Book Review: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Born to Run is journalist Christopher McDougall's first book. He lifts up the Tarahumara, a tribe living in the remote Copper Canyons in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, as the supreme example of why running long distances barefoot is the key to injury-free running and, ultimately, happiness. Being a runner myself, injury-free long-distance running would lead to ultimate happiness, so I thought I'd take the advice of some fellow runners (including my fabulous sports chiropractor from whom all blessings flow) and purchase McDougall's book with my weekly 33% off Borders coupon.

I certainly respect the journalistic way of preparing an article- picking an issue or event and sucking it dry for history, nuances, perspectives, summarizing it and presenting it well to someone who may have never been exposed. For the reader, it results in a thorough method of learning something complex in a short amount of time, depending on the quality of the journalist. That's why newspapers are such a great source of information- quality journalists. However, this is the third book as of late I have read by a journalist and I'm not nearly as impressed with their methods lending themselves to a truly enthralling, well-developed book.

Now let me disclaim by admitting that I haven't read any Hunter S. Thompson (SHAME on me and I'm moving him up on my list as we speak), but McDougall's book can only be described as an attempt at overly-clever gonzo journalism. And by "overly-clever" I mean he tried too hard. I like my "clever" subtly presented on a platter- there for my taking should I decide that the irony of the moment, for example, is hilarious or insightful. I don't like it spoon-fed. This is probably my most common criticism of mediocre writing. The protagonist interpreting something and articulating it doesn't make "it" clever. "It" should've already been there for the reader to chuckle at and remark upon. Does this make sense to anyone else but me?

Aside from McDougall's trite attempts at exaggerated humor and irony, the book was informative for runners. Running injury-free is a sort of elusive utopia. I have spent a small fortune and Lord knows how many hours of my life in physical therapy, with my beloved sports chiropractor, cross training, and everything else imaginable just to try and get back to that "first high" of a worry-free marathon. I should probably give up and come to grips with the fact that am old, the end is near, and my knees will never be the same. But what if McDougall is right- running barefoot (among other tips throughout the book- nutritional, training, etc.) is the key to utopia? Could my sports chiropractor possibly anticipate the amount of questions this has ignited in my mind (and now, on paper to bring with me to my next visit)?