The White Horse
Caballo Blanco
The American who lived among the Rarámuri and created the race at the heart of the book.
Read the profile →Home / The People
The People of Born to Run
The runners, scientists and coaches in Christopher McDougall’s book, and what they have done since 2009.
The author
Christopher McDougall
An injured runner’s question — why does my foot hurt? — became the book that started it all.
Read the profile →The champion
Scott Jurek
The seven-time Western States champion who came to the canyon to race the Rarámuri.
Read the profile →The coach
Eric Orton
The Jackson Hole coach who taught McDougall how to run, then crewed the adventure.
Read the profile →The young gun
Jenn Shelton
The fearless young ultrarunner whose road trip with Billy Barnett is one of the book’s great threads.
Read the profile →The young gun
Billy Barnett
The 21-year-old who rode along with Jenn Shelton and ended up on the cover of the book.
Read the profile →El Coyote
Luis Escobar
The photographer who shot the cover — and has kept the Born to Run spirit running ever since.
Read the profile →The barefoot one
Barefoot Ted
Barefoot adventurer, LUNA Sandals founder — and the steward of borntorun.org since 2009.
Read the profile →The champion of the canyon
Arnulfo Quimare
The Rarámuri runner who beat Scott Jurek in 2006.
Read the profile →The sandal maker
Manuel Luna
Leadville veteran, grieving father, and the man who made Barefoot Ted’s first sandals.
Read the profile →Who’s who: a ranked index
Our ranking of the book’s most important people, from the race and the trip to the science chapters. Every name has been checked against a source showing that they appear in the book. Profiles for the rest are on the way.
| # | Name | Role in the book | Profile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caballo Blanco (Micah True) | Organizer of the race; the book’s central figure | Page | In the book: 1 |
| 2 | Christopher McDougall | Author and narrator | Page | In the book: 2 |
| 3 | Scott Jurek | Ultrarunning champion who raced the Rarámuri in 2006 | Page | In the book: 3 |
| 4 | Arnulfo Quimare | Rarámuri champion who won the 2006 race | Page | In the book: 43 |
| 5 | Barefoot Ted McDonald | Barefoot runner, set against Caballo as the yin and yang of natural running; later founded LUNA Sandals | Page | In the book: 45 |
| 6 | Jenn Shelton | Young ultrarunner on the 2006 trip | Page | In the book: 3 |
| 7 | Billy Barnett | “Billy the Kid”; Jenn’s travel partner and the cover figure | Page | In the book: 6 |
| 8 | Eric Orton | McDougall’s running coach | Page | In the book: 75 |
| 9 | Manuel Luna | Rarámuri runner and Leadville veteran; made Ted’s sandals | Page | In the book: 4 |
| 10 | Luis Escobar | Photographer on the trip; “El Coyote” | Page | In the book: 58 |
| 11 | Silvino Cubesare | Rarámuri runner and Arnulfo’s nephew | Not yet | In the book: 9 |
| 12 | Ann Trason | Ultrarunning great who raced the Rarámuri at Leadville in the 1990s | Not yet | In the book: 104 |
| 13 | Marcelino Luna | Manuel’s son, a gifted young runner | Not yet | In the book: 4 |
| 14 | Ángel | Head of a Rarámuri school; shows McDougall the children’s ball game | Not yet | In the book: 11 |
| 15 | Joe Vigil | Legendary running coach | Not yet | In the book: 54 |
| 16 | Dennis Bramble | Utah biologist behind the endurance running hypothesis | Not yet | In the book: 512 |
| 17 | Daniel Lieberman | Harvard evolutionary biologist; endurance running research | Not yet | In the book: 513 |
| 18 | David Carrier | Utah biologist whose ideas started the running-man research | Not yet | In the book: 5 |
| 19 | Louis Liebenberg | Tracker who ran down a kudu with Kalahari hunters | Not yet | In the book: 5 |
| 20 | Ken Mierke | Running coach McDougall consults | Not yet | In the book: 5 |
| 21 | Dr. Ruth Heidrich | Triathlete and nutrition advocate McDougall interviews | Not yet | In the book: 5 |
Sources
- Wikipedia — Micah True — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micah_True
- Wikipedia — Born to Run (McDougall book) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_to_Run_(McDougall_book)
- Wikipedia — Scott Jurek — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Jurek
- SuperSummary — Born to Run key figures — www.supersummary.com/born-to-run-mcdougall/key-figures/
- Joe Maller, “Born to Run: Something of an Epilogue” (Aug 3, 2010) — joemaller.com/1953/born-to-run-something-of-an-epilogue/
- RunSpirited, “Finding Billy Barnett: What happened to Born to Run’s Billy the Kid after the famous book” (Dec 2025) — www.runspirited.com/single-post/finding-billy-barnett-what-happened-to-born-to-run-s-billy-the-kid-after-the-famous-book
- KPBS, “‘Born to Run 2’ teaches long-distance runners how to run free,” Dec 5, 2022 — www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2022/12/05/born-to-run-2-teaches-long-distance-runners-how-to-run-free
- Christopher McDougall, “Coyote on Caballo, Barefoot Ted, and learning Tarahumara tricks from Silvino” (Apr 2012) — www.chrismcdougall.com/2012/04/coyote-on-caballo-barefoot-ted-and-learning-tarahumara-tricks-from-silvino/
- Wikipedia (es) — Silvino Cubesare Quimare — es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvino_Cubesare_Quimare
- Wikipedia — Ann Trason — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Trason
- Runner’s World — book excerpt, “Born to Run: Secrets of the Tarahumara” — www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a20954821/born-to-run-secrets-of-the-tarahumara/
- Deseret News, “About Utah: Running Man hits spotlight,” Oct 19, 2009 — www.deseret.com/2009/10/19/20347046/about-utah-running-man-hits-spotlight/
- Tara Parker-Pope, “The Human Body Is Built for Distance,” The New York Times, Oct 27, 2009 — www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html