Eating Disorders - frustrated with adults not stepping in

I know there's a more scientific description of this, but in a nutshell, when your body is in starvation mode, it thinks it needs to hunt down food so shuts down systems such as the menstrual cycle to give a short-term boost of energy...hence you run fast.

The breakdown can take a few years, which is why some people who aren't educated on RED-S (parents, coaches, etc.) either don't notice or justify that the athlete must be healthy because they are performing well. Additionally, if an athlete is currently experiencing success, they may not want to stop.

You are 100% a Karen.

ditto to this - of course there are some cases where coaches are at fault for pushing athletes in this direction. but I know personally of a situation where the coach was doing everything they could to help but the parents were the roadblock to getting the athlete help. and, where maybe all the adults are pushing in the right direction and the athlete (child) is just very stubborn and disordered and won't cooperate. every situation is a little different but it's tragic that we are still seeing so many horrifying cases when the costs are now so clearly documented and there's such a wealth of knowledge available.

It's not as simple as telling someone they have a problem and then it instantly vanishes. We're all runners and we know the mentality. You're dealing with people who are highly driven, highly self disciplined, not averse to suffering, and willing to pay a price if they believe it will benefit them. Being a runner in itself doesn't necessarily create an eating disorder. People who choose this sport have that predisposition. Definitely not saying we shouldn't help people but these things are deep and not a simple fix.

It should actually be incorporated into SafeSport training for coaches. I recently retook the module, and this topic is not adequately addressed.
Coaches should be empowered to refer any athlete for a nutritional assessment at one of the local medical centers. Virtual consultations are likely available and should be an option.
Rationale: An athlete’s performance is directly dependent on their overall health and nutritional status. If there is any concern for inadequate caloric intake or other nutrition-related issues, a professional assessment should be initiated promptly to ensure safety and optimize performance

Bring to Nathan hot dog eating contest

Have you noticed all the elite Kenyan and Ethiopian women who look equally thin? Why aren't you worried about their health?

Because they aren't 15?

Eating disordered behavior with excessive exercise is difficult space to be in for that person. Pointing them out (alluding to specific runners) here on lets run is not an efficient method for helping or an empathetic means to an end. Yes indeed, society values women for being smaller and our sport specifically can be problematic for young girls trying to find meaning and self value in our confusing world . A world and sport that often sends the message that smaller is better. The people that are dearest to a person MAY indeed burden some responsibility to help, but when anyone has specific knowledge of a specific situation, social media post on such are ineffective and insensitive. If one is speculating about specific athletes publicly they are not helping. In general, the topic is a worth while conversation that needs to be treated with dignity and empathy ( that is hard to do in posts ....even when trying).

The coach should still stay out of it. He should instead report it to the school nurse and let him/her handle it. The coach is not a health care professional.

AL, RB, EL. Running media should stop celebrating these obvious cases. Fame and clicks have become more important than the health of these young girls.

I completely understand the frustration in this post. I’m curious, since you developed an ED, what were some of the things the people around you did to help you recover?
It’s impossible to be a runner and not know someone who had an ED. There was a book I read called “PR” by Amber Sayer. I remembered Amber because I was in high school at the same time they were and watched her compete. Amber was, by her own admission in the book, skeletally thin. It was alarmingly apparent that she had a serious illness. But she was one of the best runners in the country at the time.
In Amber’s book she details the causes of her ED that she developed when she was around 10; Her parents were health nuts; no food courts or take out, no string cheese or lunchables, everything organic, raw, and made from scratch. They also weren’t raised with tons of money either. All the restricting got her thinking about food differently than most kids, and thinking about food generally a lot more than most kids too. When she got to high school her teammates ignored her clear disorder, while her coaches sent mixed signals. On the one hand, they wanted her to run fast so they could win. On the other, they did grow frustrated with her weight and her health and when they did, handled things in a really confrontational way.
Amber’s parents were concerned about her, but they too often let her off the hook. The real true intervention came when then Stanford coach Dena Evans expressed respectful disinterest in an email to her before college, noting that she feared Amber wouldn’t be able to handle the training due to low body weight (it took a woman coach to do this, was a detail I found interesting. Other coaches were begging her to come.). Then while at the Pan American games that year, a sports psychologist simply befriended her. Didn’t ask her about running or badger her about food, but rather took notice of her and treated her like a whole person, asking about family, about friends etc. She started to connect with the parts of herself that weren’t a runner, and was able to find the strength to heal. It was a very emotional chapter.
All this to say, I think in most cases, parents and adults do care but no one has the key to unlock the safe. I think the adults in Amber’s life failed her, but not for trying. A lot of times it’s harder than we think, and I wonder if we can properly gather the tools to break through to people. Amber’s family and coaches did prevent her from running on several occasions. They just didn’t enforce it when they should have done.

They don’t look equally thin, they’re petite, they have smaller bone structures, they don’t look veiny and grey at their size the way the runners in question do.

I'll give you a non-hypothetical situation.

Years ago I was coaching a talented athlete (for middle distance track) who was in her last year of high school. She was genetically small, but appeared underweight. I was also this person's teacher for an academic course required by many university programs. Beyond my visual assessment based on her appearance that there was an underlying issue with undereating, there wasn't much to be certain about. I regularly observed the person to eat at normal times (both around the school and on trips), albeit small portion sizes. I had a few discussions with the female XC coach, who was also somewhat concerned.

She wasn't getting injured, and she was able to complete hard workouts. I didn't specifically bring up the topic, but made sure to give general information about fueling the workouts and for recovery (not just to this athlete, slightly more often to this athlete).

Years later, my suspicion was confirmed, but I didn't feel there was anything obvious enough for me to prevent them from racing. I'd be curious to learn what you think I should have done.

EL could be referring to several people…be careful

Thanks for the reply. Curious what you mean by “what you
wrote suggests there is a degree of isolation to behavior like this.” Could you
please clarify that part?

I’d be happy to share, and you’re right, there are no easy
answers and everyone’s experience with ED is different. As my ED worsened, I was indeed getting faster
and fitter. If I hadn’t gotten injured, I certainly would have continued the
season. I know it’s not black & white to shut someone down especially when
they’re having success. At the same time, I know a handful of folks whose
bodies now have irreversible damage.

EDs are both psychically and psychologically torturing at
times. For me and I imagine many others, the ED controlled me and my behavior,
it was always present and dictating my life. Food gave me tremendous anxiety
and I was constantly thinking about it and worrying about it. It was no way to
live.

A few close friends/teammates (who had also struggled with
ED) were the ones to give me a reality check. They were worried about me
particularly because they saw such a shift in not just my weight, but my general
behavior – my light was gone and I became somewhat of a shell of myself.

Anyway, my whole point in posting is just expressing
frustration. I know college athletes are technically adults, but our brains don't finish developing until their mid 20s and guidance and support from the adult-adults in their lives is so critical.

There are some athletes where you can very visibly see a
significant transition from before and after their ED began. It’s super sad to
watch and I know how damaging and painful the EDs are. It’s hard to see people
in denial and/or just completely ignoring it and pretending everything is fine.

That's not mutually exclusive. I believe coaches have a duty to watch out for the wellbeing of their athletes. I never said the coach should directly try to "solve" the ED, but wouldn't you say connecting them to a healthcare professional is not "staying out of it?"

I think words are being put in my mouth here. I didn't say telling someone they have a problem will cause it to vanish. I definitely agree it's deep and not a simple fix, especially if the athlete is performing well, but ignoring it completely does nothing either. I also did not say being a runner necessarily creates an eating disorder, it's just very common among runners.

I'm saying I've seen many coaches/parents/etc completely in denial and pretending like everything is fine & dandy, when an athlete is deteriorating mentally and physically before their eyes. EDs can be very physically and psychologically torturing, and people in the throws of it need help because the ED takes over your brain.