Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, is a 2009 best-selling ethnography written by the American author and journalist Christopher McDougall. The book has sold over three million copies. [1]
In Born to Run, McDougall tracks down members of the reclusive Tarahumara Native Mexican tribe in the Mexican Copper Canyons. After being repeatedly injured as a runner himself, McDougall marvels at the tribe's ability to run ultra distances (over 100 miles) at incredible speeds, without getting the routine injuries of most American runners. The book has received attention in the sporting world for McDougall's description of how he overcame injuries by modeling his running after the Tarahumara. [2] He asserts that modern cushioned running shoes are a major cause of running injury, pointing to the thin sandals worn by Tarahumara runners, and the explosion of running-related injuries since the introduction of modern running shoes in 1972.
Alongside his research into the Tarahumara, McDougall delves into why the human species, unique among primates, has developed traits for endurance running. He promotes the endurance running hypothesis, arguing that humans left the forests and moved to the savannas by developing the ability to run long distances in order to literally run down prey. [2]
The book was on the New York Times Best Seller List for more than four months[ citation needed ]. The book was criticized by book critic Dan Zak of the Washington Post for what he thought were extraneous efforts to be "gonzo and overly clever." [3]
A film adaptation of this Native American drama is in the works from LD Entertainment, and producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Deb Newmyer. In 2015 it was reported that Matthew McConaughey will be starring and that Matthew Michael Carnahan will write the screenplay. [4] The film has not gone into production and remains in development hell.
Copper Canyon is a group of six distinct canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental in the southwestern part of the state of Chihuahua in northwestern Mexico. The canyons were formed by six rivers that drain the western side of the Sierra Tarahumara. All six rivers merge into the Rio Fuerte and empty into the Gulf of California. The walls of the canyon are a copper/green color, which is the origin of the name.
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least 3 kilometres (1.8 miles). Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength.
Fulton Township is a township in southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and it is the only municipality in the county to touch the Maryland border. At the 2010 census the population was 3,874. It is part of the Solanco School District.
The Rarámuri or Tarahumara are a group of indigenous people of the Americas living in the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. They are renowned for their long-distance running ability.
Ann Trason is an American ultramarathon runner from Auburn, California. She has broken twenty world records during her career.
Scott Gordon Jurek is an American ultramarathoner, author, and public speaker. Throughout his running career, Jurek was one of the most dominant ultramarathon runners in the world, winning the Hardrock Hundred (2007), the Badwater Ultramarathon, the Spartathlon, and the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run (1999–2005). In 2010, at the 24-Hour World Championships in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, Jurek won a silver medal behind Shingo Inoue and set a new US record for distance run in 24 hours with 165.7 miles. Jurek has followed a vegetarian diet since 1997, and a vegan diet since 1999.
Persistence hunting is a hunting technique in which hunters, who may be slower than their prey over short distances, use a combination of running, walking, and tracking to pursue prey until it is exhausted. A persistence hunter must be able to run a long distance over an extended period of time. The strategy is used by a variety of canids such as African wild dogs, and by human hunter-gatherers.
Born to Run is an album by Bruce Springsteen.
Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated village in Fulton Township, Lancaster County, in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. It lies on the east bank of the Susquehanna River.
Barefoot running, also called "natural running", is the act of running without footwear. With the advent of modern footwear, running barefoot has become less common in most parts of the world but is still practiced in parts of Africa and Latin America. In some Western countries, barefoot running has grown in popularity due to perceived health benefits.
Christopher McDougall is an American author and journalist. He is best known for his 2009 book Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. He has also written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Outside, Men's Journal, and New York, and was a contributing editor for Men's Health.
Rarájipari is a running game played by the Tarahumara people of the Copper Canyons region in Chihuahua, Mexico.
Huaraches are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps passing over the instep and around the ankle. The common understanding is that these sandals were a variant of traditional Mexican huaraches, the difference being in design and construction.
Micah True, born Michael Randall Hickman and also known as Caballo Blanco, was an American ultrarunner from Boulder, Colorado, who received attention because of his depiction as a central character in Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run. True's inclusion in the book garnered him some attention in ultrarunning circles, and some readers credited him as their inspiration for taking up the sport.
The Ultra Maratón Caballo Blanco is a 50-mile ultramarathon held annually in the town of Urique, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua.
Daniel E. Lieberman is a paleoanthropologist at Harvard University, where he is the Edwin M Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences, and chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology. He is best known for his research on the evolution of the human head and the evolution of the human body.
Xero Shoes is a type and brand of lightweight minimalist footwear manufactured by Feel the World Inc. Designed for walking, running, and athletics, the footwear has thin and flexible soles that are contoured to the shape of the human foot.
Jenn Shelton is an American ultramarathoner. She has set course records in several of the most demanding American ultramarathons.
Softstar Shoes is an American shoe manufacturer and retailer based in Philomath, Oregon. It is known for its minimalist or barefoot-style shoes and has been recognized as an early participant in the movement to encourage minimalist footwear.
Running injuries affect about half of runners annually. The frequency of various RRI depend on the type of running, as runners vary significantly in factors such as speed and mileage. RRI can be both acute and chronic. Many of the common injuries that plague runners are chronic, developing over a longer period of time, as opposed to injury caused by sudden trauma, such as strains. These are often the result of overuse. Common overuse injuries include stress fractures, Achilles tendinitis, Iliotibial band syndrome, Patellofemoral pain, and plantar fasciitis.