Out of Thin Air: Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia: Winner of the Margaret Mead Award 2022

by Michael Crawley

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472975294
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	01/18/2022
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,110,995
Product dimensions:	5.18(w) x 8.14(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Michael 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.

Table of Contents

1 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
Index

Editorial Reviews

Excellent” —Runner's World

“Engaging, warm and humane… A delight” —TLS

“Through 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!” —Haile Gebrselassie

“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.” —The Guardian

“Full of wonderful insights and lessons from a world where the ability to run is viewed as something almost mysterious and magical.” —Adharanand Finn

“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.” —Nick Thompson, CEO, The Atlantic

“An evocative and clear-eyed portrait of Ethiopian running” —Ed Caesar

“Out 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!” —Trail Running

“A deep dive into the rich and complex culture that produces some of the best runners the world has ever seen.” —Alex Hutchinson, author of Endure

“Fascinating ... This big-hearted tale will resonate with readers regardless of whether they've ever laced up a pair of running shoes.” —Publishers Weekly

“You don't have to be a runner to enjoy this book” —Woman's Weekly

“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.” —Nick Thompson, CEO, The Atlantic

“Superb ... one of our favourite books ... recommended reading for anyone with an interest in distance running.” —Athletics Weekly

From the Publisher

11/09/2020

Anthropologist Crawley debuts with a fascinating account of the 15 months he spent in Ethiopia in 2011–2012, where he trained alongside world-class marathoners as part of an anthropological study of long-distance running. While taking readers on his daily runs and conversations with runners, he shares their insights (one runner attributed his success and those from his town to diet: “They eat barley and honey, and drink milk”) and sprinkles in descriptions of how local Ethiopian running clubs have historically provided avenues to professional competitions, while also providing the opportunity “to live a whole other life.” Crawley also pointedly critiques the racism of the idea of Ethiopians being naturally gifted runners, which, he writes, ignores the enormous sacrifice and hard work of their training. Notably, the athletic culture Crawley encountered was less about competition than the joy that motivates a close-knit community. He also shares vivid descriptions of Ethiopian culture (including learning the Amharic language) and communal expectations like the prioritizing of hard work and family. This big-hearted tale will resonate with readers regardless of whether they’ve ever laced up a pair of running shoes. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly