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Christopher McDougall
An injured runner’s question — why does my foot hurt? — became the book that started it all.
Author
In the book
McDougall is the author and narrator of Born to Run (2009). He follows the reclusive Rarámuri of the Copper Canyons and argues for the endurance running hypothesis: that humans evolved to run long distances.1
On the reunion podcast, he said he first went down to write a short Runner’s World article about the Rarámuri, and was sent from place to place in search of Caballo Blanco.2
Since 2009
- 2009 →Born to Run became a bestseller and has sold over three million copies.1
- 2015Natural Born Heroes.3
- LaterRunning with Sherman, about McDougall’s life in Pennsylvania Amish country and training a donkey named Sherman for a burro race.34
- December 2022Born to Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide, written with Eric Orton.56
- April 2026A guest on the Road Dog Podcast’s 20-year reunion. He said he had moved from a farm in Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania, to Oahu, Hawaii.2
At the 20-year reunion
“One of the real pleasures for me is I feel that Born to Run has stood up over time.”
Christopher McDougall ·
“What I love about that was that felt like the beginning of the adventure. You had this dude at the top of the mountain looking around like, okay, what am I going to do next?”
Christopher McDougall · · on the cover photo
“I think meeting you all formed a perspective that has stayed with me ever since, which is you people are what I think athletes should be.”
Christopher McDougall ·
“… Eric’s like, I think you found your book. … Whatever you want to write about, you just lived it.”
Christopher McDougall · · on the bus out of the canyon
“I think the reason why the book has enduring popularity is because of all of you.”
Christopher McDougall ·
Verbatim from the Road Dog Podcast reunion episode (Apr 6, 2026), with the episode timestamp. See how the quotes were transcribed.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Born to Run (McDougall book) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_to_Run_(McDougall_book)
- Road Dog Podcast, ep. 396 “Born to Run 20 Year Reunion,” Apr 6, 2026 (official episode page) — roaddog.libsyn.com/396-born-to-run-20-year-reunion
- Wikipedia — Christopher McDougall — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McDougall
- chrismcdougall.com — official site — www.chrismcdougall.com/
- Penguin Random House — Born to Run 2 by Christopher McDougall and Eric Orton — www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/717120/born-to-run-2-by-christopher-mcdougall-and-eric-orton/
- 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
- chrismcdougall.com — contact page — www.chrismcdougall.com/contact/
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