Name: Jeni Enjaian's review of Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn
Item: Running with the Kenyans
Rating: 4
Author: Jeni Enjaian

Adharanand Finn

Whether running is a recreation, a passion, or just a spectator sport, Finn's incredible journey to the elite training camps of Kenya will captivate. Part travelogue, part memoir, this mesmerizing quest uncovers the secrets of the world's greatest runners--and put them to the test.

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

Running with the Kenyans

Jeni Enjaian

Vivek Chand

If you are even a remote fan of running then this is an interesting read. The author investigates the reasons for the sheer dominance of Kenyans in running and to do that he joins them in training in Kenya with family in tow. An easy interesting story which explodes the myths and provides simple answers to their running superiority.

I really enjoyed this book especially once I got past the notion (which the title invites) that the purpose of the book was to find out what makes the Kenyans such great distance runners. While that is a big part of the book (Finn temporarily moves to Kenya to train with the Kenyans because he's fascinated by their dominance at distance events) it is not the overall purpose of the book. Finn wrote (I believe) this book as a way to chronicle his journey. I loved that. (It doesn't hurt that I'm in an "completely-head-over-heels-in-love-with-running" phase right now either.)
Additionally, I loved the narrator's British accent. 
There are no great secrets to be discovered in this book. If that's what you're looking for, this isn't the book for you. If you simply want to read all you can about running, this is definitely the book for you.

Jeremy Cote

I enjoyed the book. Finn has quite the adventure throughout the novel, and it was fun to get to see his perspective of Kenya and the runners. It was a nice, easy read.

One minor nitpick: I dislike that Finn always uses the pronoun "he" and its associated ones in order to describe a person, or a runner, or a Kenyan. It feels as if he thinks there's only one gender there.

Aidan

Matt Illing

Danté

Elizabeth Garza

luis martins

Grace K

Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award Winner - Best New Writer at the British Sports Book Awards After years of watching Kenyan athletes win the world's biggest races, from the Olympics to big city marathons, Runner's World contributor Adharanand Finn set out to discover just what it was that made them so fast - and to see if he could keep up. Packing up his family (and his running shoes), he moved from Devon to the small town of Iten, in Kenya, home to hundreds of the country's best athletes. Once there he laced up his shoes and ventured out onto the dirt tracks, running side by side with Olympic champions, young hopefuls and barefoot schoolchildren. He ate their food, slept in their training camps, interviewed their coaches, and his children went to their schools. And at the end of it all, there was his dream, to join the best of the Kenyan athletes in his first marathon, an epic race through lion country across the Kenyan plains.

Jeni Enjaian &
Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn

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Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn