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Beyond Fast
How a Renegade Coach and His Unlikely High School Team Revolutionized Distance Running
Table of Contents
About The Book
The true story of a high school cross country team that went from obscurity to becoming the fastest squad the country, and perhaps the world, has ever seen, called “inspiring and entertaining” (Jerry Schumacher) and “a deliciously rich tale” (Neal Bascomb).
When Sean Brosnan arrived at Newbury Park High School in 2016, their cross country team hadn’t so much as qualified for a California state championship in twenty-five years. Brosnan himself had never coached high schoolers, though he was no stranger to the sport. A collegiate All-American, he had spent years trying to chase his ambitions of becoming a professional runner, along the way learning from some of the most successful coaches in the country.
From day one at Newbury Park, Brosnan made a promise: Give me your total commitment and I’ll give you a state championship in four years. He did them one better: Brosnan’s runners would take an unprecedented three consecutive national championships, smashing records, winning Division I scholarships, and representing their country in the Olympics.
With expert insights and a deep love for the sport, Sean Brosnan’s Beyond Fast offers a riveting chronicle of that journey. Tracing Newbury Park’s early successes, their heartbreaking missteps, and the winding road that would lead them to running glory, he tells a story of guts, sacrifice, and determination. By turns heartbreaking and exhilarating, it reminds you that the only limits that matter are the ones you set for yourself.
When Sean Brosnan arrived at Newbury Park High School in 2016, their cross country team hadn’t so much as qualified for a California state championship in twenty-five years. Brosnan himself had never coached high schoolers, though he was no stranger to the sport. A collegiate All-American, he had spent years trying to chase his ambitions of becoming a professional runner, along the way learning from some of the most successful coaches in the country.
From day one at Newbury Park, Brosnan made a promise: Give me your total commitment and I’ll give you a state championship in four years. He did them one better: Brosnan’s runners would take an unprecedented three consecutive national championships, smashing records, winning Division I scholarships, and representing their country in the Olympics.
With expert insights and a deep love for the sport, Sean Brosnan’s Beyond Fast offers a riveting chronicle of that journey. Tracing Newbury Park’s early successes, their heartbreaking missteps, and the winding road that would lead them to running glory, he tells a story of guts, sacrifice, and determination. By turns heartbreaking and exhilarating, it reminds you that the only limits that matter are the ones you set for yourself.
About The Authors
Photograph © Bowyer
Sean Brosnan is a two-time national high school coach of the year who built the Newbury Park High School distance squads into an award-winning national powerhouse. In addition to national championships, he led Newbury Park to boys state championships in 2018, 2019, and 2021 and a girls title in 2019. A native of Long Island, Brosnan broke into coaching as a volunteer at Queens University of Charlotte, where he helped coach athletes who won multiple NCAA individual titles. Brosnan lives in Big Bear, California, where he coaches a professional running team.
Chris Lear is the bestselling author of Running with the Buffaloes and Sub 4:00: Alan Webb and the Quest for the Fastest Mile. At Princeton University, Lear was a two-time cross-country captain and earned All-Ivy, All-East, and All-American honors on the track. In high school, Lear ran a 4:09 mile and was the New Jersey state champion in the 1,600 meters.
Andrew Greif is a sports reporter at NBC News whose award-winning work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, GQ, and Runner’s World. Raised near Coos Bay, Oregon, the hometown of Steve Prefontaine, Greif competed on the track team at the University of Oregon.
Product Details
- Publisher: Atria Books (September 2, 2025)
- Length: 288 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668204382
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Raves and Reviews
“[Newbury Park was] inarguably the greatest high-school cross-country team of all time… The story of what it took to build that Newbury Park dynasty turns out to be genuinely eye-opening.”
—Outside
"[An] invigorating book. In satisfying, granular detail, a coach describes how he developed his dominant team."
—Kirkus
"It is tempting to attribute Newbury Park’s dominance to the generational talent of the Young brothers or the Sahlmans. But Beyond Fast makes clear the extent of Brosnan’s investment...For the die-hard running nerd, the book offers plenty of detail—workouts, splits, and training cycles...For the casual reader, it remains accessible, thanks in part to Lear and Greif’s narrative pacing...Full of fun behind-the-scenes details. It’s a great story of a maverick coach and a window into a cultural shift that helped reshape American high school distance running."
—LetsRun.com
"Beyond Fast isn’t just the story of a historically dominant team—it’s the story of belief catching fire. This is a peek inside the mind of a coach who taught young athletes to expect more than they ever thought possible."
—David Epstein, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Range
“A deliciously rich tale of one coach’s audacious vision and uncompromising methods to transform a middling cross-country team into a titan of the sport, turning ordinary teenagers into national champions and Olympians. You’ll sprint through to the finish. It’s a promise.”
—Neal Bascomb, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Mile
“Sean has a unique passion for the sport of running, and that shines through in this book. The story of his journey and his team’s historic success is both inspiring and entertaining. Any sports fan can find motivation in this behind-the-scenes look at the coach and team responsible for Newbury Park’s dominant performances.”
—Jerry Schumacher, head coach, Swoosh Track Club and University of Oregon
“Beyond Fast will be a huge tool to coaches and athletes to get an inside look at how the best high school program in history got to the heights they achieved.... The dedication and care Sean showed for his team, both in terms of physical training and mental coaching, had a massive impact. He shaped their minds to believe in the impossible and achieve things high school runners and teams have never approached. I highly recommend this book to coaches, athletes, and parents.”
—Sara Slattery, NCAA coach, two-time NCAA champion runner, and coauthor of How She Did It
“You might think that the story of the greatest high-school cross-country team ever would be about secret workouts and high-tech training gadgets. Instead, it’s about culture, belief, and the power of pushing your limits—a lesson that we can all learn from.”
—Alex Hutchinson, New York Times bestselling author of Endure and The Explorer's Gene
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Beyond Fast
How a Renegade Coach and His Unlikely High School Team Revolutionized Distance Running
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