At the heart of Born to Run lies a mysterious tribe of Mexican Indians, the
Tarahumara, who live quietly in canyons and are reputed to be the best
distance runners in the world; in 1993, one of them, aged 57, came first in
a prestigious 100-mile race wearing a toga and sandals. A small group of
the world's top ultra-runners (and the awe-inspiring author) make the
treacherous journey into the canyons to try to learn the tribe's secrets
and then take them on over a course 50 miles long.With incredible energy
and smart observation, McDougall tells this story while asking what the
secrets are to being an incredible runner. Travelling to labs at Harvard,
Nike, and elsewhere, he comes across an incredible cast of characters,
including the woman who recently broke the world record for 100 miles and
for her encore ran a 2:50 marathon in a bikini, pausing to down a beer at
the 20 mile mark.