Born to Run was at the core of a facinating debate on what it takes to be a runner from many many perspectives. At the heart of "Born to Run" lies a little known 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 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.

A facinating story for any runner or would be runner, reading through the book the first think you'll want to do when complete is.....go for a run.

About Chris McDougall
A former foreign correspondent for Associated Press, Chris McDougall is a contributing editor for Men's Health and writer-at-large for Runner's World. He has been a sportswriter for Outside, Esquire and The New York Times Magazine, and has run numerous races, including the Death Valley Marathon.

ISBN 13: 9781861978776 ISBN 10: 1861978774

Format: Paperback 304 pages