5th Mile (Book Review: Running With Kenyans)

The fastest people on earth, who are they?  Based on Olympic champions, world records, marathon domination, most people would say...Kenyans.  Kenya has dominated the long distance field for years and continues today with a new world record in the Mens marathon in Berlin set by Wilson Kipsang and Kimetto setting a new course record in Chicago just this year.  The book, Running with the Kenyans, is written by Adharanand Finn of England.  It follows him and his family on an extended trip to Kenya so Finn can train with a group of Kenyans.  He is introduced to methods of training, a new diet, a different form, etc.  Like Born to Run this book also introduces the "barefoot" running style but flips back and forth and actually presenting both sides of the issue.  The book is truly inspiring and makes me want to pack my bags and head over to Kenya for a few months just to see what I can do.

It is crazy to think that in the small community that Finn lives in for a short period of time is home to past world record holders and Olympic and marathon champions.  If you are a runner in Kenya you are not doing run of the mill road races for benefits, you are doing long races to win.  When I ran in college I had a few teammates from Kenya and it always blew my mind how easy it was for them to run.  After reading this book the picture is a lot more clear.  I hear people say things like "it's because they have an extra muscle" or "if I had to run from lions I would be fast too."  These are somewhat offensive because it's creating a reason why these people are fast that is not accurate whatsoever.  These people are fast, simply because they run...a lot.  It is their life, not every Kenyan is fast, but the ones that decide to run, make it their lifestyle, they make it their job.

The finale of the book is set in the desert of Kenya as Finn, along with his Kenyan teammates, are running one of the most brutal marathons known to man.  As I said earlier, this book is truly inspiring, makes you want to improve your running in every aspect, and is an unforgettable read.