East African Running

What makes East African middle and long distance runners the best in the world? How should contemporary academia approach this question?
The success of East African distance runners has generated a plethora of studies but much of the 'evidence' presented to support hypotheses is anecdotal, arguments being led by non-academics who use popular media as their medium rather than relying on scientific publications. This has resulted in many stereotypical arguments being advocated.
Within the academic community, research has also been restricted by its isolation within either the natural science or social science communities. East African Running: Towards a Cross Disciplinary Perspective, presents a rare collaboration between researchers from the sports sciences and social sciences to explore the questions raised by the phenomena of East African success on the track. The text includes:
psycho-social and economic explanations
physiological and genetic explanations
attempts to provide unified theories bringing together ideas from natural and social sciences
Includes contributions from John Bale, Jim Denison, Timothy D. Noakes and Craig Sharp.

Yannis Pitsiladis, John Bale, Craig Sharp, Tim Noakes

Introduction Notes on Contributors Part 1: Socio-Economic and Cultural Perspectives 1. Kenyan Running Before the 1968 Mexico Olympics 2. The Promise and Possibilities of Running In and Out of East Africa 3. Raiders from the Rift Valley: Cattle Raiding and Distance Running in East Africa 4. The Haile Gebrselassie Story: A Biography of Difference Part 2: Physiological Perspectives 5. Outstanding Performance Despite Low Fluid Intake: The Kenyan Running Experience 6. Energy Balance and Body Composition of Elite Endurance Runners: A Hunter-Gatherer Phenotype 7. Diet and Endurance Performance of Kenyan Runners: A Physiological Perspective 8. Dominance of Kenyan Kalenjins in Middle- and Long-Distance Running 9. Understanding the Dominance of African Endurance Runners: Exercise Biology and an Integrative Model 10. Studies of Physiological and Neuromuscular Function of Black South African Distance Runners 11. Erythropoietic Indices in Elite Kenyan Runners Training at Altitude: Effects of Descent to Sea Level Part 3: Athleticogenomic Perspectives 12. Genes and Human Elite Athletic Performance 13. Genetics and Endurance Performance 14. Evidence for the 'Natural' East African Athlete