Running with Sherman

Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero is a non-fiction memoir by Christopher McDougall, first published in 2019. McDougall is a former war correspondent and a regular contributor to Outside magazine. His first book, Born to Run (2009), explored the world of ultramarathon running and was a best-seller. Running with Sherman is a work closer to home, primarily set on McDougall’s farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and including an odd cast of his friends and neighbors as they coalesce around the fate of a neglected and abused donkey named Sherman. The memoir charts Sherman’s recovery as McDougall takes possession of him and attempts to rehabilitate the donkey into a long-distance runner. In order to succeed, McDougall must forge a relationship with Sherman, working past the abused donkey’s trauma and anxiety, while learning both to abandon his ego and find the common ground of a shared desire to run.

This guide uses the 2019 Borzoi Books edition.

Content Warning: The source text deals with animal abuse and discusses attempted death by suicide.

Summary

Running with Sherman is essentially a training diary, charting the period during which McDougall gains possession of Sherman and his subsequent rehabilitation and training of the neglected donkey.