The Longest Race cover art

The Longest Race

Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team

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The Longest Race

By: Kara Goucher, Mary Pilon, Mary Pilon - introduction
Narrated by: Kara Goucher
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About this listen

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.
Abuse Relationships Running & Jogging Sexual Abuse & Harassment Sports

Critic Reviews

"At first, Goucher’s voice is joyful as recounts how she came to be a top runner and was chosen to participate in the Oregon Project. Then you hear her angst and frustration as it all goes wrong. Goucher audibly works through her horror as Salazar assaulted her on a plane and during a massage, her disbelief as she attempted to explain it all away, and, finally, her reckoning with the abuse she was experiencing. It’s a plainspoken, authentic performance of an important sports exposé."
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