Good for a Girl summary

A ton of letters from colleges across the country flooded Lauren’s mailbox – but in the end, she went with Stanford. She was drawn to their female coach's energy, and she wanted to prove herself to Vin Lananna, the university's cross-country and track and field director. So even though Vin didn't provide her with any scholarship funding in her first year, Lauren was determined to make it work. And make it work she did.

At Stanford, her life as an athlete was all about weekly training and races. Every weekend, the team would hit up a different town and run their hearts out. It was a great practice for Lauren, and her freshman season ended up being nothing short of epic. She placed fifth in her very first NCAA championships, became an All-American in some events, and even made it to the Olympic Trials for the 5,000-meter run.

Despite the health issues she and her team faced, Lauren went on to finish college with a handful of wins under her belt. This made her an attractive asset in the professional field – but unfortunately, pro track and field is nothing like football or basketball where clubs recruit and pay players. To earn your way as a pro runner, you need to sign with a major sports brand instead. This became a hurdle for Lauren at first, but she ultimately landed a deal with Nike for $60,000 per year. 

After she accepted the offer, her first order of business was to train to get into the 2004 Olympics, which was only a year away. Pro runners make the Olympic team by finishing in the top three at the Olympic Trials. And to even qualify for the Trials, they need to hit a certain time standard during the season.

It took Lauren another 12 weeks to recover and get back on the lane – but when she did, she was on fire. She secured a bronze medal for the USA team in the World Cross-Country Championships in France, got second place in the 2005 USATF Outdoor Championships, and won the same race the following year – which qualified her for the World Cup in Athens. Her season went so well that Nike offered her a six-year contract for $125,000 per year. 

Come 2007, the popularity of women's activewear was on the rise, and Lauren found herself browsing Nike's newly released catalog. She was happy about the advancement of women’s sports, but she was disappointed at how the catalog featured zero actual female athletes – instead, it was full of models who clearly didn’t do sports. 

Following her successful Nike campaign, Lauren set her eyes on the 2008 Olympic Trials. This time, she was confident she could land a spot in the Games. After all, she had a string of victories going – the 2007 London Diamond League and the 2008 New York Diamond League were her biggest wins yet.

Unfortunately, the Olympics would remain elusive for Lauren. Immediately after she won the 2008 Diamond League, she suffered from yet another foot injury. It was a tiny line on her navicular bone, which meant she had to pause training for a while and then cross-train in the pool again. 

When Lauren returned to running under new coach Mark Rowland, she was once again at the top of her game. She won the Nationals and went to South Korea for the Worlds, where she finished seventh – an American record at the time. 

After her South Korea trip, she competed in the New York City Marathon, where misfortune struck again; she was left with another injury just months before the 2012 Olympic Trials. Lauren knew that joining the race would only lead to humiliation – she wasn't in the right shape yet. But she also felt that it would be her last Trials, and she wanted to get on those lanes one more time. 

Lauren Fleshman's journey in the running world, from amateur to professional, highlights the challenges faced by a lot of women runners. Her experiences offer insights into the improvements that can be made in the sports system to prioritize the physical and mental health of female athletes. With her story, she hopes to begin changing the industry, one step at a time.