Running with the Kenyans: Passion, Adventure, and the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth [Hardcover]

Adharanand Finn (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 15, 2012

“A dusty road stretches into the distance like a pencil line across the arid landscape. Lions, rhino, and buffalo roam the plains on either side. But I haven’t come to Kenya to spot wildlife. I’ve come to run.”
 
Whether running is your recreation, your religion, or just a spectator sport, Adharanand Finn’s incredible journey to the elite training camps of Kenya will captivate and inspire you. Part travelogue, part memoir, this mesmerizing quest to uncover the secrets of the world’s greatest runners—and put them to the test—combines practical advice, a fresh look at barefoot running, and hard-won spiritual insights.
 
As a boy growing up in the English countryside, Adharanand Finn was a natural runner. While other kids struggled, he breezed through schoolyard races, imagining he was one of his heroes: the Kenyan long-distance runners exploding into prominence as Olympic and world champions. But as he grew up, pursued a career in journalism, married and had children, those childhood dreams slipped away—until suddenly, in his mid-thirties, Finn realized he might have only one chance left to see how far his talents could take him.
 
Uprooting his family of five, including three small children, Finn traveled to Iten, a small, chaotic town in the Rift Valley province of Kenya—a mecca for long-distance runners thanks to its high altitude, endless running paths, and some of the top training schools in the world. Finn would run side by side with Olympic champions, young hopefuls, and barefoot schoolchildren . . . not to mention the exotic—and sometimes dangerous—wildlife for which Kenya is famous.
 
Here, too, he would meet a cast of colorful characters, including his unflappable guide, Godfrey Kiprotich, a former half marathon champion; Christopher Cheboiboch, one of the fastest men ever to run the New York City Marathon; and Japhet, a poor, bucktoothed boy with unsuspected reservoirs of courage and raw speed. Amid the daily challenges of training and of raising a family abroad, Finn would learn invaluable lessons about running—and about life.
 
Running with the Kenyans is more than one man’s pursuit of a lifelong dream. It’s a fascinating portrait of a magical country—and an extraordinary people seemingly born to run.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Advance praise for Running with the Kenyans
 
“Completely satisfying, as well-paced and exhilarating as a good run.”—The Boston Globe
 
“Not everyone gets to heaven in their lifetime. Adharanand Finn tried to run there, and succeeded. Running with the Kenyans is a great read.”—Bernd Heinrich, author of Why We Run
 
“Part scientific study, travel memoir, and tale of self-discovery, Finn’s journey makes for a smart and entertaining read.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“A hymn to the spirit, to the heartbreaking beauty of tenacity, to the joy of movement.”—The Plain Dealer

“Equal parts cultural examination, cult-of-running treatise, and poignant memoir, Running with the Kenyans thrives on a variety of levels. Like the skilled distance runner he is, Finn paces this book marvelously and then saves the best for the final kick. This book packs all the pleasure and satisfaction—and none of the ancillary pain—of a long training run.”—L. Jon Wertheim, senior editor, Sports Illustrated, and co-author of the New York Times bestseller Scorecasting
 
“Not everyone gets to heaven in their lifetime. Finn tried to run there, and succeeded. Running with the Kenyans is a great read.”—Bernd Heinrich, author of Why We Run
 
“If you want to know the secrets of Kenyan runners, and have a rollicking adventure along the way, join Finn in his fascinating tale of what it is to go stride for stride with the fastest people on Earth.”—Neal Bascomb, author of The Perfect Mile
 
“An extremely good book . . . If Born to Run taught us what to wear (or not to wear) when running, Finn’s fascinating Running with the Kenyans teaches us how to run. . . . In the tradition of the best sports writing, Finn embedded himself fully in his subject and reveals, for the first time, just how close we are to the holy grail of the sub-two-hour marathon.”—Robin Harvie, author of The Lure of Long Distances
 
“A beautiful and inspiring must-have for every runner, Running with the Kenyans is far more than an inspirational story, but a guide toward running, humility, and life, from the amazing people of Kenya.”—Michael Sandler, author of Barefoot Running

About the Author

Adharanand Finn is a journalist at The Guardian and a freelance writer, contributing regular features for The Guardian, The Independent, and Runner’s World (U.K.).

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (May 15, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345528794
• ISBN-13: 978-0345528797
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #204,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Travel > Africa > Kenya

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars There is no secret... June 18, 2012

By G. Kellner VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Or, more accurately, it's everything and nothing. If you're reading this book hoping to discover a magic elixir that will dramatically improve your marathon time, it's not here. I was hoping to find some magic formula, as I am training for a marathon, but...Kenyans are fast for any number of reasons.

Adharanand Finn seized the opportunity to run with Kenyans for 6 months, hoping to become as fast as a Kenyan. He was a fairly fast runner already (38 minutes for a 10K) and he did get faster. He and a group of Kenyans decide they will train for a marathon in Lewa. Through the book, we follow Adharanand as he trains with a group of Kenyan runners. He does get faster (and lighter) but the highlight of the book is getting to know a select group of Kenyans and learning about their culture. The book culminates in the running of the Lewa marathon, which is fitting, as by the end of the book we have gotten to know many runners and are sitting on the edge of our seats, wondering how they do. As a runner, I thought all the factors that went in to the Kenyan dominance in long-distance running were interesting--alas, most can not be replicated in America. Still, it was an inspiring and humbling book.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Read May 1, 2012

By Janeite VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

First off, let me say that I'm not a runner in any way, shape, or form. My policy is only to run if something is chasing me. So I can attest that this book is not just a good read for those who run; it's just a good read. I got this book through the Amazon Vine program because I found the premise interesting. An English journalist takes his young family with him as he spends a year living and training in Kenya. In case you live in a cave, Kenya is known to produce the world's best runners. Just look at the results of almost any marathon run anywhere in the world, and you can almost bet the winner was Kenyan. The author had been a competitive runner in his youth but then forgot about his dream of running marathons while he was busy going to college, marrying, starting a family, and earning a living. Going to Kenya to finally get serious about running by learning from the best in the world was a solution to his quandary as well as a unique adventure for his family. The book caught my attention from the first page as its first person narrative captured my interest and set a quick pace for the book. Within just a few pages, the reader is whisked off to Kenya to share this wonderful journey. The tone of the book is light and entertaining as Finn always manages to see the humor in situations that might take some of us aback (sleeping in a tent with your small children as lions grunt and roar just outside, renting a reportedly luxurious house where the bathroom consists of a spigot coming out of the wall). I enjoyed this relatively quick read and found it a thought-provoking, interesting narrative that I would recommend to anyone who likes good stories, especially true ones.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I liked it. July 8, 2012

By Terry LC

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I am not a runner, but I enjoyed reading this book. It is well-written and entertaining to read. The story moves along quickly, and other than sometimes when I thought, "Oh no, another we-are-running-again story." the book was always interesting. Though there is no great secret discovered as to why Kenyans are so good at running long distances, the story is interesting in describing how the Kenyans train and how they live and how that leads to their running prowess. The author's pursuit of a sub 3 hour marathon time was also enjoyable to read about. So was the times when the author told us about his daughter's efforts in running.

So you don't have to be a runner to enjoy this book. The information on other cultures, the author's efforts to improve his own running, and the cute stories about his daughters, all combined to make this an enjoyable book to read. I recommend it.