Book review: Born to Run

OK. It took me about three years to finally get around to reading this book, which has morphed into a cultural cult classic in our running world. The book, for those living under a rock and not knowing what I am talking about, is “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen,” by Christopher McDougall.

This book has been attributed to causing the tidal wave of interest in barefoot/minimalist shoe running, which I find very interesting. That is only a side element to the book! It is not the main point of the book.

What is the main point of the book? Well, McDougall admittedly goes in a lot of directions here. Before I continue, I will not bury the lead: I liked this book. I thought it was extremely well-reported (something I very much admire in writing) and very well-written in terms of conveying information (another thing I admire) and in terms of entertaining and keeping the reader flipping the pages with interest.

I finished the book two weeks ago, so my acute memory of the contents has faded a bit. In no particular order, here are some of the topics that McDougall covers, and covers well, in the book:

--The Tarahumara (Raramuri) running people of Mexico, a fascinating tribe of superhuman athletes who live a secret life (well, not so much anymore!) in the Copper Canyons.

--Caballo Blanco (White Horse), the eccentric main character of the book, who tragically passed away recently. Reading the excellent New York Times story on Micah True (Caballo Blanco) spurred me to finally reading the book, which had been collecting dust on my nightstand.  

--The science of endurance running. Are we truly “born to run?” He really digs deeply into this topic (pun intended) and this was among the most enjoyable moments in the book. Side note: For a similar read on this topic, check out Bernd Heinrich’s excellent book from 2001 entitled “Racing the Antelope: What Animals Can Teach Us about Running and Life.”

--And yes, there was the full frontal assault on the running shoe industry, much of which I agree with and much of which is “old news” to those of us involved in the sport for years.

I feel the need to address the barefoot/minimalist thing right here and now.

First of all, here at Marist Running, we have been doing the barefoot/minimalist thing for 30 years. Back when I was a punk distance runner in the early 1980s, one of my many coaches at the time – Jimmy Klein – had us doing barefoot tee-to-green strides on golf courses after runs. Even for a biomechanically challenged dork like me, it felt great!

Secondly, we coached the Rauccis, the undisputed kings of barefoot running. Joey Raucci ran Paul Short at Lehigh barefoot, and then really turned some heads by racing the steeple at MAACs barefoot on the Rider track! David Raucci did much of his 100-plus mile weeks barefoot on the grass near his home in Red Hook, and always trains in lightweight/no-weight beat up old sneakers. And his next running injury will be his first.

Thirdly, we have North Field, perhaps the best barefoot running area you will ever find, on our campus. We do our “extended strides” workout there on that carpet-like grass surface. And when we do, you will find the fence nearest the parking lot littered with sneakers and socks as the team does the workout barefoot.

So yeah. We get it. Barefoot/minimalist running works. In small doses, on proper surfaces.

Regrettably, many folks have read McDougall’s book and decided to go barefoot or Vibram Five Fingers all or most of the time. The result, in most cases, is an excellent spike in business for sports podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons. Does the minimalist thing work for some runners, even on hard surfaces? YES! But for most of us, who have grown up in the shod world of the United States, walking and running on cement and macadam, it’s probably better having some cushioning to protect your feet and your body.

Yes, it’s true that sometimes the most expensive and most cushioned/motion controlled shoes actually cause MORE injuries. But again, if you are running mostly on hard surfaces, some protection is warranted.

The characters in this book were phenomenal. Having dabbled in the ultra running community back in the 1990s, the book brought back some fond memories. The cultural differences and uniqueness of the Raramuri were fascinating and a great read.

But has anyone pointed out the interesting irony of the barefoot/minimalist thing in this book? And that is this: After McDougall proceeds to lay waste to the running shoe industry, what sneakers does he go out and buy as he starts his high-mileage training for the 50-mile Copper Canyon ultramarathon: the Nike Pegasus!

Not exactly the Free, or the Five Fingers, or any of the other myriad minimalist shoes on the market. Good for him! But again, it is a bit ironic that the man who, perhaps unwittingly, created this craze didn’t actually wear minimalist shoes when he trained and raced!

Last point: As usual, Will Schanz was right. Schanz, the highly loyal and annoying pest of an XC runner on our team, had been urging me to read this book. Coach, you will love it. Coach, you gotta read it. Trust me, you’ll finish it in a week. You will eat it up. Right up your alley …

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It took me three years. But Schanz was right, as usual.

“Born to Run’’ is an excellent book, worth reading. But please: Read it for entertainment, knowledge and enjoyment … but do NOT read it as some sort of Gospel to Barefoot Nirvana. It’s a good running book; a very good running book. Read it, enjoy it and leave it at that.

And please, keep your shoes on … except at North Field.