Born to Run: The Rise of Ultra-running and the Super-athlete Tribe [Hardcover]

"A terrific ride, recommended for any athlete." --Kirkus Reviews

`It's a great book...a really gripping read...unbelievable story...a really phenomenal book...you should really pick it up if you can'
--Jon Stewart on The Daily Show

"Hugely entertaining...one of the most joyful and engaging books about running to appear for many years."

"A brilliantly written account of extraordinary endurance - it's destined to become a classic."

"Quite simply the best book you'll ever read about running."

A true adventure story about ultra-runners (including the author) - those who pride themselves on racing up to 100 miles, across deserts and mountains - and the greatest race the world has never seen.

'Exhilarating' Richard Askwith, author of 'Feet in the Clouds: A Tale of Fell-Running and Obsession'

'Make friends with pain, and you will never be alone.' At the heart of Born to Run lies a mysterious tribe of Mexican Indians, the Tarahumara, who live quietly in canyons and are reputed to be the best distance runners in the world; in 1993, one of them, aged 57, came first in a prestigious 100-mile race wearing a toga and sandals. A small group of the world's top ultra-runners (and the awe-inspiring author) make the treacherous journey into the canyons to try to learn the tribe's secrets and then take them on over a course 50 miles long. With incredible energy and smart observation, McDougall tells this story while asking what the secrets are to being an incredible runner. Travelling to labs at Harvard, Nike, and elsewhere, he comes across an incredible cast of characters, including the woman who recently broke the world record for 100 miles and for her encore ran a 2:50 marathon in a bikini, pausing to down a beer at the 20 mile mark.

Full of incredible characters, breathtaking athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world's greatest distance runners - who help to show him that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong. Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practised techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest while enjoying every mile of it. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of daredevils, including a star ultra-marathoner and a barefoot wonder. With wit and exuberance, McDougall takes us from science labs at Harvard to sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body - when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.

'Ten straight hours of mountain running will either knock you on your ass or plant its flag on your face, no exceptions. Even the best ultra-runners by this point are heads down and digging deep, focusing hard on the near-impossible task of getting each foot to follow the other. But that old guy? Totally cool. Like he'd just woke up from a nap, scratched his belly, and decided to show the kids how the big boys play this game. By mile 60, the Tarahumara were flying ... They were locked into a formation they'd practised since childhood, with wily old vets up front and eager young bucks pushing from behind. They were sure-footed and sure of themselves. They were the Running People.' 'Quite simply the best book you'll ever read about running ... brilliant, and brilliantly life-affirming.' Lloyd Bradley, author, The Rough Guide to Running, former Consultant Editor, Runners' World and Men's Health

Christopher McDougall is a former war correspondent for the Associated Press and is now a contributing editor for Men's Health. A three-time National Magazine Award finalist, he has written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Outside, Men's Journal, and New York. He does his own running among the Amish farms around his home in rural Pennsylvania.