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A review by tim_ohearn
Running with the Kenyans: Passion, Adventure, and the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth by Adharanand Finn
3.0
Considering that the audience for such a book is so limited, Running with the Kenyans feels especially half-assed. What was this guy actually doing living in Iten chasing a 3-hour marathon? I've seen better information about Iten in one-off LetsRun threads where other (presumably, white) people who are dedicated enough to train there provide the full cost of living breakdowns and such.
It strikes me as reckless to bring two young children to such a spartan place where they might be several days journey from a suitable hospital. Just crazy. It's also weird that there's no information about quality of life concerns such as availability of clean water and toiletries. What the hell did this guy's wife do all day during the time he was there? Why is it that we first heard about his budget when he was selecting housing, then never again? How much was truly organic here and how much was he effectively paying for access? So many interesting details missing.
Mr. Finn did get surprisingly close to many fast Kenyans but it's easy to picture how awkward some of these interactions must have been (people seem annoyed with him even after significant editing). Down to what amounted to an Irish Goodbye to his "team" at the end of the book, the guy was down there to write a book, not to run faster. We should use the proceeds from sales of this book to fund a perpetual scholarship where one national-level D1 distance runner gets to train in Iten for his first post-grad training block then writes a book about it.
It strikes me as reckless to bring two young children to such a spartan place where they might be several days journey from a suitable hospital. Just crazy. It's also weird that there's no information about quality of life concerns such as availability of clean water and toiletries. What the hell did this guy's wife do all day during the time he was there? Why is it that we first heard about his budget when he was selecting housing, then never again? How much was truly organic here and how much was he effectively paying for access? So many interesting details missing.
Mr. Finn did get surprisingly close to many fast Kenyans but it's easy to picture how awkward some of these interactions must have been (people seem annoyed with him even after significant editing). Down to what amounted to an Irish Goodbye to his "team" at the end of the book, the guy was down there to write a book, not to run faster. We should use the proceeds from sales of this book to fund a perpetual scholarship where one national-level D1 distance runner gets to train in Iten for his first post-grad training block then writes a book about it.