Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

Out of Thin Air is Michael Crawley's brilliant account of his time spent with Ethiopian long-distance runners. In his book, he documents the dedication of the runners to not only train to be the best but to use running to help improve their lives.

The sacrifices and hard work undertook by the runners shine throughout and we learn how the beliefs and occasional superstitions play a large part in their training.

A brilliant read and a fascinating insight into the mindset of athletes were running is life.

I thought this was a great book, gave a really good insight into the Ethiopian running community. Informative about their training methods and felt like you got a true insight.

There have been many about books about running and the “secrets” of the lifestyle and training regimes of the esoteric cultures of the world, this book does not reveal anything new but it does show that hard work, persistence and mindset play a large role in becoming better, it’s a nice little read and if you are a runner you can relate to many of the highs and lows mentioned