REVIEWS
What Readers, Running Experts and Book Critics Are Saying About.
GOD ON THE STARTING LINE
The Triumph of a Catholic School Running Team and Its Jewish Coach
By Marc Bloom
Customer Reviews From Amazon
Avg. Customer Review: 
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 A Winner!!!! , January 2, 2005
Marc Bloom has finally written the book every high school cross country coach and runner has dreamed of writing. He chronicles one of his seasons as the coach of the St. Rose cross country team in New Jersey. St. Rose is a smaller Catholic school and he has a squad of 8 (then 7) boys. He recounts their trials and triumphs through one summer and fall. Mr. Bloom is a very good writer (find a copy of an article he wrote called "Me and Julio down by the old school track") and he does an excellent job of telling this story.
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 An Inspirational, Energetic, Honest read.... , November 25, 2004
This exciting, warm, funny book will make every reader laugh, think, cry, and wonder. You DO NOT have to be a runner to appreciate Marc Bloom's story. It is a HUMAN tale. It is an HONEST and open book that will leave a lasting impression on your heart and mind.
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 from a SRHS insider , September 18, 2004
As principal of St. Rose High School I held my breath as I read Coach Blooms book - hoped we'd fair OK, I guess. I read the book in one sitting and ran the gamut of emotions as I laughed, cried and visualized these boys and their coach. I spent many years, when my son ran cross country: driving, waiting, cheering and feeling his pain. Any parent whose child is a runner (or not!) will connect with this well written story of compatible faiths, boys, their families, Coach Bloom's family and most important the bond created by and between a talented coach and evolving teenage boys. I appreciated Marc Bloom when he coached for SRHS, knew his value as a coach and as a writer; I thank him deeply for sharing his insight with this inspiring book.
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by Steve (steveu)
--Other Reviews--
"Cross-Country and rebellion and are natural allies," writes Marc Bloom in God on the Starting Line, an inspiring account of his season spent coaching the boys' cross-country team at tiny St. Rose High in Belmar on the New Jersey Shore. "Running. through the woods while the rest of America sleeps strikes me as a defiant, liberating act."
A longtime track writer, Bloom struggles to liberate his charges from what he terms the "mass, uniform Hollywood culture that captures young people," even as he shepherded them through a roller-coaster season toward a shot at a state championship. His book captures the sweaty satisfaction of summer runs on the boardwalk, the goofy give-and-take of kids on their first road trip, the bracing excitement of big fall meets at Holmdel Park, that muddy crucible for generations of Jersey runners. In the end it also captures the deeper joy of watching young athletes embrace the unfashionable ideals of commitment, sacrifice, courage and faith.
--Richard O'Brien, Senior Editor, Sports Illustrated
This book made me happy, excited, touched, and glad for you and your team and for all of us-runners especially, and athletes, but anyone, I think, who reads this-because the understanding that you've reached, that love can equal success, is far too rarely found and even more rarely transmitted.
--Stuart Calderwood, book editor
This is much more than a story of different religions, Jewish and Catholic, meeting on the cross-country course. I was drawn into the story by an even more eternal struggle: old vs. new. Coach 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 suprising lessons from each other.
--Amby Burfoot, Executive Editor, Runner's World
"God on the Starting Line" is a classic, a tribute to all those who pursue excellence with talent, pride, courage, and the ability to endure. It's the best sports book I've read in years and should be required reading.
--Bud Greenspan, Emmy Award-winning Olympic filmmaker
"God on the Starting Line" is a tribute not only to young runners but to people everywhere who seek personal growth through physical fitness. The emotion and commitment found in Bloom's efforts to inspire his team will help runners especially raise their goals and fly up the next hill.
--Allan Steinfield, former director, New York City Marathon
Marc Bloom's book will reaffirm your belief in the value of sport for young adults and the invaluable bonds that can form between a dedicated coach and his high school team.
--Marty Liquori, former world-class runner and NBC Olympic track commentator
Marc Bloom's latest book is a joy to read. The story of his heartfelt attempt to teach his runners and guide them through a roller-coaster season toward the climactic state championship is told with compassion and understanding. As a high school coach myself, I am proud that Marc is among us seeking higher standards for young runners.
--Alberto Salazar, former world-class runner and coach
Great Book! -Jim Ryun, former world-class runner and U.S. congressman
Readers can easily image the Hollywood film that should emerge from this story, a hybrid of "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "Dead Poets Society" with underdog sports flicks like "Rudy" and "Miracle, particularly in the inspirational final moments.
--Publisher's Weekly magazine
One of the top 10 running books of 2004. -Runner's World
Watching the young runners blossom, one by one, is the true joy in "God on the Starting Line." You needn't have begun your career as a high school runner to be engaged by this story.
--Marc Chalufour, Running Times
Bloom tells the facts so plainly, and with such devotion to the tasks of coaching and writing, that the effect is uplifting. More than anything else, "God on the Starting Line" is about finding richness in nurturing others.
--John Stifler, columnist, Daily Hampshire (MA) Gazette
"God on the Starting Line" is a wonderful gift to the world of prep distance running and those who support it by prolific, multi-talented track writer Marc Bloom. The book appeals in so many ways that it boggles the mind. It's quite a journey. It's kind of like eating, oh, a premium triple chocolate fudge brownie ice cream sundae. You might feel stuffed and a little woozy, but like you've never devoured anything so delicious.
--Steve Underwood, DyeStat.com
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