Running with the Kenyans: Discovering the secrets of the fastest people on earth

Description

After years of watching Kenyan athletes win the world's biggest races, from the Olympics to big city marathons, Runner's World contributor Adharanand Finn set out to discover just what it was that made them so fast - and to see if he could keep up. Packing up his family (and his running shoes), he moved from Devon to the small town of Iten, in Kenya, home to hundreds of the country's best athletes. Once there he laced up his shoes and ventured out onto the dirt tracks, running side by side with Olympic champions, young hopefuls and barefoot schoolchildren. He ate their food, slept in their training camps, interviewed their coaches, and his children went to their schools. And at the end of it all, there was his dream, to join the best of the Kenyan athletes in his first marathon, an epic race through lion country across the Kenyan plains. With global attention on both the London Marathon in April 2012 and the London Olympics in the summer, there has never been a more exciting time to experience what it is really like to train and race with the stars of distance running.

Adharanand Finn is an editor at the Guardian and a freelance journalist, writing regular features for the Guardian, the Independent and Runner's World. He is a former junior county cross-country runner and recently won a 10k in Exeter, Devon, where he and his family usually live. Follow his journey on http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/series/running-with-the-kenyans or @adharanand.

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 beautif