Out of Thin Air

Will appeal to the thriving market for running narrativesA fascinating exploration of Ethiopian running - Ethiopia the homeland of so many marathon-running greats, including Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele (holder of World and Olympic 5k and 10k records), Tirunesh DibabaBestselling running books have been written about Kenyan, Japanese and Mexican runners - this is the first to focus on Ethiopian runners and their own specialist ways of training - written by a runner who gained their trust and who spent time truly embedded in their practices over a long period of timeMichael Crawley is a 2.20 marathon runner who has competed internationally for Scotland and Great Britain. He is Assistant Professor in Social Anthropology at Durham University. This is his first book.LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2021 LONGLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE 2021 'Inspiring' The Guardian 'Excellent' Runner's World 'Fascinating' Publishers Weekly 'Brilliant' Ed Vaizey 'Through reading this book you will come to understand that the heart and soul of running are to be found in Ethiopia.' Haile Gebrselassie 'Engaging, warm and humane. A delight' TLS 'Full of wonderful insights and lessons from a world where the ability to run is viewed as something almost mysterious and magical.' Adharanand Finn, author of Running with the Kenyans 'Ethiopia is a place where I have been told that energy is controlled by angels and demons and where witchdoctors can help you to acquire another runner's power. It is a place where an anonymous runner in the forest told me, miming an imaginary scoreboard and with a completely straight face, that he had dreamt that he would run 10km in 25 minutes. It is a place where they tell me that the air at Mount Entoto will transform me into a 2.08 marathon runner. It is a place, in short, of wisdom and magic, where dreaming is still very much alive.' Why does it make sense to Ethiopian runners to get up at 3am to run up and down a hill? Who would choose to train on almost impossibly steep and rocky terrain, in hyena territory? And how come Ethiopian men hold six of the top ten fastest marathon times ever? Michael Crawley spent fifteen months in Ethiopia training alongside (and sometimes a fair way behind) runners at all levels of the sport, from night watchmen hoping to change their lives to world class marathon runners, in order to answer these questions. Follow him into the forest as he attempts to keep up and get to the heart of their success.LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2021 LONGLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE 2021 'Could transform your running forever' - Runner's World What we can learn from Ethiopian running culture - written by an anthropologist and 2:20 marathon runner who trained with the Ethiopians1 Special Air 2 I Could Have Been a Mesinko Player 3 Following Each Other's Feet 4 So Good, So Far 5 Field of Dreams 6 Zigzagging to the Top 7 Crazy is Good 8 To Win in Rome Would be Like Winning 1,000 times 9 Why It Makes Sense to Run Up and Down a Hill at 3 a.m. 10 Where Does Energy Come From? 11 Th e Game is Worth the Candle 12 Taking the Air 13 Of Course They Are Trying to Kill Each Other 14 Running is Life Acknowledgements IndexExcellentEngaging, warm and humane. A delightThrough reading this book you will come to understand that the heart and soul of running are to be found in Ethiopia. I welcome everyone to experience the Ethiopian love of running, and to come and have the same life altering experience that Michael had. Running is life!Inspiring ... evocative and easily paced ... Out of Thin Air peels back the layers of one of the world's most extraordinary and unexplored sporting cultures, and reveals a powerful simplicity at its core.Full of wonderful insights and lessons from a world where the ability to run is viewed as something almost mysterious and magical.Out of Thin Air is marvellous. Crawley is a superb writer, runner and anthropologist. On every page, you'll learn something new about running, and about the culture of the people in the world who do it best.An evocative and clear-eyed portrait of Ethiopian runningOut of Thin Air is a must-read ... We'd happily recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in the sport. For the keen runner, it's a must-have!A deep dive into the rich and complex culture that produces some of the best runners the world has ever seen.Fascinating ... This big-hearted tale will resonate with readers regardless of whether they've ever laced up a pair of running shoes.You don't have to be a runner to enjoy this bookOut of Thin Air is marvellous. Crawley is a superb writer, runner and anthropologist. On every page, you'll learn something new about running, and about the culture of the people in the world who do it best.Superb ... one of our favourite books ... recommended reading for anyone with an interest in distance running.