Correre è una filosofia
Gaia De Pascale
Ponte alle Grazie, 2014, p. 188
I liked the book because it’s a journey through the many reasons and emotions explaining why we run that eventually leaves without a definitive answer, because everyone finds his personal motivation within himself. De Pascale illustrates how this action seemingly meaningless, ” I run because I like it ” is in fact the answer the runners provide more frequently when someone asks “Why do you run?” It’s in fact rooted in the depths of the human being since the origin. The book takes us for a walk from Chinese mythology, to the Greek and Native Americans by showing how running fulfills an important cultural role. Another strong theme of the book regards running and freedom. A sign of freedom for those who are in prison, as the champion Henry Rono falsely accused of robbery that runs almost on the spot being in jail, escaping from the situation of segregation. Or how Cavallo Blanco, a young Californian , “sick of running” in extreme landscapes, who had this nickname from the Tarahumara, Mexico’s Indian population, able to run dozens of miles every day with the foot sandals with soles made from the tires of trucks. Running as redemption is that of Marco Olmo, the great Italian ultramarathoner, who stunned the world with his exploits. Running as a biological necessity, our ancestor Homo Sapiens has been defined in terms of long distance runner, to hunt and run away from animals. This book is about these stories and many others, written in a pleasant and documented way, leaving the readers the freedom to choose the definition of running who prefers for themselves.
