The Longest Race (Unabridged)
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4.6 • 94 Ratings
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In “one of the most important athlete memoirs of its generation” (Kate Fagan, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Olympian Kara Goucher reveals her experience of living through and speaking out about one of the biggest scandals in running.
Kara Goucher grew up with Olympic dreams. She excelled at running from a young age and was offered a Nike sponsorship deal when she graduated from college. Then in 2004, she was invited to join a secretive, lavishly funded new team, dubbed the Nike Oregon Project. Coached by distance running legend Alberto Salazar, it seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime.
Kara was soon winning a World Championship medal, going to the Olympics, and standing on the podium at the New York and Boston marathons, just like her coach had done. But behind the scenes, Salazar was hiding dark secrets. He pushed the limits of anti-doping rules and created what Kara experienced as a culture of abuse, the extent of which she reveals in her book for the first time. Meanwhile, Nike stood by Alberto for years and proved itself capable of shockingly misogynistic corporate practices.
The Longest Race is an unforgettable story that is “as interesting as it is important” (Molly Huddle, two-time Olympian) and also a crucial call to action. Kara became a crusader for female athletes and a key witness helping to get Salazar banned from coaching at the Olympic level. The Longest Race will leave you “motivated, empowered, and ready to take on the world” (Allyson Felix, Olympic gold medalist) as it reveals how Kara broke through the fear of losing everything, bucked powerful forces to take control of her life and career, and reclaimed her love of running.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Olympic runner Kara Goucher’s eye-opening memoir details a shocking culture of abuse. After discovering a sense of self-worth in the sport of long-distance running, Goucher embarked on a standout college career that led to a sponsorship deal with Nike. But training with marathon legend (and Nike employee) Alberto Salazar came with a toxic mix of threats, retaliation, and unchecked sexual harassment that canceled out the state-of-the-art training and equipment. Goucher does an amazing job of describing the exhilaration of high-stakes competition—and how that atmosphere made her heartbreaking sexual assault and betrayal harder to address. Retired now, Goucher reads her memoir with quiet confidence, underlining her clear-eyed perspective. A powerful listen, The Longest Race is infuriating yet ultimately inspiring.
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