While running barefoot on Peckham Rye in London, Cregan-Reid passed a boy who turned to his mother and asked: “What’s that man running away from?” Although he quipped in reply “old age!”, he realised the question was a good one and the search for an answer inspired this book. Humans evolved to become one of the best running animals on the planet and he notes that “a good runner basically needs a palaeolithic body”. That means overcoming the malign effect of sitting on chairs all day and wearing shoes. He only runs barefoot a third of the time yet Cregan-Reid clearly rates the experience highly: “Bare feet can help us feel what it is like to be in the world.” For while he cites countless examples of how it is good for our health, ultimately Cregan-Reid sees running as a profoundly transformative experience, reconnecting us with our bodies and with the natural world. Overflowing with ideas from science and philosophy, rich in literary allusions and filled with evocative descriptions of the landscapes he has run through, this is a wonderfully subtle and ambitious book.
• Footnotes: How Running Makes Us Human is published by Ebury. To order a copy for £7.64 (RRP £8.99) go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99.
