Author : Christopher McDougall,
I have always found it fascinating to learn about different tribes, their culture, and their lifestyle. And while searching for an audiobook to listen to during chores, I stumbled upon this book. Not only is this book a window to “The Rarámuri or Tarahumara” people of the Americas, but it is also an incredible story of the fascinating lives of individuals who have somehow decided to be in the world of ultra running (a distance of more than 26.3 miles or 42.195 kilometers).
The author starts the journey to find the reason and solution for his running injury and goes into the rabbit-hole of the lives of Tarahumara runners, the sport of long-distance running, the influence of shoe-making companies and, human evolution. Author has highlighted many statistical figures and scientific theories, which may or may not hold water in the long run (pun intended). So all the information needs to be taken with a grain of salt. However, if one does not read this book as a “How-to” guide to running (and one should not ), it is still a fascinating memoir. I would guess it would still be an interesting read even if someone has no interest in running.
The author highlights the following topics and theories in book.
- Endurance running and the evolution of Homo, Nature magazine, Nov 2004 https://www.nature.com/articles/nature03052
- Endurance running hypothesis : that the certain human evolution is adapted for “long distance running”
- The Rarámuri or Tarahumara people of Mexico
Ratnesh Kumbhkar 