Spotlight on Chasing Excellence by Pat Melgares

ABOUT THE BOOK

 Chasing Excellence, which was IBPA's gold-medal winner in the Biography category, will take you on the fascinating and inspiring journey of Dr. Joe I. Vigil. Known simply as “Coach” to virtually everybody he has ever met, Coach Vigil rose from poverty to become a towering figure in the running world. Coach has won 19 national championships and coached 425 All-Americans, 22 Olympians, and an army of “Vigilantes” who seek to emulate his unique blend of compassion, competitive spirit, and commitment to others.

In this long-overdue biography about America’s preeminent distance-running coach, author and Vigilante Pat Melgares shares Coach Vigil’s tale, not just through the consummate storyteller’s own words, but also through those of more than 50 former runners and foes who have been shaped by his presence over a lifetime.

“Chasing Excellence” has been Coach Vigil’s mantra for decades, for himself and those he teaches. At age 91, he’s as relentless as ever in that quest. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Pat Melgares was born in Alamosa, Colorado, in 1967 and was raised on the south side of town just four blocks from where Joe I. Vigil grew up. Like Vigil, Pat graduated from Alamosa High School and Adams State College, and was a four-time All-American in cross country and track and field while running for Vigil from 1985 to 1989. Pat was also a member of four NAIA cross country championship teams and two The Athletics Congress (TAC) junior cross country championship teams.

At Adams State, Pat studied journalism and began his career as sports editor of the hometown Valley Courier. He advanced to editor of that newspaper before landing the job as public information officer at Adams State in 1994.

Since 1998, he has been a communications specialist and public information officer at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.

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