'Born to Run'

When I called Christopher McDougall, author of "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen," I started by congratulating him.

As a runner, I was genuinely happy that his book on running, specifically his colorful experiences with the Tarahumara tribe of Mexico's Copper Canyon, is a mainstream hit. "Born to Run" has been on the New York Times Best-Seller List for nonfiction, reaching as high as fourth place. He's even made an appearance on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," where host Jon Stewart called the book "a gripping read." And he'll be bringing his message to the Lowcountry with a visit Monday.

How it came about

McDougall, whose journalism credentials include being a war correspondent for The Associated Press, a contributing editor for Men's Health and a writer for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine and Runner's World, was in Mexico in the winter of 2003 working on a story about an alleged secret teenage sex cult when he saw a photograph of "an old dude in (what looked like) a bathrobe and sandals running down what looked like a rock slide."

The cult story suddenly took a back seat to the picture of the Tarahumara (pronounced "tahr-uh-hoo-mahr-uh") Indian and what McDougall later learned about the tribe's simple life, including the fact that they run long distances, really long distances (50-100-miles-plus) in very harsh conditions. The tribe and its lifestyle seemed to have a message for modern, Western society.

In the book, McDougall writes: "In Tarahumara Land, there is no crime, war, or theft. There was no corruption, obesity, drug addiction, greed, wife-beating, child abuse, heart disease, high blood pressure, or carbon emissions. They didn't get diabetes, or depressed, or even old: 50-year-olds could outrun teenagers, and 80-year-old great-grandads could hike marathon distance up mountainsides. Their cancer rates were barely detectable."

Part of McDougall's interest was not only as a journalist, but as a wannabe runner seeking answers.

As a runner, McDougall had persistent, discouraging injuries, as many runners do. Doctors, even sports medicine doctors, told him not to run. He wanted to know why the Tarahumara could run for so long, both in miles and years, and yet didn't have modern gear such as running shoes.

And the gear, or rather the lack thereof, was a large part of the

answer.

The Tarahumara run either barefoot or in home-made sandals. In doing so, they learn to run the way humans evolved to run: on their forefoot and not their heels, which sends shock waves straight up the body. Running shoes not only encourage heel-striking but running too fast.

"By running barefooted, you can't overtrain or your feet will hurt," says McDougall.

As a health reporter, I know all too well that medical doctors strongly warn against running or walking barefoot. McDougall counters that studies under way at Harvard University and the University of Delaware are starting to justify barefoot running.

Humans, he says, have run quite well without running shoes for eons, adding that, "The modern running shoe has existed in a blink of the eye in human history."

Satisfying primal urge

The other part of the solution to easing the aches, pain and disabling of a legion of runners is approaching running differently.

Like others, McDougall acknowledges that humans evolved to run, as evidenced by anatomical adaptations such as the springy Achilles tendon, a ligament to steady our heads and our ability to sweat as a cooling mechanism.

Contrary to running a 10K under 40 minutes, however, we evolved to run slowly, namely by wearing down much faster animal prey by running long distances. Our key asset was, and is, "super-endurance." To do so, however, you have to run relatively slowly.

In comparison to most animals, humans, even world-record sprinter Usain Bolt, are slow. Yet people who start running often deal with the pressure to run fast.

"I wish people would approach running like they do swimming. When someone tells you that they swim for fitness, you don't ask him or her, 'Have you swum the English Channel?' " says McDougall. "But when you say you're a runner, they ask you if you have run a marathon and how fast you run."

By doing that, he says, humans have turned running into work instead of a natural, primitive, soul-renewing activity.

The Tarahumara

"Born to Run" is not only about unlocking the health secrets of the Tarahumara, such as their consumption of chia seeds, but it is also about a fascinating people who are at risk of being wiped out, like so many Indian nations before them.

The Tarahumara's land, increasingly, is being invaded by two threatening groups: us (in the form of tourists and our unhealthy food) and thugs from Mexico's vicious drug cartels, which seek out the hard-to-reach areas of the canyon to grow marijuana. Because the Tarahumara are peaceful, drug gangs are forcing them into transporting drugs. When they don't, they are threatened or killed.

Every week, an average of six bodies are being found in Copper Canyon, typically pushed over cliffs.

McDougall not only wants to help save the Tarahumara, but spread their ancient wisdom.

Coming to Charleston

McDougall found an ally in Beezer Molten, the owner of Charleston-based Half-Moon Outfitters, who arranged a five-day tour of stores starting in Atlanta on Friday. He'll then head to Athens, Ga., Greenville, Columbia, Mount Pleasant and Charleston before finishing up in Savannah.

Molten first heard about McDougall and his book on National Public Radio and found his message and story compelling.

"He was talking about the Tarahumara and of his own running re-education," says Molten. "And specifically when running long distances nearly barefoot, how any pain or symptom is directly attributable to some minor flaw of technique that can usually be fixed or improved through a quick, on-the-fly examination and correction of form. ... It seemed immediately like a sea change was under way."

When Molten was at the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Utah this summer, he sought out McDougall.

"We kind of hit it off," says Molten, noting that McDougall commented he was overdue for a trip through the South. Molten said to him, "We can fix that."

McDougall lives in Peach Bottom, Pa., Amish farm country, and is excited about his visit to Charleston, which will be kicked off with a run from Mount Pleasant Waterfront Memorial Park to the Half-Moon store on King Street.

Just don't expect him to be wearing running shoes.

Reach David Quick at 937-5516 or dquick@postandcourier.com.