Synopses & Reviews
What would one call taking teens with no evident running talent and challenging them with boundless hill training combined with mantras from rock 'n' roll, techniques from Kenya, philosophy from Australia, and turning them into champions? Is it revolutionary? Or a risky rebellion against running — and teenage — norms?
Coach Bill Aris has heard both, but one thing is indisputable. Everything Aris does with his runners — male and female alike — is new and extraordinary, and he has created a new American running dynasty. The cross-country runners of Fayetteville-Manlius, or F-M, in upstate New York have dominated high school running for 15 years, sweeping boys' and girls' titles at the Nike Cross Nationals championships (NXN) in 2014 in an unprecedented achievement.
The girls' team, empowered by Aris' unique, unwavering brand of gender equity, has won 11 of the last 13 NXN titles, some by margins of over 100 points. The boys' team has the best cumulative national record of NXN podium performances. F-M domination has shocked the sport for its defiance of accepted running principles and limitations. One year at NXN, the F-M girls defeated the all-star field of top teams by an average of 59 seconds per girl in the 5k race.
Another year, the girls ran faster than their teenage Kenyan counterparts, who competed in the Portland, Oregon event as an international showcase. Across the country, coaches awed by F-M and unaware of the team's methods and discoveries, whispered, "How do they do it?"
From adopting long-forgotten "Stotan" creeds — combining the rigors of a Spartan and stoic lifestyle — to delving into teenage developmental psychology and gender-blindness in training, Amazing Racers is a must read for millions of runners and the millions more who strive for better performance.
Review
"Award-winning track journalist Bloom shares a captivating story of a longtime coach with a unique vision: Bill Aris, who led the upstate New York Fayetteville-Manlius High School cross-country teams to both boys' and girls' titles at the Nike Cross Nationals Championships and, in the process, created a lasting culture of excellence for all who ran in the powerhouse program." Booklist
Review
"Amazing Racers is an inspiring illumination of a sensational team. Bloom's consistent and sincerely awestruck tone drives home just how special this story is, celebrating both the dedicated young athletes and their leader." Shelf Awareness
Review
"An engaging portrayal of an idiosyncratic coach, his stout-hearted athletes, and the wonder of powerful running. Marc effectively shows how a coach holds a mirror up to his harriers, pushing and pulling them to train with diligence, and how to find the freedom, beauty, and strength in their pursuits." Lynn Jennings, three-time World Cross Country Champion and Olympic Bronze medalist
About the Author
Marc Bloom is an award-winning track and field journalist. He was a senior writer for Runner's World magazine and is the author of ten books, including Run with the Champions and God on the Starting Line. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.