Coaching Cross Country Successfully Coaching Cross Country Successfully

About the Product
One look at Joe Newton’s record and it’s easy to see why he’s achieved near-legendary status as a cross country coach. During 48 years at York High School in Elmhurst, Illinois, he has dominated like no other cross country coach ever has, leading his teams to 19 national titles and 24 state titles. At home, his squads have been nearly invincible, winning 98% of their meets.

Now in Coaching Cross Country Successfully, Newton shares the secrets to his unmatched success. With this complete guide, you’ll get a firsthand account of how to teach, train, and motivate like the master. You’ll learn not only how Newton built his running dynasty but also how you can apply his principles of discipline, dedication, and teamwork to create your own winning cross country program.

Combining straightforward instruction with dozens of personal anecdotes, Newton shows you how to:

• recruit athletes within your school,
• teach the basics of distance-running technique,
• develop winning race strategies,
• prepare for meets, and
• evaluate runners and your running program.

You’ll also find dozens of time-tested workouts and a copy of Newton’s 12-week practice schedule for title-winning performance.

In addition, Coaching Cross Country Successfully provides you with a look at Newton’s mastery of the intangibles of running a cross country program. Learn how he uses his enthusiasm and communication skills to motivate his athletes and build support for his program within the school and community. Best of all, Newton tells you how to do these same things in your program.

Coaching Cross Country Successfully is part of the Coaching Successfully series, a resource in the American Sport Education Program’s SportCoach curriculum.

About the Author
Joe Newton is without question the most successful high school cross country coach in the United States. He started his scholastic coaching career in 1954 in Waterman, Illinois, before moving on three years later to York High School in Elmhurst, Illinois, where he’s been ever since. In his 48 years at York, Newton has built a running dynasty. His boys’ cross country teams have won an unprecedented 19 national championships, 24 state championships, and 114 conference titles. They have also won an impressive 98% of their home meets.

Newton’s coaching accomplishments have earned him a long list of awards and honors. He was named National High School Cross Country Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association in 1975 and by the National Federation of High School Administrators in 1994. In addition, he has been named High School Cross Country Coach of the Year 16 times by the Northern Illinois Track Coaches Association and 15 times by the Illinois High School Coaches Association. In 1988, Newton was chosen as one of the coaches of the U.S. men’s track and field Olympic team in Seoul, South Korea. He was the first high school coach to ever receive this honor.

Known as a master motivator, Newton is a frequent guest speaker at corporate meetings and social gathering around the United States. He has delivered his message of teamwork, commitment, and discipline more than 5,000 times. He has also put his philosophy of coaching and life into print in his three books: Running to the Top of the Mountain, The Long Green Line, and Motivation: The Name of the Game.

Coach Newton lives in Naperville, Illinois, with his wife Joan. When he’s not winning cross country meets, he enjoys reading, working out, and touring the Old West.


Joe Henderson has been writing about running for more than 30 years. He’s not only the West Coast editor and a featured columnist for Runner’s World magazine but also the author of more than a dozen books on running, including Better Runs, Long-Run Solution, Fitness Running, and Jog, Run, Race. In addition, he writes and produces a monthly newsletter called Running Commentary and is an adjunct assistant professor of journalism at the University of Oregon. Henderson lives in Eugene, Oregon.

NOTE: This is nonreturnable product and all purchases are final.

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Track & Field and Cross Country
Running