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2.52k reviews for:
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Christopher McDougall
4.26 AVERAGE
2.52k reviews for:
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Christopher McDougall
4.26 AVERAGE
received this book as part of a book exchange, didn’t expect it to devour it! a captivating storytelling of human curiosity and resilience
Thoroughly entertaining and very inspiring to read while running. Really made me feel like I am Born To Run. Some of the scientific parts felt a bit overblown, specifically the parts about barefoot running and hunting via running - like maybe there is some truth but I could also see both of those being debunked by now. Anyways I enjoyed it
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.5 stars rounded up for inspiration.
This book was a joy to read and was very inspiring. I don't think that I will ever be able to run like the people in this book, or that I want to, but still its encouraging. The amount of research that went into this book was incredible. If you like running or are a health nut, pick this book up; definitely worth the read.
This book was a joy to read and was very inspiring. I don't think that I will ever be able to run like the people in this book, or that I want to, but still its encouraging. The amount of research that went into this book was incredible. If you like running or are a health nut, pick this book up; definitely worth the read.
I have been a runner, at least on and off, since 2005, and have been hearing about this book in my circles since it was published.
This year, I'm finally picking up all the books that people say I should read and I'm mostly aghast by the quality of books that get popular.
McDougall is clearly an entertaining writer - his skills have been well-honed as a magazine writer and it shows in his prose. However, he is clearly an entertainment writer and not a journalist. His ability to research--including comprehending and accurately describing scientific literature--is not demonstrated in this book. He uses misleading statistics, is internally inconsistent, and like what other reviewers have noted, has a lot of exoticism & mysticism that make it feel like he's promoting a cult or fad diet.
This year, I'm finally picking up all the books that people say I should read and I'm mostly aghast by the quality of books that get popular.
McDougall is clearly an entertaining writer - his skills have been well-honed as a magazine writer and it shows in his prose. However, he is clearly an entertainment writer and not a journalist. His ability to research--including comprehending and accurately describing scientific literature--is not demonstrated in this book. He uses misleading statistics, is internally inconsistent, and like what other reviewers have noted, has a lot of exoticism & mysticism that make it feel like he's promoting a cult or fad diet.
I enjoyed this book so much more than expected! McDougall writes about a fascinating indigenous tribe of amazing runners in Mexico and theories about what makes them such great runners. He takes a lot of tangents, describing biomechanics and the evil of running shoes, comparing the Standard American Diet (SAD) and the Tarahumara’s diet, and explaining human evolution theories about running. These tangents were some of my favorite parts of the book :D Super interesting story all around and inspiring to listen to while you run!
4.5/5
This book was so well written and surprisingly funny. I was completely engrossed in the story of the Tarahumara and some of the world’s best ultrarunners. I loved learning about the science of humans as runners and what we are capable of—it made me want to go out and enjoy running again (and possibly race another ultra?). Really great book, highly recommend.
This book was so well written and surprisingly funny. I was completely engrossed in the story of the Tarahumara and some of the world’s best ultrarunners. I loved learning about the science of humans as runners and what we are capable of—it made me want to go out and enjoy running again (and possibly race another ultra?). Really great book, highly recommend.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Not certain about all the takes on optimizing your running but I like the spirit of it and it definitely got me in the mood to go out and do my long runs.
I was told to take some of the ~facts~ presented in this book with a grain of salt, but besides that, this was a really inspiring and thrilling book. I felt very much *there* in the races being described which added to the excitement. I don't think I'll ever want to run in anything as challenging as a 100 mile race in the heat or mountains, but this is inspiring me to do some sort of trail running and take my training more seriously. I love to run! This book illustrated why really well.