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

— —

Michael Crawley (University of Edinburgh)

Out of Thin Air

Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia: Winner of the Margaret Mead Award...

Michael Crawley (University of Edinburgh)

$29.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Bloomsbury Sport
05 January 2021

Marathon & cross-country running

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.

By: Michael Crawley (University of Edinburgh)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Sport
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
Weight: 450g
ISBN: 9781472975331
ISBN 10: 1472975332
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 05 January 2021
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

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 The 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

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.

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

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 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 *