Fleet of foot fantasy about the joys and
marvels of running.
If you
are completely new to the sport of running by way of signing up to your first
marathon or parkrun there is no better way to feed your running bug than by
reading this book. McDougall is an excellent story-teller, taking the reader
along a wonderful ride through the predominant lens of ultra-running. The story
that McDougall weaves is at once fascinating
and exciting, as he explores the reasons why we run and what enables us to
achieve such feats of endurance.
The
story revolves around the now famous Tarahumara (a remote Mexican tribe), some
eccentric characters such as Caballo Blanco and famous ultra-runners of the
likes of Scott Jurek to name a few; and the race that takes place between Jurek
and one of the Tarahumara. I won’t digress into the narrative, as that would
ruin the book, however McDougall uses this so-called epic race to put forward a
number of significant statements about the state of modern running.
Ultimately
McDougall presents running in a sort romantic tradition, i.e. before the technological
and commercial aspects were introduced to running, there was a pure or natural
way of running that meant people could run for as far as their bodies would
allow them to. The strongest part of this arguments comes from McDougall citing
the Harvard academic Daniel Lieberman, who argued that humans were designed to
run long distances to gradually wear down prey (e.g. deer); who could sprint in
short bursts away from humans, but did not have their capacity for endurance.
If this was as far as McDougall was willing to go by linking this research with
the Tarahumara race, as well as the tribe itself, then that would not be so
controversial.
It’s
where McDougall strays into pronouncements about footwear and the way people
run that I take issue with. Similar to the claims made about Kenyans running barefoot, and the improvements that
can be seen by running barefoot , he argues that our running has been corrupted
by our use of running trainers (specifically targeting Nike in this instance).
McDougall contends that if we were to go back to barefoot or even minimalist
running, then we would rid ourselves of the vast majority of running injuries
that we sustain by putting on a pair of trainers. McDougall also asserts that
the way we run has been influenced by trainers, leading to us heel striking
when we land on the ground with our feet, and thus increasing the number of
injuries. Using the Tarahumara as a counterpoint McDougall presents people
living in Western societies as running incorrectly in their artificially
insulated running world.
Whilst
there is a great deal to be made about the commercialisation and heavy emphasis
on technology in running; for example one could
ask whether British
running legends Joss Naylor or Steve Jones need a Garmin to achieve their
running feats? I do not think that
barefoot running is either the primary answer to the huge swathe of running
ailments that people encounter when they first take up the sport. There is no
doubt that running exposes issues within the body, that people would not
normally be aware if they didn’t run, such as runner’s knee. However these cannot be
simply attributed to one key factor, e.g. what sports shoe we wear, but more to
the changes in lifestyle; the growing obesity epidemic, the fact that we are
more sedentary than our parents, office based jobs where we sit in the same
position all day, the list goes on. I don’t have an evidence base to refute
what McDougall has stated about barefoot running, so simply stated my view is
mixed. Anecdotally I think activities like running on grass is or in the sand
in minimalist shoes is brilliant for the ankles/ lower limbs, but my experience
of even going into slightly less supported shoes for cross-country has partly
contributed to me sustaining a calf tear. McDougall fails to address areas of
ambiguity within his book, for instance are orthotics a bad thing or a positive
technological development?
The
other issue that I have with the people McDougall chooses – such as Jurek say-
are that they not your normal runners; Jurek for example is one of the all-time
greats of the Western States 100 mile race.
It’s amazing to read about Jurek- and the motley crew of other extreme
runners- who go to visit the Tarahumara. However they are not your ‘normal
everyday runner’, who may not be at the peak of their fitness. So whilst this
story serves as a huge inspiration to people who love running, it’s hard to
find how this epic tale translates into something that an every day runner can
use in their lives. For instance, and if we accept that barefoot running is
something that we need to achieve, taking someone from wearing shoes all their
lives to running barefoot is likely to cause them to have a high chance of
injury to their lower limb area.
Born to
Run is an excellent read, and I can’t think of another book that made me feel
excited about lacing up my trainers and going to run outside. McDougall
certainly raises a valid question to all runners about whether we may have
become lost from the world outside and the way we run, due to our obsession
with technology and gadgets. No one would disagree with him that we all need to
move more and get outside on a regular basis. Where McDougall may have strayed
too far is asserting that barefoot running and long-distance running can suit
everyone. Furthermore McDougall does not provide an adequate road-map of how we
get to his idealised version of barefoot running, just that it is the best way
forward for people to avoid injuries. That’s probably where the biggest
weakness of the book lies; it provides inspiration for people to go outside,
but only using the most extreme examples of ultra-runners and the Tarahumara.
It would help if McDougall was able to show how someone could get off their
couch and start building up to a 5k race. Rather than criticising modern Western society, he could show how we can adapt and change our
lifestyles to improve our overall fitness and well-being. Nevertheless, none of
these aspects detract from an amazing story that dares runners to dream big and
think about their running in a whole new light.
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