Author(s): Lauren Fleshman

Running / Athletics

From the time Lauren first laced up her running shoes to dominate boys in her neighbourhood, through puberty when half of all girls abandon sports for good, into the NCAA where young women routinely starve and hurt themselves, and into elite running where she had to be 'fast and fuckable' to fit into the Nike machine, Lauren felt she was bumping into a system that was not made for her. She realised, as many women now have, that something is deeply off with the sports experience and that it's high time to rebuild it without men at its centre.

We all know girls develop differently to boys during puberty but, shockingly, pro coaches fail to adapt training to their bodies. Girls develop eating disorders, RED-S and amenorrhea; they're also likely to be emotionally and physically abused; and in their careers with sponsors like Nike, they're underpaid and misrepresented. Lauren Fleshman - one of the fastest American women runners - explores scientific and social research while telling her own story in a bold, energetic voice. This is a time for female athletes, so it's the time to understand their bodies and knock down the barriers that hold them back.