Born to Run

I have received the Hungarian version of Born To Run from András Kiss as a birthday present. With his wife, they could not join us at the party we held on the A38 Boat because getting from Pécs to Budapest at the end of a working day is not easy, but András visited us in Kulcs a few weeks after the fiftieth. Besides ‘Futni születtünk’ and ‘Fák titkos élete’ (The Hidden Life of Trees), we have received a beautiful Lebanese cedar seedling, that we planted in the middle of the upper garden to be the jewel of the park.

András is one of the most important heroes of my adolescence. He ran the rock music fanzine called Metal Sides from Kenderes in the early nineties, and he was the first to give me a chance to publish my writings. After being a passionate music journalist, he became a social worker, obtaining a diploma in that field. After long years of devoted work, currently, he runs the Mérföldkő (Milestone) rehab in Kovácsszénája. In this role, he became a bigger-than-life person for me, a real idol, since their sacrificial work for people with substance use disorder is invaluable.

In 2019 I have visited András in Kovácsszénája and concluded an interview with him about the heyday of fanzines and his current mission to help addicts and their families. At the end of the conversation, I asked him about his activities in his leisure time, and after discussing his family, he impassively mentioned that he runs ultramarathons. His best result was 132 kilometers in 20 hours at that time. I was positively shocked, and the way he spoke about this culture changed something in me. I tried to find my way to regular exercises, but I struggled. Again, for the third time in my life, he inspired me deeply. It is such a unique achievement to leave a significant mark on three absolutely different planes of human existence. András is a true rennaissance man.

Since the extensive interview, I have walked every day. I have been taking a minimum of 8000 steps for 1109 days. There were times when I ran daily. I was able to take ten kilometers in one hour easily; only my feet hurt mainly because of my overweight, so I opted for walking with occasional runs with a resolve to lose weight.

At the end of his visit to Kulcs, we escorted him to his car, and I thanked him again for the beautiful tree and the great books and mentioned that I would order the English versions right that day. I saw incomprehension and resentment flicking over his face, so I tried to explain to him that this is not an aversion to reading in Hungarian, but reading in English a double treat for me; I get the joy from reading plus enhance my knowledge of English. I use my time more efficiently this way, I get closer to the writer’s original intention, and doubled the benefit for the writer generated by András buying a second copy from the same work.

There are always many more books towering on my nightstand than I can read since I keep ordering new and antic books for my ongoing research work. It frequently happens that I start reading more than one book at a time, and it has a significance for me which grabs my attention the most and convinces me to concentrate on a particular book and finish it without any further distraction and delay.

From the Christmas 2022 shortlist, Born To Run proved to be the most powerful participant. Christopher McDougall tells his story about the secrets of the Mexican Indian tribe Tarahumara and barefoot ultra-running with such capturing power that the other classics and bestseller books on my table had no chance to divert my attention. Furthermore, Christopher inspired me to set my next reading goal as well. In the middle of his book, where my interest is relieved a bit, he introduces two new characters: Jenn and Billy, the bigger-than-life surf enthusiastic turned into distance runner legends. Their story gave a new impetus to the book, and the way they elaborated through two pages on their insights on beat poetry, one of their key inspirations for ultra-running, changed my hesitant approach to that culture and immediately started a new research project.

Aside from the captivating storyline and the inspirational real-life superhero characters of the book, Born To Run has the power to change the way you see the world helps you to transform your life. On the third anniversary of my daily walks, I embarked on a longer than ever stroll under the book’s influence and started to plan even more extended expeditions. The section discussing running physiology gave such practical insights that changed my attitude towards running. Right after reading that part, I tried those exercises in action, and it was a pure revelation. The pages dedicated to proper nutrition had the same effect on me. On the second day of Christmas, I vowed to lose weight (from 100 kilograms to 80), and this book helped me remain in the competition, and many of its sentiments have resonated with me ever since. My favourite one is the North American native saying: Eat like a poor person.

In chapter 28, we got a breathtaking brainstorming about the concept of Running Man that includes fascinating insights from three different branches of science. This is the true story of the survival of the fittest, but after explaining why our specie prevailed, it evoked many questions in me. Who’s next? Who will succeed in the current ecological and social environment? What is the motivation for survival in our age? What is the right direction of human development? Are there different clusters of homo sapiens that adapt to the changing world better than others?

The book and its quest for the Rarámuri do not leave much room for meditation because it culminates in an end game that overshadows the best thrillers. Born To Run proves my returning idea that reality produces many extraordinary stories than imagination. The secret race organized by Caballo Blanco leads us to the home of the Tarahumara in Mexico, into the dark depths and bare peaks of the deadly Copper Canyons.

As much as I was born to run, I would be glad to re-read this book anytime. Truly uplifting.

8 March 2022, Budapest

Next: Jack Kerouac – On the road