If you’re a runner, chances are you’ve heard of the book Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall, and you’ve probably read it. Reading it is a rite of passage into the running world.  Maybe the book prompted you to alter your running form, or maybe you even changed the kind of shoes you wore. Perhaps the book inspired you to run an ultramarathon or eat chia seeds. Or at best you got a history lesson about the superathlete Tarahumara Indians, who are said to be the world’s greatest ultrarunners. Either way, if you’ve made contact with this book, your worldview or perspective has possibly changed.  Christopher McDougall’s writing has that effect on people.

A popular website for runners, Competitor.com published an article "Six Years Later: The Legacy of Born to Run" in 2014 showing just how influential the book Born to Run has been on the running culture in the past few years since its release. The article discussed areas that Born to Run has influenced such as: 

1. The Book: has sold more than a half million copies worldwide and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for more than four years. (As of May 9, 2014, it was No. 21 on the non-fiction paperback list.) 
2. The Legend of Caballo Blanco: Micah True
3. Minimalist shoes
4. Running form
5. Other books: Numerous books have been written about running form, minimalist shoes, and barefoot running since Born to Run: Including Anatomy for Runners, Eat & Run, Natural Running, The Cool Impossible (trainer/coach Eric Orton who was instrumental in teaching McDougall how to run better and become more fit wrote this book).
6. The movie version of Born to Run (discussed below).
7. Ultrarunning growth: Although still a small part of the running world, ultrarunning has grown considerably. According to one report published by Ultrarunning magazine, ultra-distance race finishes in the U.S. have gone from about 25,000 in 2007 to more than 70,000 in 2013.

McDougall’s newest project was released in April 2015, Natural Born Heroes. In his newest adventure, McDougall “travels to the Mediterranean where he discovers that the secrets of ancient Greek heroes are still alive and well on the island of Crete, and ready to be unleashed in the muscles and minds of casual athletes and aspiring heroes everywhere”¹. 

I read McDougall’s book Born to Run shortly after I began running in 2010. I wasn’t always a runner; it was something I stumbled upon. I suffered from various minor injuries when I first started running. I decided to switch to a more minimal shoe after reading his book, which did wonders for my form. He also inspired me to run an ultramarathon. His depiction of the 50 mile race in Tarahumara country intrigued me, even though I had only run a half marathon when I first read his book. The book Born to Run was at the genesis of my running career. 

I met Christopher McDougall in 2014 at the Bird in Hand Half Marathon. He was the keynote speaker for this event, and has been for the past two years. We chatted a little before and after the race.  Chris autographed my copy of Born to Run and took a picture with me. He wrote “To Jill, Run Wild” on the inside of my book. After the half marathon I had some more time to talk ultramarathons. I asked for some advice and told him I was running the JFK 50 miler (2014). He gave me some encouragement. Since then I have run several ultramarathons, and I have Chris to thank for his inspiration.

Recently I signed up for the HAT 50k Endurance Race and found out after that Chris was also participating. I emailed him and asked if I could interview him for my blog, and he graciously agreed to do it. This was a low-key event for Chris. He wasn’t making an “appearance”. He was there to have fun and run 50km. We agreed to meet up before the race.

On race day (March 19, 2016), I picked up my packet early and walked back to my car. As I was walking back, I saw Chris come out of his car. We exchanged greetings, and he picked up his packet. That morning it was about 36° outside, and standing in the cold to do the interview didn’t seem like a good idea. So Chris said “Let’s do the interview in your car”. I said “Ok, sure!” But right after agreeing I thought “Oh no, I left my banana peel on the front passenger seat!! I need to clean my car before he gets in!” But it was too late, I just rolled with it.

I unlocked my car door and this 6’4” giant had to practically fold his tall, lofty frame to fit into the front seat of my Honda CR-V.  Picture a teenage kid crammed into one of those backyard yellow & red Little Tikes Cozy Coupes.  It was a surreal moment and I thought to myself “Christopher McDougall is sitting in my car. This is so cool!” 

I asked him several questions and we just chatted for about an hour, up until the race started. I thought to myself while preparing for this blog “How am I, a non-writer, going to write an article about a writer?” It seemed a little ironic. Like the student teaching the teacher. I have no business writing an article about a New York Times bestselling author. This man writes so eloquently. His work has sold over a half million copies and is globally recognized. But this post is more about my encounter with Chris, what I've learned from him, and what I think my readers will want to know. Hopefully I don't mess that up!

BORN TO RUN

First, I was curious about the movie version of the book Born to Run.  I recently read an article in Runner’s World about how Matthew McConaughey will be playing Micah True, the illustrious Caballo Blanco.

Q: Is the movie Born to Run still in production?

A: Yes. As we speak, Matthew McConaughey is reading the script on a plane!

TRR: McConaughey is a runner and triathlete himself.

Q: Have they casted someone to play you? If so, who?

A: I don’t know yet. I’m holding out for Will Smith.

Q: I also noticed you had on a different kind of minimal shoe. What did you wear for the race (HAT 50k)? (Question asked after the race)

A: I wore an old pair of cross-country racing flats (Brooks Mach 3) instead of the Luna's. I was worried about creek crossings and mud, two conditions which don't favor the Luna's. The Brooks are minimalist and have a super wide toe box, so they were a pretty good choice. Looking back, I wish I had changed to my Altras for the last loop, because I could have used more tread in that mud.

NATURAL BORN HEROES

Summary (taken from the book): 

Christopher McDougall finds his next great adventure on the razor-sharp mountains of Crete, where a band of Resistance fighters in World War II plotted the daring abduction of a German general from the heart of the Nazi occupation. How did a penniless artist, a young shepherd and a playboy poet believe they could carry out such a remarkable feat of strength and endurance, smuggling the general past thousands of Nazi pursuers, with little more than their own wits and courage to guide them?

McDougall makes his way to the island to find the answer and retrace their steps, experiencing firsthand the extreme physical challenges the Resistance fighters and their local allies faced. On Crete, the birthplace of the classical Greek heroism that spawned the likes of Herakles and Odysseus, McDougall discovers the tools of the hero – natural movement, extraordinary endurance and the efficient nutrition.

PARKOUR

TRR: In Natural Born Heroes, readers may be introduced for the first time to Parkour.  It is “the activity or sport of moving rapidly through an area, typically in an urban environment, negotiating obstacles by running, jumping, and climbing”². 

Q: Do you think Parkour will become popular because of your book? Similar to how barefoot running and chia seeds became popular? 

A: I don’t know if it will. It is the perfect sport. It is a uniting sport. If you see someone struggling, your impulse is to help them. That’s what parkour does. You work together. There’s no competition.

TRR: He went into detail discussing how Parkour blends running, with jumping and climbing. You become useful in Parkour. You see an obstacle and figure out a way to overcome it together, he explains. 

Q:  Are there local parkour groups you train with?

A: Yes. I train with the Lancaster parkour group run by Andy Keller. They meet every Wednesday night. I haven't been there for a while, but I'll be a regular again this summer. My wife and some of her friends also train with them. They’re terrific, and are very open to newcomers of all varieties. Here’s Andy (plus two of his Lancaster friends) in this video we did for Outside magazine:

FAT-ADAPTATION & THE PALEO DIET

Q: You discuss in your new book fat adaptation. You mentioned in a Google Talk in London that you follow a Paleo diet. When did you start that?

A: It’s a new thing. While researching, by accident, for the book on where Ironman triathletes were getting their calories from and what they were doing, I learned a lot. It is conventional wisdom.

TRR: Fat-adaptation involves sharp carbohydrate restriction in conjunction with a complementing increase in fat consumption (with many of those fats being saturated fats) to induce the physiological shift necessary for the body to “switch” to burning “fat as fuel” at much higher rates ³. Paleo Diet: a diet based on the types of foods presumed to have been eaten by early humans, consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, and excluding dairy or grain products and processed food ⁴. 

Q: I read an article in the Telegraph with Tobias Mews where you asked to have a typical English breakfast while you conducted an interview in London. If you ever cheat with food, like with processed food, what will you go for?

A: Something like an English breakfast: Eggs, beans, bacon, sausage. All of those are on the Paleo diet. It’s basically lots of protein. I also don’t like to use the word “diet”. Diet suggests sacrifice. I want to be knowledgeable, and not be miserable. If I’m hungry for ice cream, and there’s ice cream around, then I’ll eat it. And I’ll understand its effects. I may not be happy later, but I’ll enjoy it in the moment.

Q:  What do you eat during races? I assume you eat bananas and oranges, the real food offered?

A: Actually, my two favorites are French fries and Fig Newtons, followed by PB&J sandwich halves. I’m not worried about sugars and starches during a race. My thinking is that whatever fat-adaptation I’ve accomplished till that point will allow me to need fewer calories during a race, but when the time comes to eat, I’m looking for something that: 1. Takes me a while to chew 2. Isn’t too citrusy or pasty (like oranges and bananas. Never went for them) and 3. Isn't just pure sugar and flour (like Oreo's and candy). 

TRR: The HAT 50k race is known for its French fries at the aid stations! They were such a nice treat!

RUNNING & RACES

Q: What is the most recent race you ran?

A: I haven’t run a race in a long time. Probably the Bird in Hand Half Marathon (September 2015), but nothing recently. 

Q: What is your race strategy for today? (HAT 50K Endurance Race)

A: Go out and have fun. Make new friends.

Q: You mentioned in one of your talks you have a 14 year old daughter, does she like to run? Does your family run?

A: Yes! My family does run.  My daughter will come home from school and go for a 2 mile run. My wife and I are training for a donkey run.

TRR: He told me that it was too complicated to explain. So I did some research after the interview. My Google search provided me with several variations of a "donkey run", ranging from an Electric Donkey Run at night with glow-sticks (doesn’t sound like a McDougall thing), actual donkey’s running, racing donkeys as you ride them, or a mud run called "Dirty Donkey". I still don’t know which one he was talking about, and of course it could be an unadvertised one!

Q: How many miles a week do you run?

A: I don’t know. I could make up a number, but I don’t know. I do longer runs and shorter runs every week, but I honestly don’t know.

He shows me his wrist, and says “I don’t wear a watch”.

Q:  Regarding organized Ultramarathons, which has been one of your favorites to run?

A: I almost NEVER race. HAT is the only organized ultra I've ever run, so the fact that I've done it twice makes it my favorite. Also, I’ve spent the last five years after Born to Run focusing on learning new techniques, like knife-throwing, parkour, fat-adaption, and researching on Crete, so my running mileage has decreased significantly. I still run just about daily, but until recently I was well below ultra-distance. 

TRR: Read my HAT 50k race report here. 

Q: Does speed or time ever matter to you personally? Do you ever look at your race results?

A: Oddly, speed only matters to me in training, not racing. Eric Orton is coaching me again, and he's a genius about using high intensity intervals to increase stamina AND improve running form. It’s hard to run badly when you're sprinting up hills -- by necessity; you get your feet off the ground quickly and really whip your legs around. So I follow his advice when he calls on me to run fast in workouts, so I can then throttle back and enjoy the race. And ultimately, I'm convinced that humans are best adapted to a surge-and-recover approach to distance rather than a sustained run in the red zone.

Q: Would you describe yourself as more of a running/training coach, historian, life-style coach, educator, trend-setter or all of the above?

A: None of the above! I don’t have the advice or the answers.  I am not the guy who will teach you how to run or change your running form. If you need a coach, I’m not your guy! I write about that guy. I consider myself more of a match-maker. I connect people with information.

TRR: He compared himself to e-harmony! I couldn’t agree more. When I wrote the question, I thought of different titles or descriptions of who he is and what he does. But he’s right, he’s none of those. He discovers “hidden tribes” and “lost secrets”. He introduces us to the unsung heroes of yesteryear's. He uncovers parts about human ability that have existed long before him. He reveals pockets of history we are unfamiliar with and makes it relevant to us today; readers are both fascinated and motivated by his discoveries. 

LAST WORDS

Before we knew it, the time was 8:50 am and our race started in 10 minutes. We both still had to gather our stuff, and walk to the start line. We ended the interview abruptly as soon as we realized the time. Chris got out of my car, and walked over to his. I still needed to change into a few things before the race started, and drop my bag off at the pavilion. I was in a hurry and a bit of a panic.  I felt bad that I didn’t have a chance to say good-bye. And then all the sudden, he vanished.

The interview kept me distracted from worrying about my race, which was a good thing. I simply ran up to the pavilion, dropped my stuff off and started the race. I looked for Chris in the crowd at the start. I wanted to walk over and thank him, but there was no time. The gun went off, and so did we. His swift pace and long strides allowed him to surge ahead. I never saw him again on the course.

Chris has taught me so many things about running. Regardless if you’re a barefoot believer or not, you can learn from his methods. He has sort of an unorthodox approach to life. He doesn’t accept standard ways of thinking. He researches, and becomes knowledgeable for himself, and then educates others.  He was told not to run by physicians because of his foot pain. He chose not to accept that. He searched for a different solution. In a heavily commercialized world that feeds us information like carbo-loading should be a staple in an athletes diet, and that shoes with all sorts of contraptions and heel drops are good for us, Chris discovers the truth for himself. 

In his latest book he introduces a new kind of hero, one that isn’t made of large biceps, rock hard abs and stuffed with Creatine powder. He shows us that with optimal nutrition, physical self-mastery and mental conditioning, anyone can be a hero. He doesn’t accept the standard way of thinking that strength is measured in arm circumference, muscle definition, nor the amount of weight you can squat, bench press or curl.

So if you take anything away from Chris, his books, his way of life or this interview, it should be this: educate yourself, search for answers, and see everyone as having potential. I have learned a great deal from Chris personally. For example, I think less about running logistics and I am more free to run, and enjoy the gift of running. My challenge to you is this: One day this week, run without your watch or go for a run and discover a new place, or even run on a trail. Run because you were born to do it. 

Run Wild!

Jill M. 

A BIG THANK YOU to Christopher McDougall for being so kind to do this interview before our race. I am so grateful for this opportunity. If you haven't picked up his newest book I encourage you to do so! I am sure that you will enjoy it! 

Chris is truly one of the nicest guys I've ever met. I wish that I had more time to sit and chat with him. I have so much more to learn! Follow Chris on Facebook and Twitter

P.S. Did you catch my last two posts??!! I interviewed one of America's fastest marathon runners, Nick Arciniaga. Also, my post prior to this one is very special. I interviewed Boston Marathon bound Team Kevin! Read about their inspirational journey to Bean Town. 

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Disclaimer: I am an ambassador for the Abbott World Marathon Majors. I am not sponsored by any of the above mentioned companies. My thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Sources:

1. http://www.chrismcdougall.com/buy-natural-born-heroes-from-these-sellers/
2. https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=what+is+parkour
3. http://www.ultrarunning.com/features/health-and-nutrition/the-emerging-science-on-fat-adaptation/
4. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/paleo-diet
5. McDougall, Christopher, and Robert Bull. Natural Born Heroes: How a Daring Band of Misfits Mastered the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance. New York City: Alfred A Knopf, 2015. Print.