Nonfiction

Out of Thin Air: Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia

Out of Thin Air: Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia

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  • Create Date：2021-10-29 06:16:08
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Michael Crawley
  • ISBN：1472975294
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Salli Martlew ，

Such a refreshing attitude to the sport of running。 I read it as a Ethiopia captured my heart， not because I am a runner。 Enjoyed it。

Rachel ，

Very interesting book and beautiful kind of work for the author to dedicate some of his life to as an anthropologist！ Really impressive。 Overall， I enjoyed reading about competitive running in Ethiopia。 There were moments I was inspired and also moment where I felt defeated， too as a female runner - not that it was the author’s intention however， it was sad that nothing more was said about （glad women were at least acknowledged） why it would have been disrespectful to touch more on the running o Very interesting book and beautiful kind of work for the author to dedicate some of his life to as an anthropologist！ Really impressive。 Overall， I enjoyed reading about competitive running in Ethiopia。 There were moments I was inspired and also moment where I felt defeated， too as a female runner - not that it was the author’s intention however， it was sad that nothing more was said about （glad women were at least acknowledged） why it would have been disrespectful to touch more on the running of women in Ethiopia。 He nearly said he did not want to disrespect the culture or offend anyone， which I can honor， however， I wondered if this was more around issues of oppression and too much fear to say it out loud。 I think if I knew more about what running in Ethiopia was like for women， I would have an entirely different opinion on the running culture for men in Ethiopia。 Oftentimes， it was expressed in thee book that the male runners shot energy from each other and also from their surroundings， but I often wondered if they fed or took energy also from the women as a power thing in order to benefit their running。 I just felt like there was such a big gap in perspective in the book， that I did not feel well educated after reading it。 I really admired the concept of running as a way of life。 I liked reading about how running is more than just a sport to them。。。 running with purpose and goals to make their life better and when I looked up the two Ethiopian female runners he mentioned， I learned that they also have similar outlook as well， although I am sure very different experience of running as well as culture in their own right and voices to be heard， stories to be told， etc。， I just think that it would have been a more balanced book if their was a more well-rounded explanation for not talking to the women， especially since the anthropologist is an observer as well as having his own subjective experience。There are a lot of great lines in the book that I found super interesting and I am still thankful I read it。 I also will read the sociologist that the author mentioned in the book as well。 。。。more

Joe ，

Okay so I loved this book。 Three stars may seem harsh then， but this is because I know I have a major bias towards the appreciation of running and am decoupling my own feelings a bit from the writing and overall completeness of the book。 I thought it could’ve honestly used a bit more detail and included a few hundred more pages， beyond that I felt like the timeline was a bit unclear and it felt repetitive in the way many nonfiction books are。 That being said， anyone who follows running on the wo Okay so I loved this book。 Three stars may seem harsh then， but this is because I know I have a major bias towards the appreciation of running and am decoupling my own feelings a bit from the writing and overall completeness of the book。 I thought it could’ve honestly used a bit more detail and included a few hundred more pages， beyond that I felt like the timeline was a bit unclear and it felt repetitive in the way many nonfiction books are。 That being said， anyone who follows running on the world stage should read this book。 It’s the first time I’ve heard someone directly address and question the way Ethiopian distance runners are talked about。 The US certainly has a history of ignoring non-US runners and giving an asterisk to runners born outside of the US （often non-white runners。） It’s possible I’ve just missed this discussion in my years away from running but it was great to hear it discussed plainly here。 Certainly the flattening of all East Africans into one bloc is problematic and probably outright racist， and the book continuously working to identify the distinct communities involved was great work。 。。。more

John Spiller ，

Read Matt Liberman's review， which is much better than I could have managed。 Read Matt Liberman's review， which is much better than I could have managed。 。。。more

Christian Ritter ，

Fascinating study into the lives of professional （but by no means wealthy） runners in Ethiopia， as they hope to compete in， and win， big races abroad。 Much popular assumption about East African distance runners' success focuses on the tired notion of children having to run to school， an idea which the author dismisses， highlighting the way in which Emperor Haile Selassie shaped running as a matter of national pride， forming policy around training soldiers for distance running， culminating in Abe Fascinating study into the lives of professional （but by no means wealthy） runners in Ethiopia， as they hope to compete in， and win， big races abroad。 Much popular assumption about East African distance runners' success focuses on the tired notion of children having to run to school， an idea which the author dismisses， highlighting the way in which Emperor Haile Selassie shaped running as a matter of national pride， forming policy around training soldiers for distance running， culminating in Abebe Bikela's 1960 Rome marathon win （barefoot）。Ethiopia has always stood out to me as a rather exceptional country: a unique alphabet， a unique religion and always remained independent of colonisation。 Michael Crawley's book details a running culture of zig-zagging group runs along cambers to ensure no one is left behind， of phenomenal attitude training of 3000+ metres， of a staunch belief that energy is a transient concept which can be taken or stolen， and of running as a constant "adaptation" to "condition" which everyone is capable of。A constant paradox with training as a unit where everyone "follows the feet" of the runner in front， and where everyone lives， eats and sleeps together， is that the result of all this work are races where individuals must compete against each other， with the financial awards at stake life-changing。 The author depicts an at times idyllic， spiritual experience in the rich highlands of Ethiopia， but one in which the cruel reality of financial hardship or extreme wealth are only seconds away。 。。。more

Florian ，

I listened to an interview with the author on one of my running-related podcasts and was intrigued。 I did not expect to enjoy this book so much。 All the stuff about running and the paces and the workouts are fun but are not at all the focus of this book。 This is really an anthropological account of the running culture in Ethiopia， which is fascinating。 Highly recommended even to non-runners （although non-runners might not fully appreciate the insanity of some of the workouts that are described）。

Jack ，

This is the fourth or fifth book about running I have read back-to-back and I can confidently say that Out of Thin Air is the most insightful and compelling that I have picked up。 As an anthropologist by background， I was naturally drawn to the approach taken by the author。 The depth that he reveals in his writing is really impressive and it is done in such a way that I imagine it will appeal beyond those simply interested in reading another book about running。

Lynn ，

Michael Crawley wrote Out of Thin Air as the output from field research for his PhD in social anthropology。 He lived and ran for fifteen months with top-level runners in Ethiopia—a country swarming with top-level runners。Crawley （from Scotland） is himself an excellent runner， someone who would win 10Ks and the occasional marathon were it not that there is always an Ethiopian， Kenyan， or Eritrean ahead of him， so he's had lots of second- and third-place finishes。 He does not complain about this b Michael Crawley wrote Out of Thin Air as the output from field research for his PhD in social anthropology。 He lived and ran for fifteen months with top-level runners in Ethiopia—a country swarming with top-level runners。Crawley （from Scotland） is himself an excellent runner， someone who would win 10Ks and the occasional marathon were it not that there is always an Ethiopian， Kenyan， or Eritrean ahead of him， so he's had lots of second- and third-place finishes。 He does not complain about this because for him it's not about wins or the prize money。Ethiopians who run at the highest levels take it very seriously。 They usually belong to and train with clubs， many of which pay their members salaries that are enough to live on if they are careful。 All the runners in a club support and train with each other—until race day， when the objective is to compete。 And most east Africans do it for the money。 A win of a few thousand dollars can be enough for a young man in Ethiopia to buy a farm and a house， get married， and be set up with a good start in life。 And so they train and compete as though their lives depend on it， because they do。Although my own days of marathoning and ultrarunning are long behind me， I still put in a fair amount of pedestrian mileage each week， and my figurative heart is still in the sport if not my physical heart。 I continue more for reasons of personal health than for the sake of competition， which has never been particularly important to me。 But the book verifies what I've always known， that the races provide goalposts for runners who seek to improve their ability。 。。。more

Michiel ，

A good read on the running culture in Ethiopia。 The hard work those runners put in。 Unbelievable。

Julie ，

Important tenant of training for matathons and Ethiopean culture explored。 Follow in the footsteps of the leader; practice leading; run in a community; keep it varied; have fun。

Jens ，

Amazing insight in how they think about training， their potential and becoming better。 It made me more aware of the surface or environment where I go for each specific training， as to limit your pace and the blows to your body。 It put into words the advantage of living and training in a like-minded group to "enter the pace"， "share the burden" by pacing and avoiding "zur" or unneccesary effort while resting。 This is more than a report of a voyage， this is in-depth cultural understanding。 Amazing insight in how they think about training， their potential and becoming better。 It made me more aware of the surface or environment where I go for each specific training， as to limit your pace and the blows to your body。 It put into words the advantage of living and training in a like-minded group to "enter the pace"， "share the burden" by pacing and avoiding "zur" or unneccesary effort while resting。 This is more than a report of a voyage， this is in-depth cultural understanding。 。。。more

Adam Smith ，

Not 'sportswriting' in the way that may think of it。。。 a look inside a culture of running that has less to do with scientific （micro）-management and more to do with applied experience。 No way around it， runners admit that， because the rewards are so high， running is work that can change their lives for the better。。。 but there are no guarantees。 This book is not about what makes one runner more or less successful， but about the culture that they live， train， and run within。。。 one that looks askan Not 'sportswriting' in the way that may think of it。。。 a look inside a culture of running that has less to do with scientific （micro）-management and more to do with applied experience。 No way around it， runners admit that， because the rewards are so high， running is work that can change their lives for the better。。。 but there are no guarantees。 This book is not about what makes one runner more or less successful， but about the culture that they live， train， and run within。。。 one that looks askance at those who run on their own， one that is willing to look beyond secrets to success， and ultimately one that is more compelling than simple survivorship bias of "I beat the odds， and you can too。。。" 。。。more

Jana Berker ，

Immersive， educational， funny at times & thoroughly enjoyable！

Matthew Turnbull ，

Great read for those interested in Ethiopian running community

Everson Luis de Campos Moura ，

An interesting introspection into the life of Ethiopian runners。 'Out of Thin Air' is about the experience of Michael Crawley， a runner-anthropologist or vice versa - in living and training with Ethiopian elite runners for about 15 months。 The author does a very good job on capturing some of main components of the culture of Ethiopian runners。 The notion of 'condition'， the use of different natural surfaces for running， the variation of altitudes are some of them。 But， what is more interesting i An interesting introspection into the life of Ethiopian runners。 'Out of Thin Air' is about the experience of Michael Crawley， a runner-anthropologist or vice versa - in living and training with Ethiopian elite runners for about 15 months。 The author does a very good job on capturing some of main components of the culture of Ethiopian runners。 The notion of 'condition'， the use of different natural surfaces for running， the variation of altitudes are some of them。 But， what is more interesting is the group training mindset， something one may find unusual， since running is seem as a lonely sport。 The book is very well written and easy to read。 The stories are full of life and insights。 If you are a runner - a marathoner in particular - and like to read， this book is perfect for you。 。。。more

Mike Dennisuk ，

A solid audiobook for me。 It is 4 stars for me because I’m a running geek and I found it personally interesting。 It is loaded with cultural aspects of Ethiopian running culture。 But for the non runner it likely would be very boring。 The narrator was passable but kind of flat。

Darren H ，

A brilliant book。 A very well written， fascinating and very unique look at a running community that are highly respected but we know very little about。The author spent over 15 months living and training with some of the best runners in the world and invites the reader into this world。 The book is not overly technical regarding running routines and training （as a runner myself I was interested to read this） but instead strikes a perfect balance towards the technical and human element of the story A brilliant book。 A very well written， fascinating and very unique look at a running community that are highly respected but we know very little about。The author spent over 15 months living and training with some of the best runners in the world and invites the reader into this world。 The book is not overly technical regarding running routines and training （as a runner myself I was interested to read this） but instead strikes a perfect balance towards the technical and human element of the story。The author really did throw himself into things and seems to have fully embraced the culture， lifestyle and language and earned the respect from the community。 He takes you with him on this journey and it is a great journey。 This book is a great read， very well written and unique。 I am genuinely surprised that this book is not getting more recognition。 。。。more

Sudhagar ，

Great addition to running literature。 For too long there have been an over emphasis on Kenya and Kenyan runners by the Western media and running community。 There have been several books and even tons of videos/documentaries produced to cover the Kenyan runners。 Ethiopia has been generally ignored despite their success。 As such this book by Crawley is greatly welcomed。The interesting thing about this book is that the author is a competitive runner （who has represented the GB and Scotland） and als Great addition to running literature。 For too long there have been an over emphasis on Kenya and Kenyan runners by the Western media and running community。 There have been several books and even tons of videos/documentaries produced to cover the Kenyan runners。 Ethiopia has been generally ignored despite their success。 As such this book by Crawley is greatly welcomed。The interesting thing about this book is that the author is a competitive runner （who has represented the GB and Scotland） and also an anthropologist。 As such he provides insights not just on running but also the cultural and psyche of the Ethiopian runners。 His insights on their culture come across as surprising as it differs from the Kenyans。 In the book Crawley also dismantles several popularly held myths about African and Ethiopian running。 。。。more

Hannah H。 ，

“Out of Thin Air” is a unique blend of information and intrigue， a result of the author’s in-depth ethnography of the Ethiopian culture。 He immerses himself in the running and lifestyle to learn what the sport signifies and how it is a backbone of hope for many Ethiopian men and women。 The tactics， rituals， and training methods are fascinating to learn about as a reader。 I also found that the author did an excellent job digging deeper into the culture and how running is so fundamental for many E “Out of Thin Air” is a unique blend of information and intrigue， a result of the author’s in-depth ethnography of the Ethiopian culture。 He immerses himself in the running and lifestyle to learn what the sport signifies and how it is a backbone of hope for many Ethiopian men and women。 The tactics， rituals， and training methods are fascinating to learn about as a reader。 I also found that the author did an excellent job digging deeper into the culture and how running is so fundamental for many Ethiopian nationals。 I highly recommend this book。 It’s inspiring to see how many humble underdogs are making it on the global scene through innovative technique and grit。 For many， running is their livelihood and they treat their running career as a privilege and gift。 。。。more

Lynn ，

Sweet StoryThe author gives his account of training runners in Ethiopia。 He learns a bit of the culture and languages。 He meets some wonderful people a，d has a great experience。

Paul O'farrell ，

One of the best books about running which I have read。 Fascinating insights into Ethiopian running

Andrew Wood ，

Book for Runners about Runners by a RunnerIf you ever wondered what it might be like to train in Ethiopia with some of the best runners in the world， if you love to run， if you want to reignite your training， if you ever wondered what being surrounded by running culture would be like…this is the book for you。

Kirsikka Myllyrinne ，

Anthropologist Crawley goes to Ethiopia to study and observe local runners in their own habitat。 The reader will be sucked into a different world where work， pride and consistency is the key。 Zigzag running， altitude training， cold showers and 3 am wake up calls to run after the bus will play out for you like in a film。 I was deeply moved by the working ethics of these people and how winning a race somewhere can truly change lives。 Reads like a novel and will definitely come back to this。

Christopher Kelsall ，

In his book， Out of Thin Air， Crawley writes in the first-person narrative and in a tone that could be construed as matter-of-fact， tinged with a dry observant wit。 Perhaps he is mildly sardonic too。 At first blush， one might think it is a Crawley trait， but the Ethiopians， we discover， are quite funny， so perhaps they bring it out of him。 It is difficult to be concise about their brand of humour， but for anyone watching Ethiopians race， they just seem focussed， nearly angry， perhaps aloof。 Humo In his book， Out of Thin Air， Crawley writes in the first-person narrative and in a tone that could be construed as matter-of-fact， tinged with a dry observant wit。 Perhaps he is mildly sardonic too。 At first blush， one might think it is a Crawley trait， but the Ethiopians， we discover， are quite funny， so perhaps they bring it out of him。 It is difficult to be concise about their brand of humour， but for anyone watching Ethiopians race， they just seem focussed， nearly angry， perhaps aloof。 Humour is not the first emotion that comes to mind。 However， being forced awake at 3:00 AM to run a long， hard effort at high altitude and in cool temperatures is fodder for sarcasm if there ever was。 Especially so， when the threat of attack by hyenas seems ever-present; they are no laughing matter。Out of Thin Air exposes the unique culture of running in Ethiopia for readers who until now found it to be a mystery。 Certainly， with a 66-minute half-marathon and a 2:20 marathon best， he is no slouch， but Crawley was dragging up the back of all training runs， but he was just good enough to get up close and personal。 Who would be more appropriate than an anthropologist runner？Non-runners may find Crawley’s book fascinating， however， running has its own language and lore and Ethiopia’s Amharic adds to the complexity， thankfully， Crawley took the time to learn the language， so readers can fully live the experience through his eyes。It’s worth the read。https://athleticsillustrated。com/out-。。。 。。。more

Oliver ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A great read and a great idea to explore the rather unknown Ethiopian running scene。 But with this said， there where a few things I found strange。The author seem to contradict himself on many occassions。 He talks about the romantic idea （western） media has about east african kids running to n from school etc and claim that its not true。 But a few paragraphs later we learn that a young runner （Fasil） he interviews was a shephard （between the age 6-16， roughly） and cud roam around the country-side A great read and a great idea to explore the rather unknown Ethiopian running scene。 But with this said， there where a few things I found strange。The author seem to contradict himself on many occassions。 He talks about the romantic idea （western） media has about east african kids running to n from school etc and claim that its not true。 But a few paragraphs later we learn that a young runner （Fasil） he interviews was a shephard （between the age 6-16， roughly） and cud roam around the country-side for 16 h （！） a day！ So of cos theese kids have a VERY active childhood as a backbone before they enter the training camps。 Another thing was contradicting was the resting。 First he mentions that the runners can do with 6 h sleeping and they are not so hard on resting etc （compared to Paula Ratcliff among others。。。）。 But a few pages later he writes that the runners think he is doing "too many laps" running around interviewing people etc and not saving his energy for training。 So I got a bit confused。。。Also the notion that they didnt eat straight after training but on many occassions they seem to drink tella （light beer）， eat bananas or other things。。。I just found these things peculiar。 Another thing that stroke me as negative was the object of the book。 Even if he declared this in the opening pages I get the impression that his focus was distracted between his writing and observations AND his own training。 It seemed he cudnt focus fully on either cos of their impact on each other。 If the authors main aim was the writing why not decrease his training load and pick a few sessions he cud participate in or just do the warm ups。 Many times he seemed to be drained of energy。 And it was a bit sad to learn that he had not improved。 For me as a runner， I am purely interested in the running parts and not into the antropology stuff。 His excursions n references into that stuff was a turn off for me。 I prefer Finn´s take on story-telling （running w the kenyans + the way of the runner）。 Finally， it was very hard to keep track of the characters。 An intro （with pics？） of all the different persons involved wud have been a great help （check out running w the buffalos）。With all this said I thought the book was if not great very good。 。。。more

Lewis Birchon ，

Manages that rare trick in a running book of being interesting by focusing on the human stories of a group of elite runners。 A fascinating slice of Ethiopian running culture that made me hungry for injera。

Josh ，

Really enjoyed this， especially having read Adharanand Finn's Running With The Kenyans - really interesting to see the difference between the two cultures。 Would really recommend for any keen runner。 Really enjoyed this， especially having read Adharanand Finn's Running With The Kenyans - really interesting to see the difference between the two cultures。 Would really recommend for any keen runner。 。。。more

Murray ，

Loved this book！ I don't even like running。 Loved this book！ I don't even like running。 。。。more

John ，

Listened on audible， really enjoyable listen while out running。

Jennifer ，

There aren't many people who could have read this book。 The author needed to have a year plus to devote to spending time with Ethiopian professional runners。 He needed both the ability and fitness to keep up with them at least part of the time。 And he needed the funding to put together the whole endeavor。 As a running fan， I've always been interested in professional runners， both American and from all over the world。 It was fascinating to get some insight into how Ethiopians train and what facto There aren't many people who could have read this book。 The author needed to have a year plus to devote to spending time with Ethiopian professional runners。 He needed both the ability and fitness to keep up with them at least part of the time。 And he needed the funding to put together the whole endeavor。 As a running fan， I've always been interested in professional runners， both American and from all over the world。 It was fascinating to get some insight into how Ethiopians train and what factors， both training and cultural， contribute to their success。 I thought Crawley did an excellent job on this。 Recommended for anyone interested in professional running or Ethiopia。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Out of Thin Air: Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Out of Thin Air: Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Out of Thin Air: Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0