Running with Sherman: How a Rescue Donkey Inspired a Rag-Tag Gang of Runners to Enter the Craziest Race in America
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- Create Date：2021-04-16 11:56:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Christopher McDougall
- ISBN：0525433252
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Summary
"A delight， full of heart and hijinks and humor。" --John Grogan， author of Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog
From the best-selling author of Born to Run， a heartwarming story about training a rescue donkey to run one of the most challenging races in America， and， in the process， discovering the life-changing power of the human-animal connection。
When Christopher McDougall decided to adopt a donkey in dire straits， he had no idea what he was getting himself into。 But with the help of his neighbors， Chris came up with a crazy idea。 Burro racing， a unique type of competition in which humans and donkeys run side by side over mountains and through streams， would be exactly the challenge Sherman and Chris needed。 In the course of Sherman's training， Chris would enlist Amish running clubs， high-spirited goats， the service animal community， and two Sarah Palin-loving long-distance female truckers。 Sherman's heartwarming story of overcoming all odds to run one of the most unbelievable races in America shows the healing power of movement and the strength of the human-animal connection。
From the best-selling author of Born to Run， a heartwarming story about training a rescue donkey to run one of the most challenging races in America， and， in the process， discovering the life-changing power of the human-animal connection。
When Christopher McDougall decided to adopt a donkey in dire straits， he had no idea what he was getting himself into。 But with the help of his neighbors， Chris came up with a crazy idea。 Burro racing， a unique type of competition in which humans and donkeys run side by side over mountains and through streams， would be exactly the challenge Sherman and Chris needed。 In the course of Sherman's training， Chris would enlist Amish running clubs， high-spirited goats， the service animal community， and two Sarah Palin-loving long-distance female truckers。 Sherman's heartwarming story of overcoming all odds to run one of the most unbelievable races in America shows the healing power of movement and the strength of the human-animal connection。
Reviews
Vicki
，
The cover this book sells it-Sherman is just darn cute。 Rescued from an animal hoarder， Sherman’s life improves when Chris his owner starts running with-with the selfish hope of running a burro race in Colorado。 This book is about community， burros， learning how to manage them。 Along the way a few lives are helped， friends are made and the reader learns some things about donkeys。
Judie
，
tChristopher McDougall was a war correspondent for Associated Press。 Eventually he got married， moved to New York City with his wife and two young daughters， decided he really did not like living in a big city， and moved to a farm in Lancaster County， PA， home to the USA’s largest Amish community。 A short time later， one of his daughters decided she wanted a donkey。 tChris agreed and ended up getting a donkey that had been owned by a hoarder。 The animal was in terrible physical and mental condit tChristopher McDougall was a war correspondent for Associated Press。 Eventually he got married， moved to New York City with his wife and two young daughters， decided he really did not like living in a big city， and moved to a farm in Lancaster County， PA， home to the USA’s largest Amish community。 A short time later， one of his daughters decided she wanted a donkey。 tChris agreed and ended up getting a donkey that had been owned by a hoarder。 The animal was in terrible physical and mental condition but， with advice and help from some neighbors， he decided to give it a chance figuring it would just hang around the yard。。 They named him Sherman。 One key bit of advice was to give Sherman a job as a way to help him。 Chris had heard about donkey races in Colorado and thought that might fill the bill。tRUNNING WITH SHERMAN not only tells the story of how training Sherman for racing （which also meant training people to run with him）， but also how working with and training animals helps people， especially those with physical or mental conditions that would normally hold them back。tPrehistoric people learned to survive by watching and copying animals。 They would follow wolves and grab leftover meat after the wolves finished eating。 They began to cooperate with them for the benefit of both。 People had to be aware of and react to/with them to survive。 But as the culture changed， so did the relationships。 People moved into homes and kept the animals outside。 Now we buy our food in stores to which we travel in private automobiles。 More than six million cats and dogs are dumped at shelters annually， many of which are destroyed daily。 Our best friends are not longer pets but screens。tNevertheless， there is a strong， innate human-animal bond。 McDougall tells of a project at Lima State Hospital for the Criminally Insane where they discovered that taking care of an animal。tWhile living among the Amish community， Chris became aware of their lives and practices。 The main foci were community and family。 When they heard of new ideas and things， the community would discuss them and， as a group， decide whether they were beneficial or not and then decide whether or not to adopt them。 Speed and envy were not priorities。tRUNNING WITH SHERMAN is the not only of Sherman but of the effect and challenges of people and animals on and with each other。 It’s only when they can communicate and work together can they succeed。 It’s an interesting， well written read， very much different than most of the books about relationships and challenges that are usually on the market。 Reading it should change one’s perspective。 。。。more
Becky
，
It's an animal story which gives a good start！ This book is also about dealing with depression and it is a story about setting a goal and reaching it。 This is one of the best books I have read in a long time and I picked it up from the library and finished it in just a few days。 It's an animal story which gives a good start！ This book is also about dealing with depression and it is a story about setting a goal and reaching it。 This is one of the best books I have read in a long time and I picked it up from the library and finished it in just a few days。 。。。more
Sally Stanton
，
I was looking forward to a lovely story about Sherman and his recovery from abuse。 It starts out well， then transforms into a book about various runners， athletes and other tangents of information。 It's like the author got sidelined into lots of unrelated stories triggered by one of the characters coming into the story。 I enjoyed the parts of the Sherman and his band of animal friends being trained for the Burro race in Leadville， CO。 but I don't feel like I really connected to the animals perso I was looking forward to a lovely story about Sherman and his recovery from abuse。 It starts out well， then transforms into a book about various runners， athletes and other tangents of information。 It's like the author got sidelined into lots of unrelated stories triggered by one of the characters coming into the story。 I enjoyed the parts of the Sherman and his band of animal friends being trained for the Burro race in Leadville， CO。 but I don't feel like I really connected to the animals personality like I hoped。Summed up， this was not the feel good animal story that I usually cherish。 。。。more
Melanie
，
This book was pretty fascinating。 Ostensibly about this one family's attempt to make their donkey a burro racer， it was really about the greater world of burro racing （Did you know such a thing existed？？） and the amazing and interesting people who inhabit that world。 Also the Pennsylvania Amish are featured and my childhood dream of living near the Amish has been reignited。 This book was pretty fascinating。 Ostensibly about this one family's attempt to make their donkey a burro racer， it was really about the greater world of burro racing （Did you know such a thing existed？？） and the amazing and interesting people who inhabit that world。 Also the Pennsylvania Amish are featured and my childhood dream of living near the Amish has been reignited。 。。。more
Barbara
，
So much love in this story。 A beautiful glimpse into how to live a life of love and connection
Jana Bouc
，
This was a charming， funny uplifting true story。 It was a delight to listen and it was also educational—about donkeys and running。 I loved all the different interesting characters involved in the rehab of donkeys and the sport of running/racing with them。 It was wonderful to listen to the tales and travails， many that made laugh， and spend time in the company of such wonderful people and critters。
Linda Anderson
，
I enjoyed this book。 It was educational， fun， and a feel good story
Morgan
，
this one kinda surprise me because I REALLY didn't want to read it but Mrs。Doebbler （My former English teacher） was aggsesilvy recommending it， so I thought I would give it a reluctant try， and it was as good as she said。 Surprisingly donkeys are fun to read about and both the animals and the people in this book were fun to read about。 people are so uplifting and have such happy lives， it makes for a fun memoir。 like how did I stay up all night reading about donkey racing？？？ this one kinda surprise me because I REALLY didn't want to read it but Mrs。Doebbler （My former English teacher） was aggsesilvy recommending it， so I thought I would give it a reluctant try， and it was as good as she said。 Surprisingly donkeys are fun to read about and both the animals and the people in this book were fun to read about。 people are so uplifting and have such happy lives， it makes for a fun memoir。 like how did I stay up all night reading about donkey racing？？？ 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
A very entertaining listen！ More than I ever wanted to know about donkeys or running but there were so many laugh out loud moments to make this a fun experience。
Carol
，
What a sweet story of people coming together to save this donkey。 Love it。
Bonnie
，
What a fascinating story！ There is really a lot going on in this book。 First， the story of a mistreated animal who survives and is rehabilitated by people who love him and get him the treatment he needs。 It's also a story about a non-Amish family living among Amish neighbors。 And it's a story about people and animals preparing for a grueling athletic contest。 What a fascinating story！ There is really a lot going on in this book。 First， the story of a mistreated animal who survives and is rehabilitated by people who love him and get him the treatment he needs。 It's also a story about a non-Amish family living among Amish neighbors。 And it's a story about people and animals preparing for a grueling athletic contest。 。。。more
Lynelle
，
Totally not what I expected。。。so much more！ The chronicle of an abused donkey and it’s adventurous journey to recovery， while inspiring others along the way made me laugh， cry， and ponder life truths along the way。 McDougall’s writing style keeps the reader engaged and entertained。 Highly recommend this “feel good” true story。
Judy Franke
，
Interesting and informative Did you ever hear of burro racing？ Read this and you’re going to be surprised。 The healing properties of running is highlighted in a novel way。 Autism and depression are both helped by an exhausted run。 With a donkey even bettter！
Rongrong
，
So glad I took the advice of a couple of friends and read this！ Some parts made me guffaw out loud （donkey grooming， wow）。 Some parts were unexpectedly thought-provoking （cold training eek）。 And the journeys described， Sherman’s but also the other stories told along the way， just did my heart good。
Angela
，
4/5: This was a delightful read！ It had so much more depth than I expected yet remained positive focused。 McDougall does a great job of layering so many stories that are threaded together by a love for running or burro racing。 Who knew burro racing was even a thing？ I didn't！ The story hinges on a rescue donkey named Sherman。 Sherman turns out to be a warrior and a survivor。 I also didn't know anything about donkeys so I learned a lot about that as well。 This book manages to touch on so many top 4/5: This was a delightful read！ It had so much more depth than I expected yet remained positive focused。 McDougall does a great job of layering so many stories that are threaded together by a love for running or burro racing。 Who knew burro racing was even a thing？ I didn't！ The story hinges on a rescue donkey named Sherman。 Sherman turns out to be a warrior and a survivor。 I also didn't know anything about donkeys so I learned a lot about that as well。 This book manages to touch on so many topics: animal hording， animal rescue， donkey training， marathon training， motivation， mental health， family loyalty， community cohesiveness， and so much more！ Just an all around enjoyable read！ 。。。more
Megan
，
Such a great story。 So many great life lessons on many levels。
Tracy
，
4。5。 This was a sweet and funny story that was the right book for my life right now。
Laura
，
Couldn't get into it。 Couldn't get into it。 。。。more
Ru
，
I loved this book and I learned so much from the issues he explores in it。 I never knew about the burro races， prohibited female participation in races， and the benefits of connection with animals and cold water baths！ So the author leads you into those issues when he includes others in his main story。 It is not just about donkeys。 It is about the connections between animals and people and how that benefits both。 If you only want to read about donkeys then may I suggest the encyclopedia
Thomas Tyrer
，
I was looking for a simple， inspirational type of book and “Sherman” was just that。 It was everything I wanted but there were times that it began to drag a bit for me。 Just a little longer than it had to be。 But worth a read。
Ellie
，
So cute！ A classic Chris McDougall tale - he’s excellent at weaving a variety of fun， interesting stories together。 Less excellent at science: I take most of what he says about evolution and DNA with a pinch of salt。 But a very enjoyable read overall， and converted me to the idea of pet donkeys as much as Born to Run converted me to the idea of barefoot running。
Allison Bright Rose
，
Love love love this book！ It is about a donkey and so much more！ Running， neurodiversity， depression， Amish， marriage， love for children， and love for community are just some of the topics covered through the tale of saving a donkey！ I didn't want the book to end so I could learn about more characters that came in and out of the author's life！ I enjoyed Born to Run and look forward to more！ Love love love this book！ It is about a donkey and so much more！ Running， neurodiversity， depression， Amish， marriage， love for children， and love for community are just some of the topics covered through the tale of saving a donkey！ I didn't want the book to end so I could learn about more characters that came in and out of the author's life！ I enjoyed Born to Run and look forward to more！ 。。。more
Georgia Doyle
，
You got to love a guy who is willing to take on the rehabilitation of neglected and damaged animals。 This was such a fun， uplifting read。 Yes， it was a little obsessive in spots about the therapeutic value of animals， but since I live with 2 delightful rescue cats， that didn't bother me in the least。 You got to love a guy who is willing to take on the rehabilitation of neglected and damaged animals。 This was such a fun， uplifting read。 Yes， it was a little obsessive in spots about the therapeutic value of animals， but since I live with 2 delightful rescue cats， that didn't bother me in the least。 。。。more
Megan
，
Such a great book！ I was fascinated to learn more about burro racing and loved all the stories of how animals heal people
Annie Z。
，
I ran across this book and decided to read it simply because of the sweet donkey on the cover。 The book is surprisingly well written and very interesting。 The entire book leads up to the big donkey race。 There are a lot of trials and tribulation but the team works together to help themselves and the little donkey team。
Megan
，
Christopher McDougall who lives in Lancaster， PA and agrees to take in a donkey rescued from an animal hoarder。 When the donkey arrives it is in such bad shape he isn't sure he will survive。 With the help of amateur farriers， a donkey trainer， an amish running club， various friends， neighbors and his wife they nurse and train Sherman for the World Championship Burro Race。 It is a nice， endearing and educational （who knew donkeys were so complex） book that I would recommend。I'd give it between 3 Christopher McDougall who lives in Lancaster， PA and agrees to take in a donkey rescued from an animal hoarder。 When the donkey arrives it is in such bad shape he isn't sure he will survive。 With the help of amateur farriers， a donkey trainer， an amish running club， various friends， neighbors and his wife they nurse and train Sherman for the World Championship Burro Race。 It is a nice， endearing and educational （who knew donkeys were so complex） book that I would recommend。I'd give it between 3 and 4 stars and decided to round down。 The reason for the 3 star is the book often goes off on tangents of tangents weighing down the story with unnecessary details。 I understand going on a tangent to explain the origins of the amish running club， but that leads to a story about the origins of the Amish， then a story about the origins of the Mennonites， then a tangent on why baseball is banned by the Amish etc， etc。 And this is all to set the stage for the one time Sherman runs with the amish running club。 Sadly， this is just one example of several tangents on tangents。If he had stayed more focused on the story of Sherman and the journey to racing in Colorado this would have been an easy 4 star。 。。。more
Linda Davidson
，
This is a wonderful， delightful book - fun to read。 Christopher McDougal was a war correspondent， successful journalist， as well as an ultra marathoner。 Then for some reason he and his wife moved from Phila to very rural Lancaster Co， in the midst of the Amish community， and they collected a menagerie of assorted farm animals。 He took in an abused， sorely hurt donkey - not knowing if he would survive another day。 As Sherman gradually improved in health， Chris decided that the donkey needed a pur This is a wonderful， delightful book - fun to read。 Christopher McDougal was a war correspondent， successful journalist， as well as an ultra marathoner。 Then for some reason he and his wife moved from Phila to very rural Lancaster Co， in the midst of the Amish community， and they collected a menagerie of assorted farm animals。 He took in an abused， sorely hurt donkey - not knowing if he would survive another day。 As Sherman gradually improved in health， Chris decided that the donkey needed a purpose in life and he discovered that burro racing was “a thing”。 So - he started training Sherman， enlisting the help of his wife， then a neighbor because they discovered that the donkeys needed donkey friends to be motivated。 Through this story， the author shared so much about the “community” of friends and neighbors， which I found so interesting - knowing they are just across the river from us。 The author’s outlook on life， his family， his neighbors was so warm and he had a way of relating all problem solving to some type of sports training。 Sweet stories， funny stories， heartbreaking stories - the author tells them beautifully。 。。。more
Moe
，
How can a book about a donkey not be fantastic？I loved this story so much。 Chris' writing was just perfect。 Funny， witty and smart。 I loved all the side stories about the many people that play an important role in Sherman's story， and most of all， I loved reading about the farms and the Amish community， and how they all worked together whenever someone needed a hand。 I've always loved the Amish people & their community and have been in that area twice （and yes， disappointed I did not know of She How can a book about a donkey not be fantastic？I loved this story so much。 Chris' writing was just perfect。 Funny， witty and smart。 I loved all the side stories about the many people that play an important role in Sherman's story， and most of all， I loved reading about the farms and the Amish community， and how they all worked together whenever someone needed a hand。 I've always loved the Amish people & their community and have been in that area twice （and yes， disappointed I did not know of Sherman when I was last there）， so was pleasantly surprised when I started the book to read that this was where the story would take place！Looks like I may need to head to Colorado to witness a race！ 。。。more
Rachel Dale
，