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

Born to Run is an extraordinary journey filled with remarkable individuals, great athletic feats, cutting-edge technology, and, most importantly, pure inspiration. It all started with a single question: Why does my foot hurt? Christopher McDougall searches for the solution by going after a group of the best distance runners in the world to discover their trade secrets. Along the way, he disproves everything we believed to be true about running.

The remote Tarahumara Indians of Mexico's lethal Copper Canyons are guardians of a vanished art, isolated by some of the most untamed territory in North America. They have been using their centuries-old skills to run hundreds of kilometers without stopping and chase after everything, from an Olympic runner to a deer, all while enjoying the journey. The Tarahumara people are resistant to the illnesses and conflict that beset contemporary life because of their extraordinary skill and extraordinary health and tranquility. The author trained for a once-in-a-lifetime race that would pit the tribe against a strange group of Americans that included a famous ultramarathoner, a stunning young surfer, and a barefoot wonder. With the aid of Caballo Blanco, an enigmatic hermit who lives among the Tarahumara, the author was able to not only learn about the tribe's secrets but also to rediscover his own inner ultra-athlete.

McDougall transports us with a razor-sharp sense of humor and unbridled enthusiasm from Harvard's cutting-edge science labs to the sun-baked valleys and icy peaks of North America, where an increasing number of ultrarunners are testing the limits of their bodies, and, at the end, to the thrilling race through the Copper Canyons. When you discover that the key to happiness is at your feet and that you, yes, all of us, were created to run, created to Run is that uncommon book that will not only engage your mind but motivate your body.