Christopher McDougall hurt his legs running which sent him down a rabbit hole where he learned about ultrarunning (veeeeery long marathons), running barefoot and human physiology, and a mysterious tribe of Mexican running shamans called the Tarahumara. All of that information culminates in this book: Born to Run.
Born to Run is a compelling book about the amazing world of ultrarunning. It’s populated with a number of extraordinary individuals - Emil Zatopek, Ann Trason, Scott Jurek, Jenn “Mookie” Shelton, Billy “Bonehead” Barrett - all of whom ran insane distances constantly, somehow, as well as the real stars of the book, the Tarahumara tribe, who can allegedly run over 400 miles in one go! He also covers the genesis and stories of punishing ultraraces like Leadville and the history of running shoes, how Nike got started, and how their product evolved over the decades to where we are now.
I was expecting more science in this book than there was. He eventually gets around to explaining the meaning behind the title by looking at our early Homo Sapien ancestors who somehow outlasted Neanderthals and puts forward the theory that the reason for this was persistence hunting. That is, when the meat supply became smaller and more mobile post-Ice Age, Neanderthals couldn’t run to capture their prey but Homo Sapiens could chase after antelope for miles until the antelope collapsed - animals can’t regulate their body heat as well as humans - and so Homo Sapiens got their protein that way and continued to develop while Neanderthals couldn’t get enough protein and eventually died off.
I don’t know enough about the subject to say whether or not this theory still holds water today (or if it ever did) but the running man theory is an interesting one regardless. And that’s the thing with McDougall - he’s a storyteller, not a scientist. So when he writes about the benefits of non-meat diets in long-distance running as well as doing it barefoot and the key to the Tarahumara’s endurance being pure enjoyment (it’s all in the head, man), I’m not sure how much to trust this information.
Still, even if that information is shaky, I can see that it comes from a good place and the messaging isn’t totally bereft of usefulness. It might be worthwhile for some people who have foot/leg issues to try barefoot running as it seems to have helped many, including McDougall; eating less meat is probably a positive thing most of us could benefit from too; and finding simple enjoyment from experiences and our communities should be something we all strive for. Running is good for most of us and the human body is more capable of incredible things than we realise. That said, I’m not about to start running barefoot or give up animal protein either (though I have incorporated chia seeds in my diet, the Tarahumara’s secret ingredient to their endurance feats - like multivitamins, I can’t tell if it’s doing anything but I’ma keep it up anyway)!
McDougall is a fine narrator and the book is often fun to read, even if the style gets a bit too novelistic at times. I’m sure he interviewed his subjects and then adapted their words into this easily-digestible story format, but I feel like it’s overly narrative-ish at times. Particularly in the structure of the book which culminates in a race through the Mexican canyons (with no real stakes) and the “reveal” of Caballo Blanco’s backstory (the “White Horse” - the chap who captured McDougall’s attention early on) who isn’t the towering presence in the book that McDougall thinks he is. It feels contrived, even corny, like a bad Hollywood movie.
For me, this book is somewhere between three and four stars out of five but I’ll be generous and give it four as I enjoyed it more than not. Expect less of a detailed look at the science behind running and more of a series of fun stories about some remarkable ultrarunners.
No comments:
Post a Comment