Kara Goucher’s The Longest Race is a suspenseful, emotional, and insightful book. It gives the reader an honest experience of the highs and lows of running and the emotional toll professional running took on Kara’s life while her coach and sponsor failed her in all areas of life.
It is a call to action.
It is a demand for justice.
It is important.
Reading this book took longer than I would have liked between working, taking care of the girls, cooking, and cleaning. I found time to read in the evenings, in early-hour pumping sessions, and on the weekends while the girls played. I say all this to emphasize that the book kept my interest despite having to continually put it down.
Kara is quite an emotional runner as compared to Des Linden, but after reading both books it’s so cool to see how both describe the same races and the insight they provide. Despite Kara’s emotional rollercoasters and the mind-games played by her coach, Alberto Salazar, and the supporting staff (who were absolutely terrible and every mother’s nightmare) Kara was so resilient and successful even if the end of her competitive career did not go as she had hoped. She is an inspiration and a pioneer of change within the sport of track and field.
The Longest Race is an inspiration and a challenge to track and field to be better. The honesty is essential but may be triggering to some who read it as stories of sexual and emotional abuse are told in detail. The story is told in chronological order nearing the present date in a matter-of-fact tone. It provides insight into the depths of Kara’s trials and successes. It is a good book, but more than all, it is a call to action.
While in undergrad and PT school I worked part-time at a Nike outlet store. It was a blast. I got to learn about Nike shoe technology and weather tech that was worked into their clothing. Not to mention the awesome discount on shoes and clothes I received.
I often found myself spending my next paycheck on the most recent shipment of merchandise before the money even hit my bank account. It was addicting, but it was a fun part-time job and a great break away from the stresses of running at the collegiate level and/or PT school. Working at Nike was mostly stress-free and a lot of fun to interact with my co-workers ranging from young to old coming from all different backgrounds. I learned so much from my co-workers. I wish I could say that Nike at that level was corrupt, but I had such a good time there. I was pretty much at the bottom of the totem pole and happy to be there.
I paint this picture to say that having worked for Nike is the only reason I still wear and own so much Nike. I have not grown since 6th grade and still wear clothes from high school even. Essentially, I wear clothes until they die.
In recent years after the bans came down for Alberto and discovering Nike fought so hard and spent so much money to support him when they seemingly knew of his obscene wrongdoings is disgusting and gives me an uneasy feeling in my stomach. As Nike contracts with female track athletes come to light penalizing a woman for getting pregnant, it makes me think twice about wearing the swoosh.
It really does, but the reality is I am trying to rebuild my running attire with other, more fulfilling brands that are supporting clean athletes and calling for a change in competitive athletics. I am trying to change and I hope anyone reading this will be inspired to read The Longest Race and choose to support clean sport and change as well.
It is earth-shattering the amount of influence and power Nike seems to hold not only with USA Track and Field but in the world of sports. I encourage anyone who is a fan of sports to read this book as evidence that corrupt sport is not limited to track and field, but is very much present in track and field. The Longest Race is emotionally triggering and is a call to justice for clean sport. This book serves as an educational piece to allow readers to go forth aware of shortcomings and be brave enough to stand against those injustices and wrongdoings to keep sports clean and safe for all future generations. As a mother of two very young girls, the time for change is now and if not now, I fear my daughters will encounter the same fate as Kara Goucher or Mary Cain and the thought of that is unfathomable. The time for change is now.
8/10 Recommend
“I didn’t want to go forward with the case, but I thought of Mary and the potential harm that could come to other women if I didn’t. Two weeks later, I called SafeSport back and said that I was ready to move forward.”
“How am I supposed to feel when I go to Hayward Field to do race commentary? How is Mary supposed to feel when she competes there, or Amy – who is now a great coach – supposed to feel when she goes there to support her athletes?
Alberto is still in the USATF Hall of Fame.
What message does all of this send to the men in the sport, and to the future generations, about what’s acceptable?”
