The story of visionary American running coach Bob Larsen's mismatched team of elite California runners who would win championships and Olympic glory in a decades-long pursuit of "the epic run." In the dusty hills above San Diego, Bob Larsen became America's greatest running coach. Running to the Edge is a riveting account of Larsen's journey, and his quest to discover the unorthodox training secrets that would lead American runners to breakthroughs never imagined. Futterman interweaves the dramatic stories of Larsen's runners with a fascinating discourse on the science behind human running, as well as a personal running narrative that follows Futterman's own checkered love-affair with the sport. The result is a narrative that will speak to every runner, a story of Larsen's triumphs--from high school cross-country meets to the founding of the cult-favorite, 70's running group, the Jamul Toads; from his long tenure as head coach at UCLA to the secret training regimen of world champion athletes like Larsen's protégé, Meb Keflezighi. Running to the Edge is a page-turner . . . a relentless crusade to run faster, farther.

Meet Ruan Martinez, a 27 year old Latina, world class runner, and NYPD cop with the 24th Precinct on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She's young, she's brash and a bundle of conflicting feelings which she desperately tries to cope with. Running is her love, obsession and escape. While running with her partner in Central Park, Ruan interrupts an assault on a young woman. This seemingly routine incident propels her into a whirlpool of emotion, conspiracy and violence. With her life on the line she tastes the deep passionate craving for intimacy that is unleashed in the love for the men and women she encounters on her run to save herself. Her quest to find peace leads to the uncovering of a haunting family secret that takes her back to her roots in Puerto Rico. Gene Schwarz is a psychoanalyst who lives, works and plays in Colorado.

While crossing the Texas border with other illegal immigrants, Hope Alijondro's brother is kidnapped. Hope, a nurse and part Tarahumara Indian, enlists the aid of Hispanic reporter Juanita Costillos in her search efforts. Checking cryptic ads in a San Antonio newspaper, they follow a lead of tiny fossils found on victims of a serial murderer dubbed the "Puta Killer". In love with Hope ever since she treated severe injuries he suffered in a Colorado mountain Ultra-Sports race, Temple Carruthers, quits theBorder Patrol to help find Hope's brother. Though his injuries had made him a paraplegic, Temple pursues the kidnapper in a kayak race through deep canyons and treacherous rapids while Hope runs cross-country to head them off-only to encounter the "Puta Killer". *** "I haven't read a novel since grade school, but I read Running on the Edge in four days! William Barnes has created an excellent adventure tale and my only question is, 'Have you begun working on a sequel?'" -Mike Campbell, National Aeronautics And Space Administration Washington, DC Participant in eleven 100-mile Ultra-Sport races.

Mui Chiu Dang was a free spirited boy growing up in a country at war. He was handcuffed, beaten, and sentenced to prison without a trial. Never completely losing hope, even when confronted with life-threatening experiences, he believed even his darkest moments were blessings in disguise. He took on each challenge as another personal adventure through life. With nothing but a simple pair of shorts in his possession, he left his entire family behind and joined the exodus from the only country he had known. This story is how one ordinary man responded to an extraordinary period of time in Vietnam and the struggles he faced as a new immigrant in San Francisco. This is his personal story, a tale of survival and of how he maintained his resiliency and sanity when all odds seemed to be against him.