Adharanand Finn's RUNNING WITH THE KENYANS has been shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. This year's shortlist celebrates a wide range of sports, and was noted for being the most varied in the award's 24 year history. Other titles included in the shortlist are BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR by Simon Jordan and Rick Broadbent's THAT NEAR DEATH THING.
The award has been running for 24 years, and in addition to the £24,000 cash prize, the winner will receive a £2,000 William Hill bet, a specially-commissioned hand-bound copy of their book, and a day at the races. The winner will be revealed on 26 November at a lunchtime reception at Waterstones Piccadilly (London). For more information on the William Hill Sports Award, please click here.
RUNNING WITH THE KENYANS is Adharanand's account of his time spent in Kenya to discover the soul of Kenyan long distance running. It is published by Faber and Faber in the UK and Ballantine in the USA.
'A hugely inspiring story of what is possible when we dare to try.' -- Ruth Field, author of Run Fat Bitch Run
'I've seldom read a better account of the exhilaration of running…what gives RUNNING WITH THE KENYANS its special appeal is Finn's charm…He's unusually engaging company both on and off the track.' -- Evening Standard
'engaging memoir…Part of the enjoyment of this book is the depiction of how the family takes to this new life. Finn's account of his two daughters' first day at a local school with vast class sizes depicts a blend of exhilaration and bewilderment. And the family, down to baby Ossian, moulds itself very patiently around Finn's near-obsessional six-month quest, not merely to uncover an athletic alchemical formula, but also to dramatically improve his own running in the process. For anyone who has ever run, this aspect of the book has a hypnotic aspect…Finn is good at depicting the intense focus needed for long distances…Finn's story is escapist and colourfully evocative…The book is populated with engagingly drawn characters and towards the end, Finn's quest - the burning need to attain a certain marathon time - is gripping.' -- Four Star Review, Sinclair McKay, The Telegraph