Born to Run : a hidden tribe, super-athletes and the...

asimonov

..greatest race the world's never seen.

I am currently reading this book. Has anyone else read it, it's just outstanding. It focuses on a remote tribe from mexico who have an amazing ability to run extreme distances, and the author's search to find them and understand their culture and their approach to endurance running.

It succeeds on a number of fronts; it's an effective rally against modern running's "no pain no gain" culture focusing on running for joy, it's pretty scathing of celebrity "ultra-runners", and it casts a cynical eye on running shoe company's over-complication of shoe design based on pronation etc. But what makes it a great read though is that it features characters worthy of a book like the "electric kool aid acid test" and it has some cracking race stories. So if you're in need of reading material its worth a go.

There's more reviews and an interview with the author here

RacoonQueen

It's on my list of things to read after I finish my current lot. Seems like a good read.

RoyMcC

Yes, the Tarahumara have featured here before. It is a remarkable story and I must buy the book. As you say asimonov you wonder how the shoe companies, gait analysis devotees etc would/will react to it.

Enduro

Haven't read it myself, but everything I've heard about sounds great. Thomas McGuire, Ireland's 100km record holder, was reading it when I last met him and he was really enjoying it.

Krusty_Clown

Here's the article he wrote for Men's Health on the subject of the The Tarahumara

By coincidence I just ordered this online yesterday, as well as the Matt Damon DVD 'Running the Sahara'. Looking forward to both

asimonov

i'm almost finished it, so if anyone would like a loan of it to read, just PM me, i'll have it finished by the weekend.

DBCyc

I've just finished it. It's a great book - I would highly recommend it. It is really well written and full of amazing characters who are obsessed with pure running...fair play to them!

Seanie_H

Deleted User wrote: »

By coincidence I just ordered this online yesterday, as well as the Matt Damon DVD 'Running the Sahara'. Looking forward to both

For anybody interested, that movie is now available for free* on Netflix.ie

Worth the watch I reckon. One guy has pretty big personality.... always makes things interesting.

*free subscription for 30 days
http://netflix.ie and it's under sports documentaries

rom

Audiobook is good for this one for long runs.

JosDel

Very good book,

RayCun

I hate that bouncy American overselling-everything style, so this book (and Freakonomics) I found incredibly irritating.

shels4ever

Maybe its just me but I didnt enjoy the book myself, ready about half of it and just though it was a little one sided. Maybe I was expecting more from the book, heard an interview with the Author and I think he came across better .

theboyblunder

Good book in terms of the idea but the writing is way OTT.

I got through it my repeating 'I am not a child' to myself while reading.

TheRoadRunner

theboyblunder wrote: »

Good book in terms of the idea but the writing is way OTT.

I got through it my repeating 'I am not a child' to myself while reading.

+1

Pile of $hite that newbies and eccentrics like to cite!

TheRunningDude

It seems to be a love it or hate it kind of book. I'm afraid I fall towards the hated it side. I just found it to be self indulgent claptrap that I got bored with half way through and gave up.

ThePiedPiper

I neither love nor hate the book. I found it an interesting enough read, the characters and story is quite good. Some of the evolutionary ideas in it are well thought out and structured, whether or not you believe them.

However, as for buying into the philosphies in the book, I'd take an awful lot of it with a grain of salt. I, for one, think the minimalist movement is pure marketing cr@p. The only times I've ever done significant amount of barefoot running has been on beaches, and I ended up with shin splints. If I was to ditch my Kayanos, and even swap them for 5fingers, I would end up in bits, with the state of the country roads I train on. I'll hang onto my €150 runners any day of the week.

Murta

I second RunForestRun's view.

tHE vAGGABOND

Another who agree's with run forest run, its a pretty good book but no more...

I bought this myself and I have been given it twice as a gift, its clearly one of those that pops up on top on amazon search for "book for runner"

ecoli

As a read for entertainment have to say I liked the book the enthusiasm for the sport etc was infectious

Where I think it became a let down was his use of notable figures within the sport to back up his "science". He makes reference to people here and associates minimalism to people who very much dont back up his claim.

One particular reference would be Radcliffe who is name dropped through association with Hartmann despite the fact that she is heavily invested in support through the use of orthotics. It seems like he has just trawled through his archive of interviews for out of context material to back up his claims

rom

I liked it. Didn't buy into it but if it get more people out running then its a great book. Sure we were all born naked also but I do prefer to wear shorts out running especially on the cold days

stanleybowles

I liked the book. Found it inspiring and wanted to run after reading it.

Did a 10 mile trail run yesterday in Derroura in Galway and there was a young fella who had the sandals. He liked them. Not sure I could do what he did but each and everyone to their own.......

menoscemo

It's a great story and good narrative but I didn't really like the sciencey bits as much.

As for the whole barefoot craze, well there's only one runner in the whole book who runs barefoot and he is not exactly a great runner. I have seen two interviews with characters from the book since and both dismiss the whole notion of the barefoot running craze. Even caballo Blanco himself says that the tahamura would never run barfoot and would buy shoes if they could afford them.
See in particular minutes 6:30-9:30 in this video where he completely dismisses the whole barefoot marketing concept:

http://www.runnersworld.se/artiklar/mot-caballo-blanco-fran-born-to.htm

Sosa

rom wrote: »

Audiobook is good for this one for long runs.

what a book....i had that on audio for my long runs a few years back...it is great,i must put it back on the ipod for the summer,would listen again

Gringo78

I enjoyed the book and decided to try the whole barefoot running thing so got a pair of vibrams for christmas - I like using them for shorter easy runs as they seem to keep my form good while running slow whereas with my regular runners I get sloppy when running slow. However, I'm only able to use them max once or twice a week and thats 2 months after getting them - the story thats peddled in the book that you hop into them and your injury problems are all fixed is cr*p. My regular trainers are racing flats so I can only imagine the shock to the system it must be to transition from Kayanos to them!

hot to trot

I enjoyed this book although I found parts of it a bit boring.

However , most people seem to latch onto the barefoot running part of it which drives me mad. Only one of the guys did use minimalist shoes but the others didnt, and they didnt complain of injury.


The author started off saying how he was plagued with foot pain and by the end he was comfortably running long distance and yet , there was barely a mention of the fact that he did lots of training with a coach for correct technique and strengthening etc. HE was the one with injury and yet he didnt run barefoot.

robinph

Thought it was a good read. Bit of a mention of the vibrams and barefoot running, but thought it was overall more just a story about a weird bloke and a long race really. I did get lost at points when I'd put it down for a couple of days between chapters and the next one was talking about something completely different and I didn't know what was going on.

sideswipe

I thought it was a very enjoyable read, it's biggest problem is some of the rave reviews it gets, hence people end up with higher expectations of it.

Off topic- Any recommendations for a good running books of a similar ilk.

I thought it was okay. Didn't really get the fuss about it.

ecoli

sideswipe wrote: »

Off topic- Any recommendations for a good running books of a similar ilk.

The Perfect Mile by Neil Bascomb its +1000% in terms of a running book

RayCun

sideswipe wrote: »

Off topic- Any recommendations for a good running books of a similar ilk.

Feet in the Clouds
It's about crazy people

kit3

sideswipe wrote: »

Off topic- Any recommendations for a good running books of a similar ilk.

Anyone read 'Just a little run around the world' by Rosie Swale Pope - I loved it.

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/search?searchTerm=just+a+little+run+around+the+world

Also liked 'Survival of the fittest' by Mike Stroud

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/search?searchTerm=survival+of+the+fittest+mike+stroud