Chasing Excellence, by Pat Melgares

For those who have never heard of Coach Vigil, he is a legend in the coaching of US Track and Filed, Cross Country, and distance running. He has helped develop a coaching program for coaching runners, and has taught coaches all over the US, and in many other countries around the world. Although he has accomplished many things, gotten many awards, and coached dozens of Olympians, Coach Vigil is most loved for his compassion and caring for the “whole person” and not just the athlete.  

Chasing Excellence is a book about Coach Vigil’s life. It starts by telling us how Joe Vigil grew up to a single mom who worked very hard to provide food and shelter for 3 boys and made sure that they were always in line. They didn’t have very much in terms of material but with the work ethic instilled by his mom, his desire to help people, and his passion for sports, Joe ended up accomplishing many things that some would not have thought possible. 

Coach Joe Vigil has touched the lives of many people he has met, and this book is full of stories about the impact he had on different people. Not all his runners went to the Olympics, but many did great things because Coach Vigil not only believed in them, but also helped them believe in themselves. 

In this episode of Running Book Reviews we had the pleasure of interviewing the author (and one of Coach Vigil's former athletes), Pat Melgares.


If you are interested in getting a copy of this book, please consider getting it straight from the publisher, Soulstice Publishing. A portion of the proceeds are going to establish the Joe I. Vigil Scholarship at Adams State University, and buying the from the publisher helps with this: https://soulsticepublishing.com/product/chasing-excellence-book/

Pat Melgares has also been compiling more stories about Adams State and Joe I. Vigil’s life at the following website: https://melgares.wixsite.com/chasingexcellence