Billy Yang interviews Christopher McDougall, American journalist and author of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. His 2009 best-selling ethnography sold over three million copies and sparked a movement in minimalist running.
McDougalls engaging storytelling in Born to run traces members of the Tarahumara Indian tribe living in the copper canyons of Mexico. After repeateded running injuries, McDougall marvels at this tribe's ability to run ultra distances (more than 100 miles) at incredible speeds, without suffering the typical running inflicted injuries.
Through the incredible story, McDougall describes how he overcame injuries modeling his running equipment and form on that of the Tarahumara. In particular, he aserts that modern, padded running shoes are a major cause of running injuries. He supports this view by describing the thin 'huarache' sandals worn by Tarahumara runners, and the marked increase in injuries since the introduction of modern sports shoes aroubd 1972.
In this podcast, McDougall joins Yang to speak candidly about the both the popularity and early struggles of the book, the latest news on the movie, his next projects.