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© 2026 Juvoni Beckford

←All books

Fiction · 2011

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Seen

Christopher McDougall

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Seen Cover
Rating
8/10
Difficulty
Light
Read time
7 hours
Best in
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287 pagesRead Jul 16, 2016Staying power: Lingering influence

by Juvoni Beckford·@juvoni

Before readingWhy I picked it up

Lifting heavy weights is my preference. I'm slightly averse to cardio related exercises, but I found a loophole to get my running in; run to the gym. I was able to get in 2 miles per workout, including leg day. I'm curious about the lifestyle and techniques of long-distance runners and saw good reviews for Born to Run so I wanted to check it out.

After readingPosted August 25, 2016

It started with a simple question from a guy who could barely run a couple miles without getting injured, 'Why does my foot hurt?' and spiraled into a 100 mil run with some of the world's best long distance runners, known and unknown. Diving into the ancient running secrets of the Tarahumara Tribe and finding out how other world-class runners can go for such long distances without getting injured this book opened my eyes to simple tips for better running. I love how the books story was laid out and it kept me well engaged. Born to Run is a well told story and has sparked some motivation for me to get more serious about my running. No need for fancy shoes, all you need is your feet.

Three reasons to read it

  1. 01First-hand story about the ancient Tarahumara tribe of runners.
  2. 02Learn about the biomechanics of running and how to prevent injury.
  3. 03Deep look into the sport of ultra-distance running.

Notable quotesChristopher McDougallMore in Quotes

  1. 01

    “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.”

  2. 02

    “Suffering is humbling. It pays to know how to get your butt kicked.”

  3. 03

    “There's something so universal about that sensation, the way running unites our two most primal impulses: fear and pleasure. We run when we're scared, we run when we're ecstatic, we run away from our problems and run around for a good time.”

  4. 04

    “You don't stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running.”

  5. 05

    “Perhaps all our troubles - all the violence, obesity, illness, depression, and greed we can't overcome - began when we stopped living as Running People. Deny your nature, and it will erupt in some other, uglier way.”

Notes for this book are still being transcribed.

←PreviousManaging OneselfPeter F. DruckerNext→The Life We BuryAllen Eskens
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