Quotes from Christopher McDougall

Sabe por qué la gente corre maratones?», le dijo al doctor Bramble. Porque correr se encuentra arraigado en nuestra imaginación colectiva, y nuestra imaginación se halla arraigada en correr. El lenguaje, el arte, la ciencia; los transbordadores espaciales, La noche estrellada de Van Gogh, la cirugía intravascular; todo tiene su origen en nuestra capacidad para correr.

Hay algo realmente extraño en nosotros los humanos; no solo somos realmente buenos en carreras de resistencia, lo somos durante períodos de tiempo extremadamente largos. Somos máquinas hechas para correr. Y la máquina nunca se desgasta. «Uno

Mike Hickman disappeared. In his place arose Micah True, a name inspired by "the courageous and fearless spirit" of the Old Testament prophet Micah and the loyalty of an old mutt called True Dog.

Uno no deja de correr porque se hace viejo —decía siempre el Demonio de Dipsea—, uno se hace viejo porque deja de correr…» —Y

The words of the social critic Eric Hoffer were ringing true: "Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and turns into a racket.

if you don't think you were born to run, you're not only denying history. You're denying who you are.

Humans really are obligatorily required to do aerobic exercise in order to stay healthy, and I think that has deep roots in our evolutionary history," Dr. Lieberman said. "If there's any magic bullet to make human beings healthy, it's to run.

Cuando estoy metida en una carrera larga, lo único que importa en esta vida es terminar la carrera. Por una vez, mi cabeza no está diciendo bla bla bla bla todo el tiempo. Todo se calma y fluye. Soy solo yo y el desplazamiento y el movimiento.

hemos cogido nuestros cuerpos vigorosos y resistentes de cazadores-recolectores y los hemos dejado caer en un mundo artificial de ocio.

You know what kind of nerves are in your feet? The same ones that network into your genitals.

Podríamos, literalmente, poner freno a las epidemias con este único remedio —me dijo. Levantó dos dedos haciendo el signo de la paz, luego los giró lentamente hacia abajo y empezó a moverlos como si estuvieran trotando en el espacio. El Hombre Corredor. —Así de sencillo —dijo— solo moviendo las piernas. Porque si no creemos que hemos nacido para correr, no solo estamos negando la historia, estamos negando lo que somos.

For inspiration," the article noted, "he repeats a saying of the Tarahumara Indians: 'When you run on the earth and run with the earth, you can run forever.'

Heroes care. True heroism, as the ancients understood, isn't about strength, or boldness, or even courage. It's about compassion.

We run when we're scared, we run when we're ecstatic, we run away from our problems and run around for a good time.

Risk" isn't quite the right term; it's more like "dead certainty." Every year, anywhere from 65 to 80 percent of all runners suffer an injury. That's nearly every runner, every single year. No matter who you are, no matter how much you run, your odds of getting hurt are the same. It doesn't matter if you're male or female, fast or slow, pudgy or ripped as a racehorse, your feet are still in the danger zone.

Until now, we would say that the Greeks fight like heroes. From now on, we will say that heroes fight like Greeks. —WINSTON CHURCHILL, 1941

Heroism isn't some mysterious inner virtue, the Greeks believed; it's a collection of skills that every man and woman can master so that in a pinch, they can become a Protector.

Scott was a hero for a very different reason among back-of-the-packers too slow to see him in action. After winning a hundred-mile race, Scott would be desperate for a hot shower and cool sheets. But instead of leaving, he'd wrap himself in a sleeping bag and stand vigil by the finish line. When day broke the next morning, Scott would still be there, cheering hoarsely, letting that last, persistent runner know he wasn't alone.

Ultras are just eating and drinking contests, with a little exercise and scenery thrown in.

Anything the Tarahumara eat, you can get very easily," Tony told me. "It's mostly pinto beans, squash, chili peppers, wild greens, pinole, and lots of chia. And pinole isn't as hard to get as you think.

Coach Vigil believed you had to become a strong person before you could become a strong runner.

We like to think of ourselves as masters of our own destinies, as lone wolves in a dog-eat-dog world, but guess what: Dogs don't eat dogs. They work together. As do most species. As do we.

I received the best advice for running I ever heard: 'You're not going to win, so just relax. If it feels like work, you're running too hard.