by Arthur Worsley
M.A. Psychology, Oxford. McKinsey Alum. Founder & Editor at TAoL.

1 MINUTE READ

Born to Run (2009)

A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

by Christopher McDougall

Paperback | Ebook | Audiobook

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One-Sentence Summary

Born to Run takes takes running back to its roots in this critically acclaimed analysis of evolution, injury and recovery that is filled with compelling insights, great story telling and practical tips - by best-selling author and journalist, Christopher McDougall. (287 pages)

Contents

1. One-Sentence Summary

2. Born to Run Review

3. Born to Run Summary

4. Best Born to Run Quotes

5. Read More: 5 Books Like Born to Run

6. Wish There Was a Faster/Easier Way?

Note: This Born to Run summary is part of an ongoing project to summarise the Best Health Books and Best Self Help Books of all time.

Note: This Born to Run summary is a stub. I'll write a full summary later. For now, you'll find enough meta-data here to help you decide if it's worth reading the book.

Born to Run Review

Born to Run is a fantastic book for anyone into human history or running.

It’s packed with fascinating insights into how running made us who we (modern humans) are and the great tips and insights into running well and avoiding injuries.

I was glad to have read it (along with 5 other books) in the run up to competing in the Marathon des Sables, a 256km ultramarathon through the Sahara (full guide and training notes).

And, as one of TAoL’s top ranked health books of all time? I can definitely recommend picking up your own copy here.

Born to Run Summary

This publisher’s blurb comes from the Profile Books paperback edition of of Born to Run

“Born to Run is an epic adventure that begins with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets out to find Mexico’s Tarahumara Indians, the world’s greatest distance runners, who can go for hundreds of miles without rest while enjoying every minute of it.

Running without trainers is now big news, but the Tarahumara have been doing it for centuries and reaping the benefits. McDougall tests the idea by taking us from cutting-edge Harvard science labs to the peaks and valleys where growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing themselves to the limit. And he finds his own inner ultra-athlete when he pits himself against the tribe, who run virtually barefoot, in a breath-taking fifty-mile race through Mexico’s Copper Canyons.

A thinking exploration of mankind’s most ancient pursuit, Born to Run will make you realize that the secret to happiness could be right at your feet.”

Best Born to Run Quotes

These Born to Run quotes come from The Art of Living's ever-growing central library of thoughts, anecdotes, notes, and inspirational quotes.

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

- Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

"You don't stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running."

- Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

"If you don't have answers to your problems after a four-hour run, you ain't getting them."

- Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

"The reason we race isn't so much to beat each other,... but to be with each other."

- Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

"That was the real secret of the Tarahumara: they'd never forgotten what it felt like to love running. They remembered that running was mankind's first fine art, our original act of inspired creation. Way before we were scratching pictures on caves or beating rhythms on hollow trees, we were perfecting the art of combining our breath and mind and muscles into fluid self-propulsion over wild terrain. And when our ancestors finally did make their first cave paintings, what were the first designs? A downward slash, lightning bolts through the bottom and middle--behold, the Running Man. Distance running was revered because it was indispensable; it was the way we survived and thrived and spread across the planet. You ran to eat and to avoid being eaten; you ran to find a mate and impress her, and with her you ran off to start a new life together. You had to love running, or you wouldn't live to love anything else. And like everyhing else we ove--everything we sentimentally call our 'passions' and 'desires' it's really an encoded ancestral necessity. We were born to run; we were born because we run. We're all Running People, as the Tarahumara have always known."

- Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

"You don't have to be fast. But you'd better be fearless."

- Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

"You're tougher than you think you are, and you can do more than you think you can."

- Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

"Suffering is humbling. It pays to know how to get your butt kicked."

- Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

Read More: 5 Books Like Born to Run

Enjoyed this Born to Run summary? You might enjoy the rest of the books on these lists of the Best Health Books and Best Self Help Books of all time.

And in the meantime...

Here are 5 top books like Born to Run...

1. Being Mortal - Atul Gawande (FREE Summary)

Medicine and What Matters in the End

Being Mortal is an uncomfortable yet enlightening exploration of how treating terminal disease (especially linked to ageing) as a purely extend-life-at-all-costs medical problem is destroying the final moments of our lives - by surgeon and best selling author, Atul Gawande.

Published 2014 // 282 pages // Rated 4.4 over 155,700 reviews on Goodreads

2. Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker (FREE Summary)

Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

Why We Sleep is a fascinating and accessible guide to what sleep is, why sleep matters and how to optimise your sleep habits to live longer, feel happier and set your life up for success - by sleep scientist and best-selling author, Matthew Walker.

Published 2017 // 368 pages // Rated 4.4 over 125,800 reviews on Goodreads

3. How Not to Die - Michael Greger (FREE Summary)

Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease

How Not to Die is a deeply researched and compelling primer on the promise and importance of whole food plant-based nutrition in preventing and reversing disease - by medical doctor and nutrition expert, Michael Greger.

Published 2015 // 576 pages // Rated 4.4 over 31,000 reviews on Goodreads

4. The Body - Bill Bryson (FREE Summary)

A Guide for Occupants

The Body is a fantastically-written and awe-inspiring 23-chapter tour through the 30 trillion cells that (literally) make you who you are - by best-selling author, Bill Bryson.

Published 2019 // 450 pages // Rated 4.3 over 58,200 reviews on Goodreads

Books Like Born to Run: The Obesity Code

5. The Obesity Code - Jason Fung (FREE Summary)

Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss

The Obesity Code gives an amazing look at how the body uses food to create the perfect conditions for obesity and how to disrupt the cycle to create a healthier future - by kidney disease specialist, best-selling author and MD, Jason Fung.

Published 2016 // 328 pages // Rated 4.4 over 24,200 reviews on Goodreads

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