Running with the Kenyans: Discovering the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth
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- Create Date：2021-08-25 08:54:54
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Adharanand Finn
- ISBN：0571274064
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Summary
Completely satisfying， as well-paced and exhilarating as a good run。"--"The Boston Globe"
Whether running is your recreation or your religion， Adharanand Finn's incredible journey to the elite training camps of Kenya will captivate and inspire you， as he ventures to uncover the secrets of the fastest people on earth。 Finn's mesmerizing quest combines a fresh look at barefoot running， practical advice on the sport， and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream: to run with his heroes。 Uprooting his family of five， Finn traveled to a small， chaotic town in the Rift Valley province of Kenya--a mecca for long-distance runners， thanks to its high altitude， endless paths， and some of the top training schools in the world。 There Finn would run side by side with Olympic champions， young hopefuls， and barefoot schoolchildren， and meet a cast of unforgettable characters。 Amid the daily challenges of training and of raising a family abroad， Finn would learn invaluable lessons about running--and about life。
With a new Afterword by the author
"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
Whether running is your recreation or your religion， Adharanand Finn's incredible journey to the elite training camps of Kenya will captivate and inspire you， as he ventures to uncover the secrets of the fastest people on earth。 Finn's mesmerizing quest combines a fresh look at barefoot running， practical advice on the sport， and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream: to run with his heroes。 Uprooting his family of five， Finn traveled to a small， chaotic town in the Rift Valley province of Kenya--a mecca for long-distance runners， thanks to its high altitude， endless paths， and some of the top training schools in the world。 There Finn would run side by side with Olympic champions， young hopefuls， and barefoot schoolchildren， and meet a cast of unforgettable characters。 Amid the daily challenges of training and of raising a family abroad， Finn would learn invaluable lessons about running--and about life。
With a new Afterword by the author
"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
Reviews
Dzulhelmi Mohd Razali
，
Finn bring us to the real world of Kenyan runners and their culture。 It’s difficult to say that all the aspects of Kenyan daily routine make them the greatest runner on earth， but I can say some of that make sense。 The story of being a ‘Kenyan’ in six months alight us how Kenyan survived on their life and training。 Looking forward to another Finn book i Japan after this。
Steven Kolber
，
A fantastic slice of life tale that really takes a non interested reader into the world and culture of Kenyan long distance and Marathon running。
Andrew Wood
，
Running with the Kenyans is a very approachable book that follows A。 Finn’s adventure in Kenya running with the locals and exploring the running culture。 This was a good book and I recommend reading it。 In addition， suggest that this be paired with the book “out of thin air” by Crawley based on his experiences training in Ethiopia。 The difference in the authors’ experience and focus is fascinating。
Aude Hofleitner
，
This was an ok book， easy to read。 It follows the author as he travels with his family to Kenya as part of his quest to understand what makes Kenyans so fast。 He investigates whether it comes from bare foot running， nutrition， training strategy， genetics， the camps， the community， the importance of winning to make a living， 。。。There are some interesting pieces， though nothing particularly stands out， the story is fairly predictable and it often has too much sense of the "white dude" privilege。 This was an ok book， easy to read。 It follows the author as he travels with his family to Kenya as part of his quest to understand what makes Kenyans so fast。 He investigates whether it comes from bare foot running， nutrition， training strategy， genetics， the camps， the community， the importance of winning to make a living， 。。。There are some interesting pieces， though nothing particularly stands out， the story is fairly predictable and it often has too much sense of the "white dude" privilege。 。。。more
Linda Beldava
，
Daudz interesanta par kenijiešiem un viņu skriešanas "noslēpumu"。Lai arī interesanti par mani interesējošu tēmu， tomēr līdz pat noslēgumam nepameta sajūta， ka šis nav gluži grāmatas materiāls。 Podkāsts， bloga ieraksts - jā， bet ne grāmata。 Daudz interesanta par kenijiešiem un viņu skriešanas "noslēpumu"。Lai arī interesanti par mani interesējošu tēmu， tomēr līdz pat noslēgumam nepameta sajūta， ka šis nav gluži grāmatas materiāls。 Podkāsts， bloga ieraksts - jā， bet ne grāmata。 。。。more
Emma
，
I first read this book 7 years ago as I was starting on my 5k running journey and found it a great read。 Fast forward to 2021 and it’s still a great read - statistics are a bit dated however the general ethos is the same。 Yes it’s a book about running but also about embracing a new culture， having a growth mindset， and observing and learning from others。 Ah yes…。and putting your running shoes on and getting out there。
R。J。 Southworth
，
A fairly good book， the strongest elements being the information about Kenyan culture and the combination of factors that lead to the country producing great runners， as well as the author’s thoughts on the pleasure of running that fellow runners will surely relate to。
Masnawi HJ Miskam
，
Christopher CheboibochIsmael KiruiMicah KogoMike KigenVivian CheruiyotRichard KiplagatJohn NdunguGeoffrey MutaiFaith KipyegonIsaac SongokSammy WanjiruMary KeitanyLornah KiplagatLinet MasaiLeonard KomonMercy CheronoDaniel KomenCatherine NderebaPaul TergatEmmanuel MutaiNixon ChepsebaGodfrey KiprotichDavid RudishaWilson KipketerRichard ChelimoMatthew BirirDavid BarmasaiPaul TanuiWilson KpisangViola KimettoVincent KimkemoiCaroline KilelWelcome to Kenya！
Mark McKelvey
，
Great book。 I learned a lot and am inspired to run a marathon。
Heather
，
Another brilliant book by Adharanand Finn！ This was such a compulsive read about living in Kenya and running with the Kenyans - all the time trying to work out how they became the best runners on the planet。
Henning Tegner
，
This is Finn's first book about running。 And there's a lot to like about it， if you take it for what it is。 It is partly a description of Finn's relationship with running from the start to the time of writing， and partly a travelogue of a Finn family adventure of moving to Kenya for six months。If you're like me， someone who enjoys running， （but is not too obsessed with it，） and enjoys books that give you an insight into a world you are unfamiliar with， then this book is an excellent fit。 I found This is Finn's first book about running。 And there's a lot to like about it， if you take it for what it is。 It is partly a description of Finn's relationship with running from the start to the time of writing， and partly a travelogue of a Finn family adventure of moving to Kenya for six months。If you're like me， someone who enjoys running， （but is not too obsessed with it，） and enjoys books that give you an insight into a world you are unfamiliar with， then this book is an excellent fit。 I found it to be a very enjoyable read due to the insight it gives into the running culture of Kenya， the descriptions of all the interesting characters Finn encounters during his stay， but also due to the wealth of information about running form and racing techniques。The book isn't all that well structured。 The premiss of the book is that the Finn family sense of adventure converged fortuitously with Finn's desire to give himself a chance to do some high-altitude training in a place with a reputation for running excellence， but is presented as a search for the "secret sauce" for Kenyan running。 This is perhaps a bit of creative marketing coming into play， but the book does offer up some theories as to why Kenyans or more specifically Kalenji people rule the sport， which I did find very interesting。 All in all， I found it a very enjoyable read。 。。。more
Flavio Velame
，
Finn had the exciting opportunity to leave England and move to Iten， Kenya in order to live and train in the most notorius land of kenyan runners。 The book also includes some details on running and trainning technique， but as a book of memories is more a personal experience of such intense cultural change to him and his family。 Yes， he will tell you about the "secrets" of the Kenyan runners， but I'm not sure everyone would be able to face it。 Finn had the exciting opportunity to leave England and move to Iten， Kenya in order to live and train in the most notorius land of kenyan runners。 The book also includes some details on running and trainning technique， but as a book of memories is more a personal experience of such intense cultural change to him and his family。 Yes， he will tell you about the "secrets" of the Kenyan runners， but I'm not sure everyone would be able to face it。 。。。more
Walter Frenguelli
，
Me encantó el libro， muy bien escrito y logrado， por momentos dramático y por momentos muy cómico。 En general， la historia transcurre en la indagación， de parte del autor， del secreto de los corredores keniatas y en su propia experiencia entrenando， y viviendo， con ellos durante un tiempo。 En mi caso， me ha resultado muy emotivo， entretenido， atrapante y fácil de leer。 Lo recomiendo para los amantes del running。
John Min
，
Very much enjoyed this book。 I am quite the opposite of an endurance athlete but I love books like this （incl。 Born to Run， etc）。 It was an enjoyable journey for me on a few levels: 1。 following Finn on his quest to train with the Kenyan's to complete his first marathon， 2。 get introduced to the Kenyan runners， their way of life and the secrets to their utter dominance of distance running and 3。 to get a glimpse into the life of Kenyan people。 I went through this book on Audible and the narrator Very much enjoyed this book。 I am quite the opposite of an endurance athlete but I love books like this （incl。 Born to Run， etc）。 It was an enjoyable journey for me on a few levels: 1。 following Finn on his quest to train with the Kenyan's to complete his first marathon， 2。 get introduced to the Kenyan runners， their way of life and the secrets to their utter dominance of distance running and 3。 to get a glimpse into the life of Kenyan people。 I went through this book on Audible and the narrator gets an "A" for his performance。 It flowed well and kept my attention all the way though。 It was very informative and inspiring。 I thank Finn for adding to the understanding of "barefoot" running that "Born to Run" started。 。。。more
HECTOR BAGLEY
，
Enjoyed this， especially as I am currently in Kenya。 Full of great facts and insights into Kenyan running。 Very accessible and matter of fact - a bit like a diary
Bianca Mendoza
，
It got a little slow in the middle， but 5 stars for the ending。 Makes you relive the excitement and passion of training and racing。 You can almost feel that runners high by just reading about the final race！
Riley （runtobooks）
，
3。5 stars
Christian Wiedel
，
Dålig översättning。 Hur kan man inte få rätt på km och miles i en bok om löpning？ Annars himla fin！
Andrew Trench
，
A journalist goes looking for a secret which has no simple answer。 An engaging read which is part sports books， part anthropology and part self-improvement。
Johanna
，
3。5 ⭐️ read - I really enjoyed this book， inspiring and interesting story especially as someone who enjoys recreational running （even if it’s just 5k）。
Creag Reece
，
Just a lovely read about running。
Ηλιάνα Σκετίδου
，
Μια γυναίκα μου λέει， καθώς καθόμαστε στο γρασίδι， πως το τρέξιμο είναι σαν το μεθύσι αλλά από την ανάποδη。 Με το ποτό， νιώθεις καλά στην αρχή， αλλά μετά η διάθεσή σου χαλάει。 Ενώ με το τρέξιμο， νιώθεις χάλια στην αρχή， αλλά μετά， όταν τερματίσεις， νιώθεις τέλεια。 ΥπόθεσηΟ Adharanand Finn ήταν φυσικό ταλέντο στο τρέξιμο。 Κέρδιζε τους αγώνες στο σχολείο χωρίς καν να κουραστεί。 Κάτι όμως η απουσία πείσματος， κάτι οι σπουδές， η καριέρα κι η ζωή η ίδια， δεν το κυνήγησε ποτέ。 Και βρέθηκε， λίγο πρι Μια γυναίκα μου λέει， καθώς καθόμαστε στο γρασίδι， πως το τρέξιμο είναι σαν το μεθύσι αλλά από την ανάποδη。 Με το ποτό， νιώθεις καλά στην αρχή， αλλά μετά η διάθεσή σου χαλάει。 Ενώ με το τρέξιμο， νιώθεις χάλια στην αρχή， αλλά μετά， όταν τερματίσεις， νιώθεις τέλεια。 ΥπόθεσηΟ Adharanand Finn ήταν φυσικό ταλέντο στο τρέξιμο。 Κέρδιζε τους αγώνες στο σχολείο χωρίς καν να κουραστεί。 Κάτι όμως η απουσία πείσματος， κάτι οι σπουδές， η καριέρα κι η ζωή η ίδια， δεν το κυνήγησε ποτέ。 Και βρέθηκε， λίγο πριν τα 40， να σκέφτεται ότι μια μέρα ίσως αναρωτηθεί «Τι θα γινόταν αν» και δεν θα ξέρει τι να απαντήσει。 Έτσι， αποφασίζει να πάει στη χώρα που «και λάθος τηλέφωνο να πάρεις， θα το σηκώσει κάποιος που θα έχει κάνει καλύτερο χρόνο στον μαραθώνιο από το ρεκόρ της χώρας σου που κανείς δεν έχει σπάσει εδώ και 25 χρόνια»， δηλαδή στην Κένυα。 Και να προπονηθεί δίπλα σε αυτούς που σαρώνουν τα μετάλλια πρακτικά σε κάθε αγώνα που αφορά το τρέξιμο， είτε είναι 800 μέτρα， είτε μαραθώνιος， ελπίζοντας να μάθει το μυστικό της επιτυχίας τους。（Spoiler alert: Δεν υπάρχει μυστικό！） ΚριτικήΑν δεν είστε από αυτούς που βρίσκουν ενδιαφέρον να τρέχουν χωρίς να τους κυνηγάει κανείς， αυτό το βιβλίο μάλλον δεν σας ενδιαφέρει。 Δεν είναι επιστημονικό να εξηγεί πώς εξελιχθήκαμε να είμαστε οι καλύτεροι δρομείς μεγάλων αποστάσεων σε όλο το ζωικό βασίλειο， δεν είναι καν εγχειρίδιο να δίνει οδηγίες για τη σωστή στάση σώματος， τον κατάλληλο εξοπλισμό και το ιδανικό έδαφος。 Είναι απλώς η ιστορία ενός λευκού που είχε την ευχέρεια να πάρει την οικογένειά του και να ζήσουν 6 μήνες στο Ίτεν， μια μικρή πόλη που έχει καταφέρει να γίνει ο μαστ προορισμός κάθε επαγγελματία δυτικού δρομέα， αλλά και κάθε Κενυάτη που ονειρεύεται να ξεφύγει από τη φτώχεια。Αν όμως είστε ερασιτέχνες δρομείς ή σας αρέσει να διαβάζετε ιστορίες επιτυχίας ανθρώπων της διπλανής πόρτας （σε εσάς αναφέρομαι που 3 το πρωί βλέπετε βιντεάκια “My weight loss journey” και “Body transformation”） θα το βρείτε πολύ ενδιαφέρον και ίσως βουρκώσετε και λίγο στο τελευταίο κεφάλαιο που περιγράφει τη συμμετοχή του στον δυσκολότερο αγώνα ανώμαλου δρόμου της Κένυα。 。。。more
Hunter Marston
，
I really enjoyed this book by Adharanand Finn。 I'd previously read （or listened to The Rise of the Ultrarunners， which I also really enjoyed。 Like his other book， in this one Finn did a fantastic job of situating the reader in his running shoes and immersing you in the world he inhabits。 Here he lives among a small Kenyan running community in Iten， whom he runs with and gets to know， along with his family， who accompanied him for the book project。 It's a heartwarming and fun story， as well as go I really enjoyed this book by Adharanand Finn。 I'd previously read （or listened to The Rise of the Ultrarunners， which I also really enjoyed。 Like his other book， in this one Finn did a fantastic job of situating the reader in his running shoes and immersing you in the world he inhabits。 Here he lives among a small Kenyan running community in Iten， whom he runs with and gets to know， along with his family， who accompanied him for the book project。 It's a heartwarming and fun story， as well as good motivation for those trying to run a faster marathon or half marathon！ 。。。more
Alan Horan
，
Excellent great read
Alfie Hollingsworth
，
I haven't strictly read this book gave up about 2/3 of the way in。 Whilst it is interesting the in depth analysis of the Kenyan athletes and attitudes to running combined with the pretty slow and meandering narrative make it a bit of a slog。 Might give it another go one day。 I haven't strictly read this book gave up about 2/3 of the way in。 Whilst it is interesting the in depth analysis of the Kenyan athletes and attitudes to running combined with the pretty slow and meandering narrative make it a bit of a slog。 Might give it another go one day。 。。。more
Sam Lane
，
Didn't mind this， it did however highlight what a poor runner I am。 Didn't mind this， it did however highlight what a poor runner I am。 。。。more
Andy Parkes
，
Having recently read and enjoyed Adharanand's ultra running book I thought I'd give this a go。 This takes a look at why so many great distance runners come from Kenya and he does that by moving his family out there so he can be fully immersed in the lifestyle and the training。It's a personal story， very similar to the other book so tied up in how much you're interested in his side of thingsI applaud him for jumping in the deep end。 Even though he's clearly an accomplished runner he openly admits Having recently read and enjoyed Adharanand's ultra running book I thought I'd give this a go。 This takes a look at why so many great distance runners come from Kenya and he does that by moving his family out there so he can be fully immersed in the lifestyle and the training。It's a personal story， very similar to the other book so tied up in how much you're interested in his side of thingsI applaud him for jumping in the deep end。 Even though he's clearly an accomplished runner he openly admits he's not at their level yet goes running with them all the same。 I'm not sure I'd be brave enough！If you're looking into some specific reason as to why Kenyan runners are so good you won't really find that here。 It's not a scientific study。 It's a good read though， he did a great job of fleshing out all the different characters he came across and it all tied up very neatly with a big race at the end。 。。。more
Gary Pitman
，
Spoiler the clue is in the title。 It's a book about running the Kenyan way。 Good book Spoiler the clue is in the title。 It's a book about running the Kenyan way。 Good book 。。。more
Claire
，
Loved this book。。。 I loved that he decided to get better at running and soTook his family on an adventure to Kenya for 6 months。 I enjoyed the documentation of his progress， his insight into running and his take on running barefoot and trainers resulting from colonialism。 Really interesting， enjoyed and learnt new things。
Brent Feldmann
，