Scan barcode
A review by kellylizbeth
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
5.0
Tom Wolfe is one of my favorite authors because he crafts fictional tales in a style with roots in journalism (heavily researched, lots of detail). "Born to Run" is the opposite: a true story recounted like a lofty legend, interspersed with regular doses of history and sports science to pull it back down to earth.
Beyond the compelling narrative, endearingly offbeat characters and mind-boggling athleticism, the most impressive element of "Born to Run" is the way it makes you believe you were. I'm a recreational runner who jogs through Central Park on weekends and commits to the occasional 5K, and this book made me want to quit my day job and run across the country a la Forrest Gump. MacDougall characterizes running as a natural human ability to be embraced and celebrated - not a tedious treadmill chore to get you back into your skinny jeans, nor an elite pursuit limited to athletic mutants who spend their whole lives training and winning high-profile races. Read it if you like to run even a little bit (or wish you did), and then get outside and see for yourself why this book was on the NYT bestseller list for more than four months.
Beyond the compelling narrative, endearingly offbeat characters and mind-boggling athleticism, the most impressive element of "Born to Run" is the way it makes you believe you were. I'm a recreational runner who jogs through Central Park on weekends and commits to the occasional 5K, and this book made me want to quit my day job and run across the country a la Forrest Gump. MacDougall characterizes running as a natural human ability to be embraced and celebrated - not a tedious treadmill chore to get you back into your skinny jeans, nor an elite pursuit limited to athletic mutants who spend their whole lives training and winning high-profile races. Read it if you like to run even a little bit (or wish you did), and then get outside and see for yourself why this book was on the NYT bestseller list for more than four months.