The new Internet site, www.chasingtradition.com, enables fans of collegiate cross country and all fans of living life's dreams with passion and integrity, an interactive experience to be savored.
The site, which chronicles Matt Taylor's journey across America with weekly stays at eleven of the nation's most storied college distance programs, is proving that the sport of running is ready for the big time. Taylor says, \"The media does not treat running as a respected sport. They post results and that\'s about it. This is an opportunity to go behind the scenes and understand the lifestyles of the runners and coaches. Although each team has a distinct culture and tradition, they all share the same goal - success.\"
Chasing Tradition offers a daily blog from Taylor (a former college runner at Yale and assistant coach at Georgetown) that places you in the heart of the training programs. There are insightful and inspiring interviews with the coaches and athletes, weekly journals by the runners that reveal their passion and dedication (as well as their interesting eating habits), related articles about the sport, updated results as the season progresses, an incredible photo and video gallery (for a good laugh don't miss the "Cribs-like" video in the gallery for Portland - day 5, and check out the photos of the majestic Colorado landscapes), as well as a lively, interactive discussion board that discusses everything from altitude training to music to "stardar" (the uncanny ability to locate the nearest Starbucks.) The site absolutely has something for everyone: runners, wannabe runners, parents, coaches, friends and students of sociology.
By living with the athletes, getting inside the heads of the coaches and participating in the training, Taylor is providing a previously unachieved level of access into the world of the traditions that define collegiate cross country. The concept of the site is already garnering comparisons to Chris Lear's popular book Running with the Buffaloes, but while Lear chronicled one team's season, Taylor is chasing the traditions of eleven different programs.
For fans of the sport or anyone seeking a little inspiration you should visit www.chasingtradition.com.