Out of Thin Air

Author Michael Crawley
Narrator Raj Ghatak
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
Run Time 7 hours and 47 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Biography and non-fiction prose, Marathon and cross-country running, Memoirs, Running and jogging, Social and cultural anthropology, Society and Social Sciences, Sports and Active outdoor recreation, Sports training and coaching.

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What to expect

‘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

What we can learn from Ethiopian running culture – written by an anthropologist and 2:20 marathon runner who trained with the Ethiopians.

‘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.

Critics Review

Full of wonderful insights and lessons from a world where the ability to run is viewed as something almost mysterious and magical.
Adharanand Finn
Inspiring … [Crawley’s] writing is evocative and easily paced, and, like the athletes, flits between seriousness and humour. The sounds, smells and sights of Ethiopia feel almost within reach, while the scholarly references are just enough to enhance our understanding without slowing down the narrative … 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
Excellent … Could transform your running forever. Many of Crawley’s insights into Ethiopian running can help runners anywhere.
Runner's World
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, Olympic Gold medal winner and world champion
A cut above the rest … packed with insight.
Trail Running
An evocative and clear-eyed portrait of Ethiopian running.
Ed Caesar
A fascinating account of the 15 months [Crawley] spent in Ethiopia … This big-hearted tale will resonate with readers regardless of whether they’ve ever laced up a pair of running shoes.
Publishers Weekly
A brilliant book.
Break Out Culture podcast
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
You don’t have to be a runner to enjoy this book. If you’ve ever marvelled at the ability of East African runners in marathon events, you’ll be interested in this.
Women's Weekly

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