying glass.”—San Francisco Chronicle 

“Equal parts quest, physiology treatise, and running history. . . . [McDougall] seeks to learn the secrets of the Tarahumara the old-fashioned way: He tracks them down. . . . The climactic race reads like a sprint. . . . It simply makes you want to run.”—Outside Magazine

“Hugely entertaining. . . . One of the most joyful and engaging books about running to appear for many years.”—The Irish Times

What listeners say about Born to Run

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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic story!

Great story about the tarahumara, the ultra running community, and evolution of the human body.

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2 people found this helpful

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  • JD
  • 2021-05-23

Informative, captivating, and entertaining

This book is on my list that I turn to frequently. It is inspiring as you hear about what the human body is capable of and how an average person is able to do an incredible feat. The story is captivating as we get to know a variety of characters and their backgrounds and how that influenced their running. We learn about this culture of running people hand are introduced to an interesting character that we’re not sure whether we should trust or not until the book is nearly over.

The information and stories all culminate in the final events including a long run and a story being told within the book.

This is easily on my recommended list and is one of my favourite books on barefoot running. The narration is done in a way where it doesn’t stand out. I mean this in the best way possible. The narrator is good, so good that you can just engage in the story without being distracted by the narrator.

If you haven’t read or listen to this book already I would definitely recommend it.

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Interesting story and ideas, convoluted story

Interesting story and ideas about human evolution and running. I found the story convoluted by branching into tangents filled with inconsequential details that made it tricky to keep track of the main thread.

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Amazing listen

Definitely a great listen, worth every minute I spent listening while running on the trails myself! So motivating and inspiring. Loved it

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I can’t write, can barely read

I can’t write so how would I ever give a book less than 5 stars. Having said that? 5 stars. For sure. Amazing!

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Great book

I absolutely loved it. It was written, and beyond just a runners read. Just a great story.

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Motivant!

En courant, c’est super de lire ce livre, un récit autobiographique et documentaire, 2 en 1!

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Fantastic listen!

I loved this book! It was a really good mix of history, data (some possibly bias and out of date) and human story. There were moments that had me choked up feeling the human connection in the unfolding story! Will probably listen again, just for fun. An added bonus, I’m enjoying running even more now!

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Great book

I really enjoyed listening to this book - the narration was very good, I like books read by the author but this book was nicely done.

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  • DJS
  • 2023-01-20

Totally enlightening

Fascinating history of the evolution of ultra marathon running and a knock against the athletic shoe industry. A sprinkling of humour and well narrated makes for an enjoyable listen.

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