Born to Run: Christopher McDougall Says Humans Evolved to Run Like the Tarahumara

Our bodies may have been made for running, but running through the jungle is vastly different from running through the concrete jungle! Shoes protect our feet from, say, freezing off when it's -10 outside. They protect us from injury by rocks, used hypodermic needles on the beach, and even from obnoxious dogs. We can't all throw our shoes off the cliff and run off into the wilderness; we'd fill up the wilderness with silly people. Walking is as good as running for purposes of health; however, if you have a hungry jaguar chasing you, run like hell!

Katherine Hobson: Needless to say, it's not a great idea to simply toss your shoes and run up the street barefoot. (McDougall wears a rubber socklike thing to protect the soles of his feet, and learned how to run correctly from a coach -- this isn't an endorsement, but check out www.posetech.com for info.) Interestingly enough, though, McDougall told me that the African savanna has actually quite a hard surface, so it's not like our ancestors were running on cushy trails! You can also now find shoes, like the Nike Free, that mimic barefoot running. Ironic, right?

dochaass of WI 10:44AM April 29, 2009