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.
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