Running with Sherman

Some years ago, I read and enjoyed “Born to Run” by this author.  I was thrilled to receive an advanced reader copy from Netgalley on Chris McDougall’s latest work set to be released October 15, 2019.  

Chris and his wife Mika take in a rescue donkey named Sherman who his close to death.  He was kept isolated in a stall by a hoarder.  Chris quickly learns that in order to help save his life that he needs to give him a “job”.  Chris decides to enter Sherman and himself in a burro race in Colorado.  They have 10 months to actually train for this race which probably isn’t enough time given all the obstacles they must face.  The biggest challenge probably is getting to know how donkey’s think and overcoming all of Sherman’s fears since he had been neglected his entire life.  

This story as you may imagine, is quite funny!  I found myself laughing out loud so many times.   I do think I had an advantage in reading this book because I enjoy mountain ultra-running and have a thorough understanding of what the author was talking about.  I know my ultra-running friends would probably love this book as much as I did.  

The story is also educational as Chris has included chapters about Amish life, famous female ultra-runners, the beginnings of Leadville 100 mile foot race, and the history of burro racing.  I really enjoyed these sections of the book as well. 

The author did a great job in developing the key characters who helped him in training Sherman for the burro race.  I particularly enjoyed how well they knew their animals personalities.  It was quite entertaining.  

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf Publishing group for allowing me to preview this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Running with Sherman is a great book for people who love running and people who love animals. It's a beautiful story about an animal who's been neglected becoming the best version of itself. I've read the other two books by Christopher McDougall and I really a joy his writing style, you can really notice he has a passion for what he's writing about. There's a whole world out there for people racing with donkeys, I never knew!!