Review: Born to Run - A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

On one hand, Born to Run motivated me to start training for an "ultra-marathon," a 50-kilometer (31-mile) race next month.  On the other hand, I was mildly distracted from the main story by a sub-story inserted primarily to promote the author’s theory that running shoes are killing us.  Or at least inflicting incredible hurt on us.  Ultimately, though, the book is a compelling story of how one of the world’s most accomplished ultra-marathoners came to race homemade sandal-clad Tarahumara Indians on their home turf, a 50-mile mountainous course through the treacherous Copper Canyons of Mexico’s Sierra Madres. 

Born to Run, generally, is the story of how the author tracked down a mysterious gringo, Caballo Blanco (the “White Horse”), a loner said to be living, and running, with the Tarahumara.  The Tarahumara, in turn, are a legendary tribe that to this day lives a largely primitive existence in the deep, nearly impenetrable canyons in central Mexico.  When the author, Christopher McDougall, finally tracks down Caballo, the story becomes more interesting.  Caballo, we later learn, is a former prize fighter turned distance runner from Colorado fleeing his demons in the wilds of Mexico. And he's dreamed up a scheme to stage an ultimate showdown between the world’s best runners and the legendary Tarahumarans.  The rest of the story is how Caballo and the author attempt to pull off this event, without a budget, sponsors, or even a firm commitment from the locals themselves.  Spoiler alert: In the end, the race comes together, with American Scott Jurek, the king of ultra-marathoners, showing up solely for the challenge of facing the Tarahumara  elite. Joining the circus are a couple of hard-partying 20-somethings, a strange dude known as “Barefoot Ted,” the author, Caballo, and a few other hard-core but less eccentric ultra-endurance athletes.

The race story is the best part of Born to Run and by itself recommends the book. The story-within-the-story, however, has also gotten a lot of play. Essentially, McDougall posits that running shoes are the primary cause of running injuries.  To avoid injuries, then, humans need to look back to the future.  In other words, more “Barefoot Ted” and a lot less Nike founder Phil Knight.  McDougall’s barefoot thesis is intriguing, but at times he undermines his argument by overselling the evidence.  Reading McDougall would lead you to believe that you should, immediately, destroy your running shoes before it's too late to avoid a lifetime of injuries.  Contrary to the presentation in the book, this view is not universal.

At a minimum, the barefoot running discussion is intriguing, even if perhaps not persuasive. Even better, though, is McDougall's delivery of the story promised in the subtitle: the Tarahumara, Scott Jurek, and a fascinating race through the Sierra Madres.

RCM