Amazing Racers

July 1, 2019
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. Bloom's primary focus is the decade from 2004 to 2014. He effectively captures the spirit of Coach Aris, who launched a great experiment for his athletes, the Stotan (stoic and spartan) philosophy based on the practice of famed Australian running coach Percy Cerutty. The Stotan team works toward being selfless, transforms emotional vulnerability into emotional power, and, through this training methodology, fosters an introspective, strong, humble group of runners who work together as they strive for excellence. Through trial and some error, he finds success with some heroic performances throughout the years. Both boys' and girls' teams are covered in the account. Bravo to Bloom for sharing this story of a running dynasty and the man behind the program. A must-read for cross-country runners.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)