Praise for Born to Run
“One of the most entertaining running books ever.”
—Amby Burfoot, Runnersworld.com
“Equal parts quest, physiology treatise, and running history…. [McDougall] seeks to learn the secrets of the Tarahumara the oldfashioned way: He tracks them down…. The climactic race reads like a sprint…. It simply makes you want to run.”
—Outside Magazine
“McDougall’s insight into athletic capacity has rejuvenated my running attitude. I’m keeping up with younger runners more effectively.”
—Dr. Mehmet Oz, M.D., AARP Magazine
“Born to Run is funny, insightful, captivating, and a great and beautiful discovery.”
—Lynne Cox, author of Swimming to Antarctica
“McDougall recounts his quest to understand near superhuman ultra-runners with adrenaline pumped writing, humor and a distinct voice…. He never lets go from his impassioned mantra that humans were born to run.”
—NPR
“Born to Run is a fascinating and inspiring true adventure story, based on humans pushing themselves to the limits. It’s destined to become a classic.”
—Sir Ranulph Fiennes, author of Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know
“Equal parts hilarity, explanation and earnestness-whisks the reader along on a compelling dash to the end, and along the way captures the sheer joy that a brisk run brings.”
—Science News
“A page-turner, taking the reader on an epic journey in search of the world’s greatest distance runners in an effort to uncover the secrets of their endurance.”
—The Durango Herald
“Driven by an intense yet subtle curiosity, Christopher McDougall gamely treads across the continent to pierce the soul and science of long-distance running.”
—Hampton Sides, author of Blood and Thunder and Ghost Soldiers
“Carries the reader on a heart-pounding ride, building suspense footfall by footfall.”
—The Plain Dealer
“Having been a runner for over fifty years, I appreciate and enjoy the characters in Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run. These are real people who express their addiction for running in quirky ways.”
—Jeff Galloway, U.S. Olympian
“From the depths of Mexico’s Copper Canyon to the heights of the Leadville Trail 100 ultramarathon in Colorado, from the centuries-old running techniques of Mexico’s Tarahumara tribe to a research lab at the University of Utah, author McDougall celebrates, in this engaging and picaresque account, humankind’s innate love of running. There are rogues aplenty here, such the deadly narco-traffickers who roam Copper Canyon, but there are many more who inspire, such as the Tarahumara runners, who show the rest of the world the false limitations we place on human endurance. McDougall has served as an Associated Press war correspondent, is a contributing editor to Men’s Health, and runs at his home in rural Pennsylvania, and he brings all of these experiences to bear in this slyly important, highly readable account.”
—Alan Moores, Booklist
“What makes this book such a thoroughly enjoyable read is that McDougall is a fantastic storyteller and a great researcher. He shifts with ease from recounting his harrowing adventures in the Copper Canyons, to the antics and life stories of his running companions, to discussing the perils of running shoes and the evolution of running in humans (which, as an evolutionary biologist, is one of my favorite parts of the book).”
—Peter Larson, a biology professor and runner from New Hampshire. His blog,”This View of Life,” chronicles his daily adventures as a father, teacher, scientist, and runner.
