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Since 2009: the book’s long run

Key dates and numbers in the story around Born to Run, each one linked to its source below.

3M+copies of Born to Run sold. Still the latest published figure (2026)1
+421%growth in ultramarathon finishes worldwide, from 163,213 in 2009 (the year the book came out) to 850,685 in 20252
1,200+runners from 20+ countries now come to Caballo’s race each year, per True Messages (2026)3
23rdedition of the Copper Canyon race, first run in 2003, held Feb 27–Mar 1, 202645
Ultramarathon finishes worldwide per year, 1996–2026Yearly ultramarathon finishes recorded by the DUV: 45,996 in 1996; 163,213 in 2009; 713,889 in 2019; 224,041 in 2020; 850,685 in 2025; 628,709 so far in 2026 (incomplete). Source: DUV Ultra Marathon Statistics.45,9961996163,2132009713,8892020850,68520252026so far224,041 in 2020
Ultramarathon finishes, 1996–2026

Ultrarunning has grown since the book came out

The DUV results database counts every recorded ultramarathon finish. Worldwide finishes rose from 45,996 in 1996 and 163,213 in 2009 to 713,889 in 2019. They fell to 224,041 in the 2020 pandemic year, then reached a record 850,685 in 2025, by 546,685 different runners. For 2026, 628,709 finishes had been logged by November 2. Results are still being added, so that bar is not a full year.2

This is correlation, not cause: the book is one of many things that grew the sport in these years. DUV counts finishers only, so its totals differ from RunRepeat’s 2020 study, which ended at 2018 and counted 611,098 participations that year.6

Timeline
  1. 2003Micah True holds the first Copper Canyon ultramarathon, on March 23.5
  2. 2004Bramble and Lieberman publish “Endurance running and the evolution of Homo” in Nature.7
  3. 2006The race in the book. Arnulfo Quimare narrowly beats Scott Jurek.8 LUNA Sandals begins with a pair made by Manuel Luna.9
  4. 2009Born to Run is published. It goes on to sell over three million copies.1
  5. Jan 2010Lieberman’s team publishes its study of barefoot and shod foot strikes in Nature.10
  6. 2011The Born to Run Ultra Marathons begin in Los Olivos, California.11
  7. Mar 2012Micah True dies on a run in New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness.5
  8. 2014–15Vibram agrees to a $3.75 million class-action settlement over FiveFingers health claims, approved January 21, 2015.1213
  9. 2015The documentary Run Free.14 Jurek sets the Appalachian Trail record.8
  10. Dec 2022Born to Run 2 by McDougall and Eric Orton.15
  11. 2025The Ultra Caballo Blanco adds a 100-mile race to its 80K, marathon and half.16
  12. 2025A record year for the sport: 850,685 ultramarathon finishes worldwide.2
  13. Feb–Mar 2026The 23rd Ultra Maratón Caballo Blanco, Feb 27–Mar 1.4
  14. Apr 2026The 20-year reunion on the Road Dog Podcast.17

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — Born to Run (McDougall book) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_to_Run_(McDougall_book)
  2. DUV Ultra Marathon Statistics — “Count of performances by runners world wide,” yearly finishes 1996–2026 (country: all; read Nov 2, 2026; 2026 still being added) — statistik.d-u-v.org/summary.php?country=ALL
  3. True Messages — Ultra Caballo Blanco — www.truemessages.org/ultra-caballo
  4. Ultra Maratón Caballo Blanco — official site — caballoblancoultra.com/en/home/
  5. Wikipedia — Micah True — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micah_True
  6. RunRepeat, “The State of Ultra Running 2020” (data 1996–2018) — runrepeat.com/state-of-ultra-running
  7. Bramble & Lieberman, “Endurance running and the evolution of Homo,” Nature 432, 345–352 (2004) — doi.org/10.1038/nature03052
  8. Wikipedia — Scott Jurek — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Jurek
  9. LUNA Sandals — Our Story — lunasandals.com/pages/our-story
  10. Lieberman et al., “Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners,” Nature 463, 531–535 (Jan 28, 2010) — doi.org/10.1038/nature08723
  11. allwedoisrun.com — Luis Escobar / Born to Run Ultra Marathons — allwedoisrun.com/
  12. BBC News, “Vibram in $3.75m settlement over false health claims” (May 2014) — www.bbc.com/news/business-27335251
  13. Bezdek v. Vibram USA, final order approving settlement, D. Mass., filed Jan 21, 2015 (PDF) — truthinadvertising.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Bezdek-v-Vibram-final-order-approving-settlement.pdf
  14. Run Free: The True Story of Caballo Blanco — official film site — www.runfreemovie.com/
  15. Penguin Random House — Born to Run 2 by Christopher McDougall and Eric Orton — www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/717120/born-to-run-2-by-christopher-mcdougall-and-eric-orton/
  16. True Messages — Ultra Caballo Blanco (100-mile race added in 2025; next edition March 5–7, 2027; read Nov 2, 2026) — www.truemessages.org/ultra-caballo
  17. Road Dog Podcast, ep. 396 “Born to Run 20 Year Reunion,” Apr 6, 2026 (official episode page) — roaddog.libsyn.com/396-born-to-run-20-year-reunion

We only show figures published by the sources listed. The one calculation is the +421%, worked out directly from DUV’s 2009 and 2025 totals. Nothing is estimated or projected.