Amazing Racers: The Story of America's Greatest Running Team and its Revolutionary Coach

by Marc Bloom

Overview

The inspiring, untold story about a group of remarkable athletes and their groundbreaking coach who live and train in startling ways—and are redefining running excellence in the United States.

What would one call taking teens with no evident running talent and putting them through breakneck training combined with mantras from the rock n' roll, techniques from Kenya, philosophy from Australia and turning them champions? Is it revolutionary? Or just plain crazy?

Bill Aris has heard both, but one thing is indisputable. Everything Aris does with his runners—male and female—is new and extraordinary, and he has created a new American running dynasty. The runners of Fayetteville-Manlius High School, or F-M, have won the last nine out of ten national championships and have the best cumulative record in cross country history. F-M's domination has shocked the sport for its defiance of accepted running principles and limitations. One year, the girls defeated the 2nd-place team in the country by an average of 59 seconds per girl in a 5k race. Another year, the F-M girls’ ran faster than their Kenyan counterparts, who had come to Oregon as a showcase. Across the country, top coaches all whisper, “How do they do it?”

From adopting long-forgotten Spartan creeds to focusing on teenaged developmental psychology and gender-blindness in training, Amazing Racers is a a must read for millions of runners and the millions more who strive for better performance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643130798
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	08/06/2019
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.00(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Marc Bloom is an award-winning track and field journalist. He is a senior writer for Runner's World magazine and the author of six books. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Broadway Bound ix

1 Shared Suffering: 2014 Starting Line 1

2 Killer Eyes: Early 2000s 11

3 The Stotan Challenge: 2004 Season I 19

4 The Machine Is Born: 2004 Season II 28

5 Pain Is the Purifier: 2004 Season III 47

6 The White Moment: 2004 Season IV 65

7 Party Time in Portland: 2004 Season V 76

8 Earth, Wind, and Fire: 2005 Season I 88

9 Saturday Night Lights: 2005 Season II 101

10 Little Girls Grow Up: 2006 Season I 114

11 Comfortably Numb: 2006 Season II 131

12 Hard Rocks at Otter Creek: 2007 Season 148

13 Fits Over F-M Footage: 2008 Season 164

14 Pilgrimage to Portsea: 2008 Encore 183

15 Risking Failure: 2009 Season I 192

16 Sweeping Signals: 2009 Season II 202

17 Play Dates in Fairyland: 2010 Season I 211

18 Wings on Their Feet: 2010 Season II 222

19 Emotional Rescue: 2011 Season 232

20 Mud in Your Eye: 2012 Season 251

21 Remember the Alamo: 2013 Season 267

22 Poet Warriors: 2014 Season II 285

23 Here Comes the Sun: 2014 Finish Line 294

Epilogue I Human Sacrifice (2015) 313

Epilogue II Everyone Accountable (2016) 315

Epilogue III Their Finest Hour (2017) 319

Postscript 323

Appendix I Fayetteville-Manlius and Nike Cross Nationals 325

Appendix II Where the Stotans Are Now (as of October 2018) 327

Bibliography 333

Acknowledgments 339

Editorial Reviews

"Bloom captures all the ingredients for a magical journey into why running remains such an integral part of the American experience. Bloom brings depth and dimension to this intimate and enthralling story. If running is part of your life psyche, Amazing Racers will only enhance that treasured lifeline."

Neil Amdur

"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. Along the way, they discover truths about themselves and, best of all, a life-long love of running. "

Lynn Jennings

"Bloom, the oracle of high school cross-country, gives Aris and the F-M team the treatment they merit given their astounding success. Bloom's attention to detail allows us to understand for the first time how Aris adapts his cherished 'Stotan' philosophy to create a culture of success. Bravo!"

Craig Masback

Who would think that the story of an upstate New York high school coach and his young runners could be so inspiring! Marc Bloom gives us a beautiful exploration of the meaning of success in running—and in life.  Amazing Racers tells us how we can perform at a higher level than we ever imagined.

George A. Hirsch

Bloom pulls back the curtain on this wondrous team.  An illuminating narrative with cultural power and unflinching love.

Amby Burfoot

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. His close reading of races, often called in heart-racing play-by-plays, is supplemented by research in sports physiology and psychology, and the history of cross-country racing.

Shelf Awareness

A captivating story of a longtime coach with a unique vision. Bravo to Bloom for sharing this story of a running dynasty and the man behind the program. A must-read for cross-country runners.

Booklist

"A captivating story of a longtime coach with a unique vision. Bravo to Bloom for sharing this story of a running dynasty and the man behind the program. A must-read for cross-country runners."

Booklist