Christopher McDougall – författare

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.

Ät mer fett. Drick mindre vatten. Och vad du än gör – besök aldrig ett gym! Christopher McDougalls träningsråd påminner inte om ­någon annans, och det gör inte hans böcker heller. I bästsäljaren Born to Run – jakten på löpningens själ avverkade han ett ultramaratonlopp i Mexiko, och fick av bara farten miljontals människor världen över att börja springa annorlunda. I Kraftprovet – jakten på vår glömda kunskap om styrka och uthållighet tar han sig upp på Kretas sylvassa bergstoppar, där han finner helt nya insikter om människans fysiska och psykiska förmåga. Christopher McDougall följer fotspåren efter det gäng som ­kidnappade en tysk general framför ögonen på tiotusentals fiende­soldater, mitt under brinnande världskrig. Hur ­lyckades en misslyckad konstnär, en hobbypoet och några fåra­herdar ­genomföra ­en sådan hisnande och krävande kupp? Sökandet efter svaret tar McDougall från slitna bakgator i London till brasilianska paradisstränder. Överallt möter han människor som bemästrar nutidens utman­ingar med hjälp av ­urgamla metoder. Born to Run fick läsarna att hoppa av löpbandet, ur sina skor och ut i ­naturen. På samma sätt kommer Kraftprovet – en hals­brytande blandning av historieskildring och gonzoreportage – få dig att vilja klättra, simma, kasta och hoppa på ett sätt som du aldrig har gjort förut.

'Invaluable' - WATERSTONES BEST SPORTS BOOKS OF 2022'Born to Run 2 is a must read for every runner out there' Rich Roll'Amazing, really incredibly inspiring book' Joe Wicks on Born to RunBorn to Run's Chris McDougall and long-time running coach Eric Orton show us how to join the global barefoot running movement and explore the world on our own two feet.Born to Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide teaches every runner, new or experienced, how to master humankind's first true superpower and tap into hidden reserves of strength and stamina. With chapters dedicated to the Free Seven - Food, Fitness, Form, Focus, Footwear, Fun and Family - we learn exactly how to change our biomechanics, clean up our diets, heal our injuries, adapt to healthier footwear, and prepare for our dream challenge.Packed with advice and inspiring stories from runners who have made the transition, it includes:- A rock-solid food primer on optimum diet and power-packed On the Run recipes - Techniques for running with dogs and baby buggies to help you run with the whole family - 'Perfect Form' exercises that will overhaul your stride in less than ten minutes - A 90-Day Run Free Programme, designed to give everything you need to run faster and farther, forever.

An epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? Isolated by Mexico''s deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall’s incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Una aventura épica que comenzó con una simple pregunta: ¿Por qué me duele el pie?Aislados por las peligrosas Barrancas de Cobre en México, los apacibles indios Tarahumara han perfeccionado durante siglos la capacidad de correr cientos de millas sin descanso ni lesiones.  En este fascinante relato, el prestigioso periodista —y corredor habitualmente lesionado— Christopher McDougall sale a descubrir sus secretos. En el proceso, nos lleva de los laboratorios de Harvard a los tórridos valles y las gélidas montañas de Norte América, donde los cada vez más numerosos ultra corredores están empujando sus cuerpos al límite, y finalmente a una vibrante carrera en las Barrancas de Cobre entre los mejores ultra corredores americanos y los sencillos Tarahumara. Esta increíble historia no solo despertará tu mente; además inspirará tu cuerpo cuando te des cuenta de que, de hecho, todos hemos nacido para correr.

The best-selling author of Born to Run now travels to the Mediterranean, where he discovers that the secrets of ancient Greek heroes are still alive and well on the island of Crete, and ready to be unleashed in the muscles and minds of casual athletes and aspiring heroes everywhere.  After running an ultramarathon through the Copper Canyons of Mexico, Christopher McDougall finds his next great adventure on the razor-sharp mountains of Crete, where a band of Resistance fighters in World War II plotted the daring abduction of a German general from the heart of the Nazi occupation. How did a penniless artist, a young shepherd, and a playboy poet believe they could carry out such a remarkable feat of strength and endurance, smuggling the general past thousands of Nazi pursuers, with little more than their own wits and courage to guide them?  McDougall makes his way to the island to find the answer and retrace their steps, experiencing firsthand the extreme physical challenges the Resistance fighters and their local allies faced. On Crete, the birthplace of the classical Greek heroism that spawned the likes of Herakles and Odysseus, McDougall discovers the tools of the hero—natural movement, extraordinary endurance, and efficient nutrition. All of these skills, McDougall learns, are still practiced in far-flung pockets throughout the world today. More than a mystery of remarkable people and cunning schemes, Natural Born Heroes is a fascinating investigation into the lost art of the hero, taking us from the streets of London at midnight to the beaches of Brazil at dawn, from the mountains of Colorado to McDougall’s own backyard in Pennsylvania, all places where modern-day athletes are honing ancient skills so they’re ready for anything.  Just as Born to Run inspired readers to get off the treadmill, out of their shoes, and into the natural world, Natural Born Heroes will inspire them to leave the gym and take their fitness routine to nature—to climb, swim, skip, throw, and jump their way to their own heroic feats.From the Hardcover edition.

Tras el ultramaratón por las Barrancas del Cobre narrado en el bestseller Nacidos para correr, Christopher McDougall encuentra su siguiente aventura en las escarpadas montañas de Creta, donde un grupo de guerrilleros de la Resistencia planearon el secuestro de un general nazi durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. ¿Cómo es que un artista arruinado, un joven pastor y un poeta bohemio lograron esconder a un general alemán de miles de soldados nazis solo con su ingenio y su valentía?McDougall viaja hasta la isla para seguir sus pasos y encontrar la respuesta, para experimentar de primera mano los extraordinarios retos físicos que tuvieron que afrontar los combatientes de la Resistencia y sus aliados locales. En Creta, la cuna de héroes clásicos como Hércules o Ulises, McDougall descubre cuáles son las habilidades del héroe: movimientos naturales, una resistencia extraordinaria y una nutrición eficiente.Nacidos para ser héroes es una investigación fascinante sobre la fuerza y la capacidad de superación del cuerpo humano, que nos lleva desde las calles de Londres a medianoche hasta el amanecer en las playas de Brasil, desde las montañas de Colorado al patio de McDougall en Pennsylvania, lugares donde atletas modernos perfeccionan técnicas antiguas para ser capaces de todo. Del mismo modo que Nacidos para correr animó a miles de lectores a dejar la cinta, quitarse las zapatillas y salir a la naturaleza, Nacidos para ser héroes les motivará para dejar el gimnasio y hacer sus ejercicios al aire libre: trepar, nadar, saltar y emprender sus propias hazañas.

"A delight, full of heart and hijinks and humor . . . McDougall is a gifted storyteller who gets to the heart of the human-animal connection." --John Grogan, author of Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World''s Worst DogFrom the best-selling author of Born to Run, a heartwarming story about training a rescue donkey to run one of the most challenging races in America.When Chris McDougall agreed to take in a donkey from an animal hoarder, he thought it would be no harder than the rest of the adjustments he and his family had made after moving from Philadelphia to the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country. But when he arrived, Sherman was in such bad shape he could barely move, and his hair was coming out in clumps. Chris decided to undertake a radical rehabilitation program designed not only to heal Sherman''s body but to heal his mind as well. It turns out the best way to soothe a donkey is to give it a job, and so Chris decided to teach Sherman how to run. He''d heard about burro racing--a unique type of race where humans and donkeys run together in a call-back to mining days--and decided he and Sherman would enter the World Championship in Colorado.Easier said than done. In the course of Sherman''s training, Chris would have to recruit several other runners, both human and equine, and call upon the wisdom of burro racers, goat farmers, Amish running club members, and a group of irrepressible female long-haul truckers. Along the way, he shows us the life-changing power of animals, nature, and community.

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 fifty-seven, 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 fifty 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 extraordinary 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.

When barefoot running guru Christopher McDougall takes in a neglected donkey, his aim is to get Sherman back to reasonable health. But Sherman is ill-tempered, obstinate and uncooperative - and it's clear his poor treatment has made him deeply fearful of humans. Christopher knows that donkeys need a purpose - they are working, pack animals - and so when he learns of the sport of Burro Racing or running with donkeys, he sets out to give Sherman something worth living for.With the aid of Christopher's menagerie on his farm in rural Pennsylvania, his wife Mika and their friends and neighbours including the local Amish population, Sherman begins to build trust in Christopher. To give him a purpose, they start to run together. But what Sherman gains in confidence and meaning is something we all need: a connection with nature, the outdoors, with movement. And as Christopher learns, the side benefits of exercise and animal contact are surprising, helping with mental and physical health in unexpected ways.

When barefoot running guru Christopher McDougall takes in a neglected donkey, his aim is to get Sherman back to reasonable health. But Sherman is ill-tempered, obstinate and uncooperative - and it''s clear his poor treatment has made him deeply fearful of humans. Christopher knows that donkeys need a purpose - they are working, pack animals - and so when he learns of the sport of Burro Racing or running with donkeys, he sets out to give Sherman something worth living for.With the aid of Christopher''s menagerie on his farm in rural Pennsylvania, his wife Mika and their friends and neighbours including the local Amish population, Sherman begins to build trust in Christopher. To give him a purpose, they start to run together. But what Sherman gains in confidence and meaning is something we all need: a connection with nature, the outdoors, with movement. And as Christopher learns, the side benefits of exercise and animal contact are surprising, helping with mental and physical health in unexpected ways.

''Invaluable'' - WATERSTONES BEST SPORTS BOOKS OF 2022''Born to Run 2 is a must read for every runner out there'' Rich Roll''Amazing, really incredibly inspiring book'' Joe Wicks on Born to RunBorn to Run''s Chris McDougall and long-time running coach Eric Orton show us how to join the global barefoot running movement and explore the world on our own two feet.Born to Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide teaches every runner, new or experienced, how to master humankind''s first true superpower and tap into hidden reserves of strength and stamina. With chapters dedicated to the Free Seven - Food, Fitness, Form, Focus, Footwear, Fun and Family - we learn exactly how to change our biomechanics, clean up our diets, heal our injuries, adapt to healthier footwear, and prepare for our dream challenge.Packed with advice and inspiring stories from runners who have made the transition, it includes:- A rock-solid food primer on optimum diet and power-packed On the Run recipes - Techniques for running with dogs and baby buggies to help you run with the whole family - ''Perfect Form'' exercises that will overhaul your stride in less than ten minutes - A 90-Day Run Free Programme, designed to give everything you need to run faster and farther, forever.

AS HEARD ON THE CHRIS EVANS BREAKFAST SHOW - "It's not just for runners. It's for life! It's a great story."When Chris McDougall stumbled across the story of Churchill's 'dirty tricksters', a motley crew of English poets and academics who helped resist the Nazi invasion of Crete, he knew he was on the track of something special. To beat the odds, the tricksters-starving, aging, outnumbered-tapped into an ancient style of fitness: the lost art of heroism. They listened to their instincts, replaced calories with stored bodily fat and used their fascia, the network of tissue which criss-crosses the body, to catapult themselves to superhuman strength and endurance. Soon McDougall was in the middle of a modern fitness revolution taking place everywhere from Parisian parkour routes to state-of-the-art laboratories, and based on the know-how of Shanghai street-fighters and Wild West gunslingers. Just as Born to Run got runners off the treadmill and into nature, Natural Born Heroes will inspire casual athletes to dump the gym membership for cross-training, mud runs and free-running.

A New York Times bestseller ''A sensation ... a rollicking tale well told'' - The TimesAt 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.

AS HEARD ON THE CHRIS EVANS BREAKFAST SHOW - "It''s not just for runners. It''s for life! It''s a great story."When Chris McDougall stumbled across the story of Churchill''s ''dirty tricksters'', a motley crew of English poets and academics who helped resist the Nazi invasion of Crete, he knew he was on the track of something special. To beat the odds, the tricksters-starving, aging, outnumbered-tapped into an ancient style of fitness: the lost art of heroism. They listened to their instincts, replaced calories with stored bodily fat and used their fascia, the network of tissue which criss-crosses the body, to catapult themselves to superhuman strength and endurance. Soon McDougall was in the middle of a modern fitness revolution taking place everywhere from Parisian parkour routes to state-of-the-art laboratories, and based on the know-how of Shanghai street-fighters and Wild West gunslingers. Just as Born to Run got runners off the treadmill and into nature, Natural Born Heroes will inspire casual athletes to dump the gym membership for cross-training, mud runs and free-running.