Good for a Girl

Outline

Good for a Girl (2023) is a memoir by champion runner Lauren Fleshman about growing up as a female athlete in a sports system built mainly around men. She describes the pressures young women face as their bodies change, the injuries and health problems that can follow, and why many talented girls leave sport. The book calls for a healthier, fairer approach to training and supporting female athletes.

• Lauren Fleshman, a champion runner, tells her story of growing up as a female athlete in a sports system built mainly around men.
• Young female athletes face particular pressures as their bodies change, and those pressures can shape how they see themselves and their sport.
• Injuries and health problems can follow when training ignores how female bodies develop.
• Many talented girls leave sport, and the book looks at why that happens.
• Fleshman calls for a healthier, fairer approach to training and supporting female athletes.

Lauren Fleshman is an American runner, coach, and author who won two national championships in the 5,000 metres. After her professional career, she became a coach and an advocate for the health and fair treatment of women in sport. Good for a Girl is her first book.