As a result, humans can chase prey for hours or days until the animal literally drops with exhaustion.

Our bipedal forms allow us to vary our breathing patterns when running independently of our strides, whereas four-legged animals are obliged to breathe with every two paces. The book describes the ‘endurance running hypothesis’, which suggests that humans evolved as persistence hunters. Here is the central theme of the book: that they are simply doing what humans are designed to do. They seem incredible, almost superhuman: performing seemingly impossible feats of endurance for fun. They cover these distances wearing a minimalist sandal. The Tarahumara have a tradition of running long distances of up to 200 miles at a time for inter-village communication and transportation, as well as for recreation and competition. The book introduces the reader to the Tarahumara tribe who live a reclusive existence in Mexico’s Copper Canyon. So, I decided to return to Born to Run to see if it could re-ignite my passion. When lockdown narrowed our horizons and limited our options for entertainment, I was delighted to hear that old friends who have never previously been athletically inclined hitting the streets to pound out some frustration and spend some time away from their loved ones! In recent years, pregnancies and illness have taken their toll and I’ve lost some of my enthusiasm. Running was transformed from a slog to a joy. Halfway through the book my excitement to hit the road was uncontainable and I went straight out and doubled my previous longest run. I’d tried jogging but found it painful, boring, and frankly couldn’t see the point. Back then I was firmly of the belief that running was only worthwhile when chasing down a ball.

Born to run a hidden tribe