Where to Start with Christopher McDougall: A Reading Guide

Christopher McDougall is an American journalist and author who spent years as a war correspondent for the Associated Press before writing Born to Run (2009) — an account of his search for the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyons and the extraordinary ultramarathon race that resulted. The book became one of the most widely read running books ever published, sold over three million copies, and sparked both the barefoot running movement and a global resurgence of interest in ultramarathon running. Natural Born Heroes (2013) is his follow-on, applying similar evolutionary science themes to resistance fighting in occupied Crete during the Second World War.

Where to Start: Born to Run (2009)

The essential McDougall — and one of the most compulsively readable works of sports journalism in recent decades. The book begins with a personal question: McDougall is a large, injury-prone runner who cannot run fifty miles a week without breaking down, and he wants to understand why. The question takes him to a doctor who advises him to stop running, which is not the answer he wants, and then to a series of researchers and coaches who point him toward a different question: not why certain runners get injured, but why a certain group of runners in northern Mexico seemingly never does.

The Tarahumara — or Rarámuri, as they call themselves — are an indigenous people of the Copper Canyon region who have, for centuries, run extraordinary distances across mountain terrain as a form of cultural practice and celebration, wearing simple sandals cut from tyre rubber and moving with a form radically different from the heel-striking, heavily cushioned style that Western running shoes promote. McDougall’s investigation of their running leads him to the controversial argument that modern running shoes — with their thick, cushioned heels and motion-control technologies — may be causing the injuries they claim to prevent, by inhibiting the natural biomechanics of the barefoot strike.

This scientific investigation is woven through an adventure narrative: the search for a legendary American recluse called Caballo Blanco who lives among the Tarahumara and organises races in the canyons; the cast of eccentric ultramarathon runners McDougall recruits to compete in a race there (including Scott Jurek, Ann Trason, and Jenn Shelton); and the race itself, fifty miles through mountain terrain in brutal heat.

McDougall writes with a journalist’s narrative energy and a genuine enthusiasm for both the science and the human stories. The book converted thousands of readers to running — and not just running but long-distance running, which it presents as the most natural and human of activities, one we evolved for over millions of years and have been systematically discouraged from by an industry with financial incentives to sell expensive equipment.

Why Born to Run Is the Ideal First Book

For a reader new to Christopher McDougall, Born to Run is the ideal first book because it is his breakthrough work, a phenomenon that reshaped how many people think about running, and the fullest expression of his distinctive gift, the rendering of a fascinating subject through engaging, narrative-driven investigation. Born to Run begins with McDougall’s quest to understand why his feet hurt when he ran, and leads him to the Tarahumara, a people of remarkable endurance running, and to a provocative exploration of running, the human body, and how we are, he argues, born to run. As an entry point, it offers the fullest expression of McDougall’s gifts, the engaging investigation, the vivid characters and adventure, and the provocative argument woven into a gripping narrative. It welcomes the newcomer with its fascinating subject, its engaging story, and its provocative ideas, drawing the reader into a compelling investigation of running and the human body. It is his best-known book and the one that best represents his gifts, so that the new reader encounters McDougall at his most characteristic. For the newcomer, then, Born to Run is the natural and ideal starting point.

What to Expect as a New Reader

As a new reader, you can expect Born to Run to be an engaging, narrative-driven investigation of running, endurance, and the human body, woven into a gripping adventure. You can expect a compelling quest, for the book begins with McDougall’s effort to understand why his feet hurt when he ran and leads him on a journey to the Tarahumara, a people renowned for their remarkable endurance running. You can expect vivid characters and adventure, for the book is full of colorful figures, remarkable feats of endurance, and a gripping narrative culminating in an extraordinary race. You can expect a provocative argument, for McDougall explores the science and the idea that humans evolved to run great distances, and questions modern assumptions about running, shoes, and the body. You can expect an engaging, story-driven style that makes the investigation compelling. Expect, in short, an engaging, narrative-driven investigation of running and the human body woven into a gripping adventure, a fascinating introduction to McDougall’s gifts.

Going Deeper After Your First Book

Once Born to Run has introduced you to McDougall’s gift for investigating fascinating subjects, the reader who wishes to go deeper can explore his other work, which continues his engaging, narrative-driven investigation of the human body, endurance, and natural movement. His other books explore subjects such as the ancient arts of heroic fitness and endurance and the bonds between humans and animals, in the same combination of investigation, adventure, and engaging narrative that marks his work. Reading these after Born to Run deepens your appreciation of McDougall’s distinctive gifts, the engaging investigation, the vivid characters and adventure, and the provocative ideas woven into gripping narrative. His characteristic approach runs through his work, and the reader who has enjoyed Born to Run will find the same engaging investigation in his other books. Building your reading journey through McDougall’s work is a matter of following his investigations of the body, endurance, and natural movement from running into his further subjects. The reader who begins with Born to Run and continues through his work will find an engaging and curious investigator of the human body and its capacities.

Reading Christopher McDougall

Begin with Born to Run — it is his most celebrated and most accessible work. Natural Born Heroes (2013) applies similar evolutionary science to a different subject. Both standalone.

For the full Christopher McDougall bibliography, reviews, and biography, visit the Christopher McDougall author page on Editors Reads.

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