The Incredible Journey of Coach Doug Soles: A Two-Time NXN Winner
Coach Doug Soles has built two national powers in different states
Image Credit: RunnerSpace
I first became aware of Coach Doug Soles in 2017 during an interview with former Hoka Professional Coach Ben Rosario. We were both interviewed by Ben on different Podcast segments about how to build large and small school high school cross-country programs.
Coach Soles shared his views on how to build a large high school cross -country program while I shared how we built a small school program.
At the time of his interview, Coach Soles had already made a name for himself as one of America's most successful high school cross-country coaches in U.S. history at Great Oak High School in California. He shared valuable insights about how to build a successful program during his podcast.
The Great Oak Dynasty
Coach Soles' incredible record at Great Oak is well known. While coaching in California, in the state’s largest high school classification, he won 14 state (8 girls, 6 boys) cross-country championships and the biggest prize in our sport, an NXN national cross-country championship.
Great Oak has won more cross-country state championships in their division than any other California school in state history.
Coach Soles won the national Cross-Country Coach of the Year and multiple State of California Coach of the Year awards. You can view a comprehensive list his accomplishments here: COACH SOLES | Coach Soles
Meeting Coach Soles in 2025
Fast-forward to January 4, 2025, when I had the privilege of interviewing Coach Soles, who has transitioned from Great Oak High School in California to Herriman High School in Utah. This moment marked the first time I had met and talked with Coach Soles, moving beyond just reading the pages of his articles and books, and watching his videos. It was a great opportunity to hear how Coach Soles built his championship teams and culture in person.
During our conversation, I experienced firsthand the energy, passion, and enthusiasm that Coach Soles is renowned for and brings to every undertaking. He clearly enjoys his new chapter in Utah and is dedicated to helping kids and their families realize their God-given potential both on and off the track.
He has adapted well to his new community, which is a direct result of family and community support, as well as his dedication and heart for building the whole person, not just the athletic side of his student-athletes.
After sharing some basic information about our backgrounds to get to know each other better, we delved into more personal topics, including some of his favorite coaching memories.
Expressing His Gratitude
Without hesitation, Coach Soles mentioned that one of his favorite memories from his time at Great Oak was winning his first state championship with his girls' team in 2010. The tone in his voice was still one of excitement and thankfulness.
After eleven years of dedicated coaching, his perseverance was rewarded with his first state championship trophy in 2010. One of the great high school cross-country dynasties in U.S. history began that day.
Defying the odds, his team rose to the occasion, leading to a joyful celebration as he reflected on the extraordinary achievement, which included coaches, students, and parents.
Coach Soles had many other good things to say about most of his time in California (too many for one short post!). For example, when I asked who influenced him the most early in his coaching career, he was incredibly grateful to one of his mentors, Steve Chavez, the legendary California coach significantly influenced by another legend—Coach Joe Vigil.
Coach Soles expressed his gratitude to his assistant coaches, as well as the many parents and students who consistently supported the Great Oak program. He also thanked his wife, Teresa Soles, who has a running background herself and has helped him in numerous ways throughout the years.
New Horizons, Same Success
In 2021, Coach Soles moved his family to Utah, taking many good memories from Great Oak to his new adventure and lessons learned from decades of coaching.
Coach Soles took some time off before coaching again as his family settled into a new environment. He focused on getting established in his teaching practice and reconnecting with family living in the area.
Adapting to the cold of Utah from the warmth of California was one adjustment in his journey. Like everything he does, though, he found ways to develop a national class program in a different environment, weather-wise and culturally.
Coach Soles help build a great running culture and community with some great people at Herriman and was blessed to have his wife help at practice again for the first time in several years. Over several months, he and his team instilled confidence and belief in his training philosophy in the Herriman community.
In his books "How to Build a Championship Level Distance Runner" and "Becoming Varsity", Coach Soles discusses his efforts to create a running culture and a sense of community at Herriman. Below, I have included links to both of his books. I encourage you to read them for more insights on building running communities.
Amazingly, in his first full season at Herriman in 2022, his boys' team won the prestigious Woodbridge Invitational, one of the nation's toughest High School Cross-Country Invitationals, and finished third at NXN! His girls' team also greatly improved.
In 2023, Coach Soles became the first High School coach in history to win NXN at two different schools! His teams were obviously putting in the work and believing in their potential which Coach Soles and others worked hard to instill.
In 2024, his boy's program again reached the NXN podium, finishing third.
Coach Soles and his staff remain committed to developing student-athletes to their fullest potential. He emphasizes the importance of a strong community, best-practice goal setting, progression in training workloads, and teamwork.
Coach Soles seems as passionate as ever in his quest to help create the best large school programs in the nation.
Wrapping It Up
What inspired me most about our conversation was not just Coach Soles's remarkable accomplishments, which stand out as some of the greatest in high school coaching history, but also his incredible ability to nurture two national powers in diverse schools, each with its own unique physical and cultural landscapes.
It is tough to win one national title at one school, let alone two national titles in different states.
Despite the challenges that arise, Coach Soles exemplifies resilience and adaptability, inspiring those under his care to navigate adversity and embrace the ever-changing landscape of cross-country programs.
Blessings,
Coach Weber
Philippians 4:13
The Herriman Boys Team won the national championship in in 2023.
Image Credit: MileSplit
Afterwords
Several NXN coaches have mentioned to Coach Soles that his books helped them improve and qualify for NXN. In his books below, he freely shares his specific workouts, goal-setting techniques, and how to build a successful running community and culture.
Becoming Varsity
How to Become a Championship Level Distance Runner: Soles, Doug: 9798335673525: Amazon.com: Books
Building Championship Cross-Country Programs
Building Championship Cross Country Programs: Soles, Doug: 9798372119963: Amazon.com: Books
What’s Next
I am writing a follow-up post about adapting some of the principles in Coach Soles Books to a small school environment with different challenges.
Look for a follow-up post later this winter. There are definite differences between working with 3,000 students and 100 or fewer students at the schools I’ve coached at over the years.