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Christopher McDougall — Author of Born to Run, Barefoot Runner, Men's Health Editor

Christopher McDougallChristopher McDougall is the author of the best-selling book Born to Run (review), a book published in 2009 that has spawned a revival in the running world.

Additionally, the book challenges the commonly held beliefs that:

The book also takes up the cause of the Tarahumara Indians, a tribe of indigenous people who live in the Copper Canyons of Mexico and run hundreds of miles a week without injury wearing nothing more on their feet than homemade shoes — huaraches — best described as a thin strip of rubber (often old tire material) laced to the foot with a strap of leather, not unlike the sandals worn by Romans of time long past.

As a result of Born to Run's literary success, McDougall has become the default spokesperson for the barefoot running and minimalist footwear movement (Though McDougall typically defers to the Godfather of the barefoot running movement, Ken Bob Saxton).

BirthdayShoes has taken an active interest in McDougall going so far as to interview Chris. In addition to the posts below on Mr. McDougall, please also find the wiki listing of Christopher McDougall articles here. You might also enjoy this Authors@Google presentation he gave in October 2008:

Christopher McDougall resides in Pennsylvania and blogs (when he has the time!) at chrismcdougall.com though he wasn't at the time of writing Born to Run, he is now prefers to run barefoot.

Read more on Christopher McDougall below:

Tags: mcdougall

Vibram Five Fingers Boston Barefoot Running Clinic and Boston Marathon News Round-up

Apr 23, 2010

A photo taken by Bobby Love of MilesBehindMe.com from the All-Star Barefoot Running Clinic on April 18, 2010, in Boston, put on by Vibram Five Fingers and City Sports.
A photo taken by Bobby Love of MilesBehindMe.com from the All-Star Barefoot Running Clinic on April 18, 2010, in Boston, put on by Vibram Five Fingers and City Sports.
A recap of the All-Star Barefoot Running Clinic in Boston sponsored by City Sports and Vibram Five Fingers and led by Christopher McDougall, Daniel Lieberman, and Corrado Giambalvo. more »

This is Not a Fad: You can Run Pain Free.

Mar 1, 2010

In addition to running in his VFFs, Dave kicks back in his Vibram Five Fingers KSO Treks while at work in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In addition to running in his VFFs, Dave kicks back in his Vibram Five Fingers KSO Treks while at work in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Giving up on running after two decades of swollen knees and chronic injuries, one runner discovers the key to pain-free running is in how to run with a forefoot strike, as with Pose or Vibram Five Fingers. more »

The Silent Majority and the Barefoot Running Debate (Or the Runners Who Never Were)

Feb 22, 2010

Running isn't supposed to hurt (if you're doing it right!). A look at the barefoot running debate, and a discussion of it's important consequences for individuals outside the running community. more »

Interview with Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run

Feb 10, 2010

Christopher McDougall, (barefoot) runner and author of the national bestselling book Born to Run, sits atop a pile of chopped wood, ax at the ready, barefoot at his home in Pennsylvania (Photo by Bill Cramer)
Christopher McDougall, (barefoot) runner and author of the national bestselling book Born to Run, sits atop a pile of chopped wood, ax at the ready, barefoot at his home in Pennsylvania (Photo by Bill Cramer)
Exclusive interview with Born to Run author Christopher McDougall who talks about American culture, the barefoot running movement, and what's next for this best selling author! more »

Christopher McDougall on Barefoot Running in Parade

Jan 4, 2010

If you didn't catch it, there was a short article by Christopher McDougall titled Is It Better To Be Barefoot that hit Parade magazine yesterday (link). McDougall continues to bring barefoot running to the masses by sounding the alert that heavily padde… more »

Christopher McDougall is making the rounds on his book tour

Oct 8, 2009

A lot of you read the Roving Runner piece from the NY Times this past weekend (as well as other pres more »

Barefooting and FiveFingers in the News (LA Times, NY Times, San Francisco Chronicle)

Oct 5, 2009

There has been a lot of either barefoot running and/or Vibram Five Fingers news over the past few da more »

Two Time Interviews with Christopher McDougall (Weekend Reading)

Aug 28, 2009

Links to and quotes from two offsite interviews with Born to Run author Christopher McDougall. more »

Chris McDougall interviewed by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Wearing black Fivefinger KSOs?

Aug 19, 2009

Last night Born to Run author Christopher McDougall was interviewed by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show more »

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (Review)

Jul 7, 2009

A review of Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. Born to run is simultaneously a story about an elite band of ultramarathon runners, a takedown of the sports shoe industry, and an expose of how human beings may have been literally born to run, being "designed" by eons of evolution for long-distance running. more »

Christopher McDougall talks about his Vibram Five Fingers

Jun 15, 2009

Interview with Born to Run author Christopher McDougall where he talks about his running form suffering from shoes and the switch to Vibram Five Fingers causing an improvement in his form. more »

Christopher McDougall on his book "Born to Run"

Jun 5, 2009

A video and transcript of Christopher McDougall talking about his book Born to Run, including a brief synopsis of what the book is about (the Tarahumara Indians) more »

Adrienne So's "Barefoot Nation"

May 20, 2009

Adrienne So over at Willamette Week Online has published a new article titled Barefoot Nation. It's more »

The Painful Truth about [Sneakers]

Apr 19, 2009

Discussion on Christopher McDougall's article about minimalist shoes and barefooting -- the Painful Truth about Trainers more »