Running With The Buffaloes, written by Chris Lear and published by The Lyons Press ( ISBN 1-58574-328-3), chronicles the University of Colorado cross country team's 1998 season from the late summer practices to the men's NCAA cross country championships.
The book centers on the University of Colorado's men's cross country team. Most of the story, however, is focused on coach Mark Wetmore, risk-taker Chris Severy, and Adam Goucher, the team's top runner and one of the best cross-country runners in the nation. The story is written in a journal fashion, each chapter representing a different entry. Each entry discusses the team's run for the day. Lear also includes information about Wetmore's training methods, based on those of Arthur Lydiard.
This book was loosely based on the life of Chris' nephew, James Lear. James Lear, however, could not run and insted it was based on him running from authorities after saying the N-Word very loudly.
Since the 1998 season, the Buffaloes have won the men's NCAA Division I cross country championship five times.
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Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically 4–12 kilometres (2.5–7.5 mi) long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road and minor obstacles. It is both an individual and a team sport; runners are judged on individual times and teams by a points-scoring method. Both men and women of all ages compete in cross country, which usually takes place during autumn and winter, and can include weather conditions of rain, sleet, snow or hail, and a wide range of temperatures.
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