Running with the Kenyans

Passion, Adventure, and the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth

By: Adharanand Finn

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

“A dusty road stretches into the distance like a pencil line across the arid landscape. Lions, rhino, and buffalo roam the plains on either side. But I haven’t come to Kenya to spot wildlife. I’ve come to run.”

Whether running is your recreation, your religion, or just a spectator sport, Adharanand Finn’s incredible journey to the elite training camps of Kenya will captivate and inspire you. Part travelogue, part memoir, this mesmerizing quest to uncover the secrets of the world’s greatest runners - and put them to the test - combines practical advice, a fresh look at barefoot running, and hard-won spiritual insights.

As a boy growing up in the English countryside, Adharanand Finn was a natural runner. While other kids struggled, he breezed through schoolyard races, imagining he was one of his heroes: the Kenyan long-distance runners exploding into prominence as Olympic and world champions. But as he grew up, pursued a career in journalism, married and had children, those childhood dreams slipped away - until suddenly, in his mid-thirties, Finn realized he might have only one chance left to see how far his talents could take him.

Uprooting his family of five, including three small children, Finn traveled to Iten, a small, chaotic town in the Rift Valley province of Kenya - a mecca for long-distance runners thanks to its high altitude, endless running paths, and some of the top training schools in the world. Finn would run side by side with Olympic champions, young hopefuls, and barefoot schoolchildren... not to mention the exotic - and sometimes dangerous - wildlife for which Kenya is famous.

Here, too, he would meet a cast of colorful characters, including his unflappable guide, Godfrey Kiprotich, a former half marathon champion; Christopher Cheboiboch, one of the fastest men ever to run the New York City Marathon; and Japhet, a poor, bucktoothed boy with unsuspected reservoirs of courage and raw speed. Amid the daily challenges of training and of raising a family abroad, Finn would learn invaluable lessons about running - and about life.

©2012 Adharanand Finn (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Part scientific study, travel memoir, and tale of self-discovery, Finn’s journey makes for a smart and entertaining read.” (Publishers Weekly)

“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 coauthor of the New York Times best seller Scorecasting)

“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)

Simply fantastic!

Couldn’t stop listening to it, hence I am posting this review at 0:56 am on Monday morning :)

Inspired

I enjoyed listening to his journey. I also appreciated the discussion provided about his findings on what makes Kenyan runners so fast.

Should be called hanging out with Kenyans

The book was good and informative, but did not lay out what its title suggested. There were portions of it where he was running with canyons and trying to discover their secrets. But most of it was about lifestyle in Kenya and the towns surrounding. A lot of the spokes content had to do with the way canyons are brought up and the daily lives they live. There is a few small portions of scientific data backing up the argument as to why Kenyan’s are such strong runners. But most of that surrounds the idea that they were brought up in rule areas ran a lot as youth had low fat diet, and ran barefoot. A lot of their daily struggles lead to them being brought up as very strong runners. Running is a way out of their lifestyle, and can become a viable financial windfall for them.
Westerners are brought up under a very different set of circumstances. We eat a high fat diet, and are typically raised with much less physical exercise throughout our childhood. All in all It’s an OK book, but a much better explanation to become a stronger runner is to read “Born to Run”. This book tells a much more fascinating story, as well as goes into scientific data much deeper.

Disappointing

What would have made Running with the Kenyans better?

The book was disappointing. Kind of rambled and lost focus.

Would you ever listen to anything by Adharanand Finn again?

No

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

I really like John Lee he is a good reader.

You didn???t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It was okay but I would not recommend it to anyone.

No secrets, but still a pleasant jog

This book won't make you a faster runner, but it will give insight into the most thriving running culture on the planet. A pleasant read for running enthusiasts to bring with them on those long runs.

Barely just ok...

I like more heroic-stories, while listening and during my long runs. This wasn't bad, but same time I wasn't too inspired-nor interested of whole subject. Chris McDougall's Born to Run superior many ways. Bottom line: there isn't any Kenyan-secrets to find out - so why bother to read this.

Rehash of Born to Run

What would have made Running with the Kenyans better?

New information on running science or something...anything new or new perspective.

What was most disappointing about Adharanand Finn’s story?

It didn't inspire me to run any differently or to increase my mileage.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favorite?

John Lee is an excellent narrator, I will definitely look for more of his work.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

This book is a rehash of the barefoot / minimalist running debate. I was quickly bored and tried to stick it through to the end, because I really dislike Finn, but I gave up about 3/4 of the way through. I just quit caring about what kind of minimalist shoes and what kind of run he had.

Any additional comments?

Finn sounds like the kind of guy you want to meet, sit and talk to, go running with. His wife sounds like the most long suffering saintly woman on the planet. I hope he let her pick their next long 'vacation' after their Kenya experiment. And a nanny. And a housekeeper and cook. She and their children put up with a lot so he could go off on his adventure, I'm not entirely sure I could have been as supportive and patient as she was.

decent story to listen to while running

listemed to this while running. nice story. No great secrets. nice characters and descriptions.

Educational first hand account

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Depends. If they want to delve directly into learning the Kenyan culture of running to "feel" what it is that makes them great then yes. If they are just looking for facts about what the Kenyans do right then no. The facts can be found elsewhere. This is a story of a guy visiting Kenya to run with the Kenyan's and understand what makes them great. But there really isn't a secret as to what that is. It's a combination of many things and I'm sure there are summaries online that explain everything revealed in this book in a simpler format. Since this is the authors experience in Kenya he tells side stories about his family and what life is like there. Often they aren't relevant to why I choose to read the book and in addition I found them boring. Frequently I found myself screaming in my head, "stop telling me all these meaningless details from your everyday life!". I didn't want to hear about him not getting offered tea when he visited someone. I did get some useful information from Finn's experience though. Since the information was surrounding a real story it may help me remember it in the proper context better. From that perspective the book was a success for me. Being able to see how facts connect to reality is the biggest value I got from this book.

Would you be willing to try another book from Adharanand Finn? Why or why not?

No. He includes too many details of little importance to hold my attention. His story also starts too slow and strays from the central point of the book too much. I'd rather not go through that again.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Sort of. Too slow in my opinion with unnecessarily long pauses. Once he got talking about events it wasn't too bad. Most of all though the voice just didn't match how I imagined the character sounding. I know Finn is British but the narrator sounded like a grandfather too tired to walk rather than an above average marathoner in his 30's. And the English expressions in the tone of the narrator to me sounded awful sometimes. On several occasions at least I recall thinking that the author couldn't have actually used that tone matched to those expressions when he spoke to the Kenyans. I guess i could be wrong but that's what I thought of.

What else would you have wanted to know about Adharanand Finn’s life?

Yes. I'd like to have known more about his work with Runner's World magazine. Was he writing articles for them while he was in Kenya? What were his typical topics? Did he work much in Kenya? What kind of hours and schedules did he work? Did Runner's World pay for any of his travels and running stuff in Kenya? His occupation seems like such a useful piece of information yet Finn left out much of it's influence on his Kenya trip. Surely he was able to move to Kenya partly because Runner's World loved the idea. But he just leaves that whole piece rather empty.

Any additional comments?

Decent book overall. But it lacked many of the things that make a great book and great narration. I don't regret buying it but wish it were priced less considering it's quality.

Not the worst but not the best running book...

I enjoyed this because it is about running and I’m on a running memoir kick. However, the author tries to write a book about a topic- runners in Kenya and why they’re the fastest- without any research, and experiential knowledge, and any real running savvy. I think he’s a pampered British journalist/dilettante who takes himself and his running and his knowledge of running far far too seriously. I’d like to know what his wife and daughters did the whole time they were in Kenya. I’d like to know what OTHER people were thinking but he seems to keep them at arms length, unwittingly, with his aristocratic, yet slightly hippie vibes. It seems a little money and a lot of entitlement allowed him to immerse himself- as a peripheral runner- into the world of Kenya’s elite runners. I think he should really figure out Kenya, running shoes, barefoot running and, well, running before he attempts another scattered diary, I mean book. But whatever, running memoirs are awesome and I’m thankful for each and every one of them.