Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

Ultrarunning is the name given to any type of running that exceeds the 26.2 miles of a traditional marathon. Distance running is how humans spread across the planet, and before the invention of advanced hunting tools it’s how they obtained meat through persistence hunting. However, ultrarunning as an activity and competition is a relatively new concept, and a distinctive culture has developed with its growth over the last quarter-century. Cultural aspects of ultrarunning may include running tips, discussions about equipment or clothing, historical analyses of runners or races, or insights about diet. Community is another cultural aspect of ultrarunning and one that differs strongly from other sports because ultrarunners seem to find competitiveness against the course while finding camaraderie with their opponents. Born to Run touches on all these cultural aspects of ultrarunning but also provides sociological, anthropological, political, and geographical contexts within its narrative concerning the Tarahumara people of Northwestern Mexico.

Unlike other books on ultrarunning, such as field guides, training manuals, or even narratives like Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner by Dean Karnazes, Born to Run blurs the lines of