An athlete can learn many things from a coach. For instance, one can learn how to become faster and stronger or how to mentally prepare oneself for the opposition. But if you have a great coach, the things you learn from them when you are not competing are really important and special. That is what happened to Matt McCue, a graduate from Iowa City-Regina High School back in 2001, who just completed his first book titled “An Honorable Run: The Story of a Coach who Changed a Young Man’s Life.”

McCue, 26, was a track and cross country standout in his time at Regina, winning a 1A state championship in the final track meet of his high school career. McCue lived to run and ran to win. His dream was to be successful enough that he could get out of small-town Iowa. McCue would get his dream when he walked-on at the University of Colorado for legendary coach Mark Wetmore in the fall of 2001.

However, everything was not as great as McCue had hoped. Wetmore was tough on him throughout his career at Colorado, which was mostly spent on the fringe of the varsity squad. McCue soon realized how great he had it back in high school with his coach Bob Brown, which influenced him to write “An Honorable Run.”

Brown started coaching track and cross country at Regina in 1990 and ended up building a dynasty from scratch. McCue admits that he did not always agree with Brown’s philosophies while he was in high school.

“It didn’t matter whether you were the slowest runner on the team or the fastest runner on the team. If you gave your best, then you were a great runner in his mind,” said McCue. Driven to excel, he didn’t always understand that approach. After experiencing a different approach from Coach Wetmore while at Colorado, McCue says he now understands Brown’s belief that if you gave it your all, champion or not, you truly are a great runner.

Brown was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back in 2005 and died two years later in November of 2007. Coach Brown was beloved by his former players and he touched the lives of many, and that’s what “An Honorable Run” tries to capture.

Jim Ryun, a three-time Olympian and former world record holder in the one-mile run, says, “This book is a celebration of the unsung heroes of sport, the coaches who sacrifice their time to form champions and change lives. Matt captures all of this in An Honorable Run.”

Mike Sager, writer-at-large for Esquire, and author of “Wounded Warriors,” says, ‘An Honorable Run’ is an inspirational journey for anyone who has ever laced up a sports shoe: proof that you don’t have to win to be a winner.”

McCue will be reading and signing books at University Book & Supply in Cedar Falls on Thursday from 6-7 p.m. and is encouraging readers and fans to come support him and his new book. A portion of the book’s proceeds will benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, an organization that advances research, supports patients and creates hope for anyone affected by pancreatic cancer.

Born in Iowa, Matt McCue now lives in New York. He has written for ESPN Rise, Dye Stat and Runner’s World. More details about the book can be found at www.anhonorablerun.com.