Description: The author of Out of Thin Air, winner of the Margaret Mead Award 2022, journeys through different cultures to find out the meaning of endurance.
Brief description: Michael Crawley is an anthropologist, writer and runner based in Durham. He has run a 2.20 marathon and represented Great Britain in road running. In 2019, Michael was awarded a PhD in anthropology by the University of Edinburgh, following fifteen months of research living and running alongside runners in Ethiopia. His book Out of Thin Air: Running Magic and Wisdom from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia won the prestigious Margaret Mead Award in 2022. Michael has written for the Guardian, Runners' World and Trail Running and his latest research is on endurance, self-tracking and doping which has taken him to Nepal and Mexico amongst other places.
Review Quotes:
"Michael Crawley gives runners a unique and illuminating gift: to see themselves through the eyes of a trained anthropologist. The result is a fascinating and multilayered exploration of what it means to endure" --Alex Hutchinson, author of Endure
"Entertaining and fascinating" --Vassos Alexander, author of Don't Stop Me Now "An immersive investigation into the world of endurance and the people and cultures who do it" --Damian Hall, ultra runner and journalist "I'm loving it ... packed full of brilliant discussions" --Cyclist Online "engaging... [endurance sport] comes to lyrical life in Michael Crawley's evocations" --The TLS "excellent" --Whitehaven News