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

ISBN-13: 9780307266309 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 304 str.

Christopher McDougall

Opis

Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.
Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.
With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run."

Recenzje

"A tale so mind-blowing as to be the stuff of legend."  The Denver Post

"McDougall's book reminded me of why I love to run." Bill Rodgers, San Francisco Chronicle

"Fascinating. . . . Thrilling. . . . An operatic ode to the joys of running." The Washington Post
 
It s a great book. . . . A really gripping read. . . .Unbelievable story . . . a really phenomenal book. Jon Stewart on The Daily Show

"One of the most entertaining running books ever." Amby Burfoot, Runnersworld.com
 
Equal parts quest, physiology treatise, and running history. . . . [McDougall] seeks to learn the secrets of the Tarahumara the old-fashioned way: He tracks them down. . . . The climactic race reads like a sprint. . . . It simply makes you want to run. Outside Magazine
 
McDougall recounts his quest to understand near superhuman ultra-runners with adrenaline pumped writing, humor and a distinct voice...he never lets go from his impassioned mantra that humans were born to run. NPR
 
Born to Run is a fascinating and inspiring true adventure story, based on humans pushing themselves to the limits. It s destined to become a classic. Sir Ranulph Fiennes, author of Mad, Bad and Dangerous To Know
 
Equal parts hilarity, explanation and earnestness whisks the reader along on a compelling dash to the end, and along the way captures the sheer joy that a brisk run brings. Science News
 
Born to Run is funny, insightful, captivating, and a great and beautiful discovery. Lynne Cox, author of Swimming to Antarctica
 
A page-turner, taking the reader on an epic journey in search of the world s greatest distance runners in an effort to uncover the secrets of their endurance. The Durango Herald
 
Driven by an intense yet subtle curiosity, Christopher McDougall gamely treads across the continent to pierce the soul and science of long-distance running. Hampton Sides, author of Blood and Thunder and Ghost Soldiers

O autorze

CHRISTOPHER McDOUGALL is the author of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen and Natural Born Heroes: Mastering the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance.  He began his career as an overseas correspondent for the Associated Press, covering wars in Rwanda and Angola. He now lives and writes (and runs, swims, climbs, and bear-crawls) among the Amish farms around his home in rural Pennsylvania.