Alison Linnell English 2280 Critical Response Project October 22, 2013 We are Born to Run I am quite possibly

the very last of all my running friends to read Born to Run. Many had urged me to read the 2009 National Bestseller by Christopher McDougall. I had simply avoided the book because I could not believe that it would actually live up to all the hype. You see, I absolutely avoid hype. Twilight and all its madness will never be on my list of haveto-read books or must-see-movies. (Although I now feel I have given a disservice to Born to Run by even categorizing it in the same venue as the aforementioned book.) Some might think it was irrational shunning, but I had other reasons too. Barefoot running, really? It seemed as if this book was a personal attack on my beloved Sauconys. I quickly discovered that the promotion of barefoot running is just a small portion of this wild tale. McDougall takes the reader on an educational and thrilling ride from the laboratory of Harvard University to the rugged terrain of the deadly Copper Canyons of Mexico as he weaves an almost unbelievable story of running achievements and adventures through introducing his readers to many memorable and outlandish characters, engaging the reader with his inspirational and enthusiastic tone, and cleverly allows allusions to enhance his work as he immerses the reader in his own quest to understand the simple question of why does it hurt when I run? His sharing of his own selfdiscovery has inspired many readers to realize that they were indeed born to run this reader included.

With all of the unforgettable characters running through this book, it would be incredibly hard to pick a favorite, but I found myself wanting desperately to be Ann Trason. McDougall made me love this community-college science teacher. His depiction of her was clever and allowed any average-looking gal like myself to believe she could actually someday run an ultra. He wrote, If you said you could spot her in a crowd, you were either her husband or a liar. Ann was sort of short, sort of slender, sort of schlumpy, sort of invisible behind her mousybrown bangs sort of what youd expect, basically, in a communitycollege science teacher. Until someone fired a gun. Watching Ann bolt at the start of a race was like watching a mild-mannered reporter yank off his glasses and sling on a crimson cape. As McDougall described Anns ability to run 8 miles to and from work each day, 30 miles on the weekend just for fun, and compete with and possibly school any male athlete during a grueling 100 miler, I believed she was indeed Superman. However, not every reader appreciates McDougalls description of Ann. Simon Goodship, a fellow runner and blogger, credits McDougall for giving Ann a glorious build-up, but he takes exception with McDougalls intensive portrayal of Ann in her culminating point in the book. He says, Chris talks about Ann being so aggressive in her competitiveness that she was mean to the Raramuri tribesmen. They refer to her in the book as La Bruja (the witch). I am not sure if McDougall intended the reader to believe Ann was disrespectful, perhaps, it was simply to point out her incredible intensity and the simple fact that others believed she could actually fly.

Not every character was portrayed as Superman or a Bruja most fell somewhere in the middle. I guess that is where you would have to place the wacky Barefoot Ted. Numerous times, I wondered if Barefoot Ted was uncomfortable with how his character was depicted and if not, why? His DIALOGUE was often told through all caps. McDougalls description, although witty, painfully describes a loud and seemingly unaware individual. He states, Barefoot Ted talked the way Charlie Parker played the sax: hed pick up on any cue and cut loose with a truly astonishing torrent of improvisation, seeming to breathe in through his nose while maintaining an endless flow of sound out of his mouth. His loudness constantly permeated the book. In detailing his relationship with his wife, McDougall allowed the reader to see a softer side to Ted. Hed fix Lisa a hot plate of beans, and then, with his manic motor finally running down, hed stop performing and let her talk. Every once in a while, hed chip in a sensitive insight, then encourage her to go on. Few ever saw this Ted. That was their great loss and his. McDougall made me want to know this sensitive, affectionate Ted. Gratefully, McDougalls story of Ted does not end there. In the last few pages of the book, Teds story unfolds in a completely different light. He calls, MANUEL! from across the street to a father mourning the loss of his son. While Ted seeks this mans help , all of the other runners had let Manuel be lost in his own thoughts. While the reader believes this is just another incidence of Teds insensitivity, McDougall explains, Off all the Tarahum ara he could have asked for help with his huaraches, I realized, he hadnt picked Manuel Luan by accident.

As in the case of Barefoot Ted, McDougall carefully allows the reader to see through his own discovery the reason each characters story was worthy of portrayal in his account. It is not just the remarkable characters that arouse the readers understanding of their own ability to run. McDougalls encouraging tone is inspirational and thought provoking. Why do we run? McDougall insightfully responds to this question and the answer often changed. He discovered through the Tarahumaras love of running how running was mankinds f irst fine art, our original act of inspired creation. Way before we were scratching pictures on caves or beating rhythms on hollow trees, we were perfecting the art of combining our breath and mind and muscles into fluid self- propulsion over wild terrain. And when our ancestors finally did make their first cave paintings, what were the first designs? A downward slash, lightning bolts through the bottom and middle behold, the Running man. Not only does McDougall reiterate his ideal that we were born to run, but introduces the idea that we were born because we run. McDougall offers several other fascinating answers to the why question. He suggests that The reason we race isnt so much to beat each other, . . . but to be with each other. He also shares his discovery of the Hopis (Native Americans whose name means Peaceful Ones) need to run. He learned they considered running a form of prayer; they offer every step as a sacrifice to a loved one, and in return ask the Great Spirit to match their strength with some of his own. Prayer, faith, friendship, art, creativity, and strength are all simple yet motivating answers McDougall proposes. As one who has made more than one life-long friend on a run and received answers to numerous prayers in my Sauconys, I found myself appreciating McDougalls sharing of his insightful discoveries.

As a reader and fellow writer, I also appreciated McDougalls creative use of allusions. McDougall cleverly infuses pop-culture and history into the dialogue to quickly bring the reader to his desired assessment. In addition to Superman, Bill Clinton, Bambi, Aesops Fables, Crocodile Hunter, Columbus, Starry Night, The Beatles, Bill Gates, Willy Wonka, and Brigadoon are among the many references used by McDougall to enhance his character development and enrich his thought-provoking tone. In referring to Arnulfo, one of the Tarahumara runners, it was said, Id rather meet him than Michael Jordan. Without being told, I immediately knew Arnulfo was indeed without question the best ultra-marathoner. The image of quick, effortless food came to my mind with McDoug alls reference to a pizza chain. He wrote, For millions of years, we lived in a world without cops, cabs, or Dominos Pizza; we relied on our legs for safety, food, and transportation. The imagery of a Dominos Pizza Deliveryman standing on my front porch holding his red bag full of pizza reiterated the fact that modern conveniences have minimized our worlds need to run and thus diminishing our experiences of truly understanding why we were born to run. McDougalls fascinating tale pulled this runner in. Although, I did not believe every scientific fact presented and there are plenty who disagree with his claims. His anti-shoe, antiNike lectures in the book have the medical community and footwear companies on the defense. There are as many critics of barefoot running as there are fans. I am not sure where I stand on the issue, but I do know that because of McDougalls charming depiction of Barefoot Ted, his hopefulness that long-distance running was achievable to all, and the allusion that somehow without my Sauconys I could be Superman, I gave barefoot running a try. So, why do we run? Some of us do. And many never will. Quite frankly, it is their loss.

What did I learn? Many things. First of all, I often have a need to spell E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G out for my reader. In reference to Barefoot Ted, I would have said, But he really was not as insensitive as his first impression makes one believe. I discovered this when he reached out to Manuel. Blah, blah, blah. McDougall accomplished the same purpose, but in a much more interesting way. He showed the reader. And in a sense, the reader learned about Teds sensitivity along with McDougall. Second, McDougalls allusions enhanced the story in ways that made the reading more delightful and thought-provoking. Why would someone want to meet Alfurno more than Michael Jordan? What achievements make Alfurno more spectacular an athlete that Jordan? How has Dominos and fast food restaurants changed our eating and diminished our need to work for food? Has my use of modern conveniences diminished my understanding of my own abilities and purposes? What feats constitute Superman-like qualities? Focusing on the various allusions presented in this work, I realized how one word like Bambi can spark additional thoughts and feelings within a reader. And lastly, I need to understand each writer has a tone, and I need to utilize my own. McDougall knew he would have critics, but he was true to the story he wanted to tell. I should be honest to my own self when writing.