Wow, what a read! As a runner and teacher, it's clear how much passion Sean has not only for running, but for the runners he coaches - and it's only further proven with the excerpts from others who know him rather than just from his own account!. While this is more of a slow burn, it's filled with tons of inspiration and guidance that can be carried into any area of life, not just athletics. I always root for the underdog, but Sean took this team to another level - a great read for anyone who might need a little extra push to get out of a rut! Thanks for the ARC!

This is a book for people who REALLY like or are interested in the world of distance running. I found the dedication and passion from the coach honourable and was cheering on the runners through their successes, but there was a whole lot of running specifics here that just didn’t hold my interest. If running was or is your sport and you always wished you had a coach that believed in you, then this might be a book for you.

This was such an interesting read as a sprinter transitioning into endurance running. I spent a lot of time in track sprinting and never really learned about what cross country was up to and how it functioned until I read this book. So much more strategy than I thought was involved! While I have never run the type of racing that these boys (and Coach Brosnan) competed in, it was exhilarating to read about. I can not even fathom going that fast in the mile/2 mile/3 mile distances and not being absolutely destroyed for several days post race. I especially enjoyed the snippets of information, as they remembered it, from the teammates involved in the book. It's great to see both the coaches and his athletes' points of view. As I have never competed seriously, or followed cross country news, or even really the Olympics, I could not completely connect with the story.

However, the punishing workouts, grit, dedication, and perseverance - regardless of what distance you run, or how fast - are facets to our sport we can all agree on in the running community. Amazing/Inspiring work!

Even if you know nothing about Cross Country, or running in general, this story has plenty of captivating themes and reasons to read.

Beyond Fast gives a firsthand account of taking a high school team from average to national champs in just a few years. Sean's ambition bleeds through every page and you can't help but admire his drive. Stay with me, but this reminds of reading Elon Musk's biography. Extraordinary results from someone who goes above and beyond to meet their goals. Sean lives a vagabond life that uniquely prepares him to take a few talented kids and build a juggernaut.

Many stories are inspirational but this is different. Only a few will ever wholly pour themselves into a goal like Sean did with his team. Outsiders will call him crazy and the haters will criticize. I admire what he accomplished but have to be honest that the commitment and dedication it took is too much for the common person. Nevertheless, there are leadership lessons throughout a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Beyond Fast is the remarkable story of a high school cross country team that went from also-rans to state and national champions.
The author Sean Brosnan with the help of Chris Lear and Andrew Greif takes the reader back to when he was a young runner through his endless journey to visit all manner running coaches and programs in the United States. Brosnan lived a spartan existence often sleeping in an air mattress, holding down various part and full time sales jobs while gathering as much coaching wisdom and teaching that he could find.

Using what he learned Brosnan began coaching at Newbury Park High School near Thousand Oaks California. The school did not have a solid running program prior to Brosnan's arrival. Brosnan made a bold promise to his team stating that if the kids would follow his instructions and fully commit to serous improvement as runners, they would win a California State Championship.

With extensive detail the author takes us through the process of helping the runners go 'Beyond Fast' with what some may regard as unconventional methods. Brosnan preached quality over quantity, wherein in lieu of running what could be considered very high milage for teenage runners, the focus was on speed versus mileage. The success earned by the Newbury Park kids is ample proof that Brosnan knew what he was doing!

Skeptics could and did argue that Brosnan was blessed to have five very gifted runners from two families that provided the talent needed to set the pace and lead the team. The five runners and their teammates showed fantastic improvement over the course of their high school careers.
Perhaps the key to Brosnan's success was his unwavering belief that the kids should not set limits on what they could achieve.

Unlike, Chris Lear's classic book Running With the Buffalos, non-runners may not be drawn to this story. However coaches of all ages can and should gleam some valuable teaching points to relay to their runners.