God on the Starting Line: The Triumph of a Catholic School Running Team and Its Jewish Coach

“It captures the deeper joy of watching young athletes embrace unfashionable ideals of commitment, sacrifice, courage, and faith.”—Sports Illustrated

“Marc Bloom coaches as every coach in the sport should. I recommend this book without reservation. Read it, commit it to memory, and you will be better for it.”—American Track & Field

“At its core a spiritual book. It will inspire the reader who values small works of goodness and the courage to face big challenges.”—Jewish Book World

“More than a story of different religions, Jewish and Catholic, meeting on the cross-country course. There is an even more eternal struggle: old versus new. Bloom preaches the value of pain, hard work, suffering, and delayed gratification. His cross-country kids are, well, kids. They want to have fun, chase girls, and enjoy the loosey-goosey life. In Bloom’s inspiring tale, both coach and kids learn surprising lessons from each other.”—Amby Burfoot, executive editor of Runner’s World

Marc Bloom, an observant Jew, winds up the coach of a local Catholic high school cross-country team. The common ground he finds between the two faiths helps to propel his team to a state championship.

Marc Bloom, an award-winning journalist, is a features writer for The New York Times and a contributing editor of Runner’s World.

Marc Bloom, an award-winning journalist, is a features writer for The New York Times and Contributing Editor of Runner's World.