Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 408 ratings

Price: 15.75

Last update: 02-25-2025


About this item

"Gripping...he narrative is smooth and immediate, almost effortless in its detail, if occasionally breathless, like a good fast run..." (The New York Times Book Review)

Visionary American running coach Bob Larsen assembled a mismatched team of elite California runners...the start of his decades-long quest for championships, Olympic glory, and pursuit of "the epic run."

In the dusty hills above San Diego, Bob Larsen became America's greatest running coach. Starting with a ragtag group of high school cross country and track runners, Larsen set out on a decades-long quest to find the secret of running impossibly fast, for longer distances than anyone thought possible. Himself a former farm boy who fell into his track career by accident, Larsen worked through coaching high school, junior college, and college, coaxing talented runners away from more traditional sports as the running craze was in its infancy in the 60s and 70s. On the arid trails and windy roads of California, Larsen relentlessly sought the "secret sauce" of speed and endurance that would catapult American running onto the national stage.

Running to the Edge is a riveting account of Larsen's journey, and his quest to discover the unorthodox training secrets that would lead American runners (elite and recreational) to breakthroughs never imagined. New York Times Deputy Sports Editor Matthew Futterman interweaves the dramatic stories of Larsen's runners with a fascinating discourse of the science behind human running, as well as a personal running narrative that follows Futterman's own checkered love-affair with the sport. The result is a narrative that will speak to every runner, a story of Larsen's triumphs - from high school cross-country meets to the founding of the cult-favorite 70's running group, the Jamul Toads, from national championships to his long tenure as head coach at UCLA, and from the secret training regimen of world champion athletes like Larsen's protégé, American Meb Keflezighi, to victories at the New York and Boston Marathons as well as the Olympics.

Running to the Edge is a pause-resister...a relentless crusade to run faster, farther.


Top reviews from the United States

  • John Johnson
    5.0 out of 5 stars It's a great book. If you're a runner you should read it.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2020
    This is a great motivational book for runners; it will make you want to go out and run hard for as long as you can. That's running to the edge and staying there, the simple training method that has been extremely successful for coach Bob Larsen. The books is in two parts. In the first part, you learn the story of how Larsen started out coaching in a small high school and how he developed the Jamul Toads Running Club into a bunch of elite runners. You get the story of Bob Larsen and how he developed his training plan, as well as the stories of each of the individual runners who made that club so successful. These are all great stories.

    The second part of the book focuses mainly on Meb Keflezighi, but does include the story (or part of the story) of Deena Drossin, as well, the two most successful marathon runners Bob Larsen ever trained. They had amazing stories and amazing successes and I believe Futterman tells the story very well, even including tidbits of his own running experiences throughout the book.

    It's a great book. If you're a runner you should read it.
  • Violet L
    5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific reporting and writing, inspiring and enjoyable reading. A fantastic book for any runner!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2019
    I started Running to the Edge the moment it arrived in my mailbox and couldn't put it down. Futterman does an excellent job explaining his personal joys and whys of running, as an amateur runner himself. You can't help but feel his enthusiasm as he trains and competes in races, vignettes that are interspersed amongst the book's main narrative. I knew nothing about the subject of the book, Coach Bob Larsen, until I started reading, but what a worthy subject he is. Coach Larsen was driven by his own personal quest to get faster, something every runner craves, and he eschewed accepted training methods popular at the time to test out his theories on an otherwise unlikely band of runners, the "misfits" in the subtitle. Ultimately, he climbs to the highest levels of the sport, as coach of the UCLA and Olympic long-distance running teams. I don't want to give away those keys he unlocks, because Futterman does an excellent job of taking you along on Coach Larsen's journey, as well as getting inside the heads of many of the runners he trained over the decades. I felt like I was pounding the pavement right along with them, and it made me want to lace up my running shoes and head out. I recommend this book to any runner, casual or competitive, who is looking for a great read, along with the insight and motivation it offers.
  • Charrissa Lin
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good addition to a running library
    Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2020
    I found the book to be a bit over-written - the author trying too hard to be lyrical, poetic, majestic. I think the story is compelling enough and he didn’t need to embellish it so much with the dramatic flair. I did really enjoy the latter third or so of the book when we meet Meb and also Deena. Maybe because we know and have heard parts of these stories before. This book brought new views and insights into these stories -really helping to see the arc and bumps in the road for Meb.
  • Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really captures the mind set and culture of serious distance runners in the 50s-70s
    Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2019
    I have never written a book review before however Running to the Edge is a truly outstanding book that really captures the mind set and distance running culture in San Diego during the 50s., 60s, and early 70s. I know this because I was there in San Diego racing and competing as a Cross Country distance runner (Mesa College State Championship, 1964; SDSU NCAA College Div. National Champions 1966 and 67). I knew of or ran,, raced and trained with many of the runners mentioned in the first part of the book. I also aran the Balboa 8 mile many times (16th. in 1966) now in it's 65th year and the oldest run in San Diego. San Diego was a place where many great runners grew up and raced. If you want to get a real feeling for what distance running during this time period was like, when only serious distance runners wore running shoes, when there were no finish T-shirts, no finisher medals (only place medals to the top 10-20 finisher)s, this is the book get. A great read that you won't be able to put down.
  • Dennis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Top Notch Reading
    Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2025
    If you are a runner of any level, an athlete, or just interested in the limits of human performance, you will enjoy this book. It's an engaging story, and the writing is clear and concise.
  • Bob Williams
    5.0 out of 5 stars You find out how Bob Larsen created great runners from High School to UCLA to the Olympic Games
    Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2023
    This is an excellent read about Bob Larsen and his upbringing and how he learned to become a great high school runner and goes to coaching high state champions at a small high school all the way to national Champions at UCLA and an Olympic Medalist in Meb Keflezighi.
  • Deb B.
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Friday Night Lights of runners--Jamul Toads & Coach Larson
    Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2019
    Very interesting book about long distance running & the amazing coach Larson and his band of misfit runners. I thought the stories about the Jamul Toads were the best part. How they each had their own problems to overcome and how the whole ragtag group came together to shock the running world & win. It's amazing what people can do when they put their mind to it and put in the effort. Also a testament to long term partnerships in sports, to working out in groups which help push each other beyond what they could accomplish. I was less into the author's chapters on his running experience, but I imagine people who run marathons, or any distance race, would get more out of that part.
  • ANNE PATRACUOLLA
    4.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational
    Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2019
    I really loved many parts of this book and felt very connected to the characters. I would have given a higher rating based on the emotion that was drawn but I felt a little confused about all of the runners described, it was hard to keep track of their relevance to the ultimate story. It is truly an inspiring story.

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