Christopher McDougall

Christopher McDougall is an American journalist and author whose books cover running, endurance, and physical performance. Before becoming a full-time author, he worked as an Associated Press correspondent and reported on conflicts in Rwanda and Angola. His magazine work has appeared in publications including Outside, Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Men’s Journal, and New York Magazine.

His first major running book, Born to Run, followed his investigation into recurring running injuries and the long-distance running culture of Mexico’s Rarámuri, also known as the Tarahumara. Later books examined wartime endurance on Crete and his experience training a rescued donkey for a mountain race. Running coach Eric Orton, who appeared in Born to Run, collaborated with McDougall on its practical training companion. McDougall has also contributed to magazine anthologies and served as guest editor of an annual collection of sports journalism.

Running and Endurance Books

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen: Investigating why running repeatedly leaves him injured, McDougall travels to Mexico’s Copper Canyons to learn about the Rarámuri’s long-distance running traditions. His account connects their practices with the experiences of American ultrarunners and research into human endurance. The narrative builds toward a race bringing these groups together, while examining running shoes, training assumptions, and arguments about the role of distance running in human development.

Natural Born Heroes: How a Daring Band of Misfits Mastered the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance: McDougall investigates the wartime abduction of a German general by British operatives and Cretan Resistance fighters. Retracing their route across Crete, he examines how the participants managed the demands of movement, pursuit, and survival. The account links the historical operation with contemporary investigations of endurance, nutrition, and natural movement, following athletes and practitioners who train outside conventional gym routines.

Running with Sherman: How a Rescue Donkey Inspired a Rag-tag Gang of Runners to Enter the Craziest Race in America: After adopting a neglected donkey, McDougall begins preparing the animal for a Colorado burro race, in which people and donkeys travel together over mountain terrain. Sherman’s rehabilitation becomes a project involving neighbours, runners, and people experienced with working animals. The book follows their training and the practical problems of racing while describing the relationships formed around the donkey’s recovery and participation in the event.

Born to Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide: Written with running coach Eric Orton, this illustrated guide turns the training ideas associated with Born to Run into a practical program. It covers food, conditioning, running form, footwear, concentration, enjoyment, and community. Exercises, recipes, photographs, and a ninety-day training schedule provide a structure for runners preparing for different distances, with material intended for beginners, experienced racers, and people returning to regular running.

Sports Anthologies

The Best of Bicycling: The Very Best Stories from the First 50 Years of Bicycling Magazine: Edited by Peter Flax and the magazine’s editors, this anthology gathers nineteen pieces from Bicycling’s first fifty years. McDougall is one of its contributing writers, alongside Mary Roach, Bill Strickland, and others. The selection includes profiles of cyclists and accounts of riding, competition, and personal change. Its contents represent several writers and subjects rather than a single narrative by McDougall.

The Best American Sports Writing 2014: McDougall served as guest editor of this annual anthology, selecting sports journalism from magazines, newspapers, specialist publications, and online sources. The collection brings together work by different authors about athletes, competitions, and the circumstances surrounding sport. Glenn Stout served as series editor. McDougall’s role was to choose the year’s featured pieces; the volume is an edited collection rather than a book entirely written by him.