If they put on a healthy amount of weight and take a long-term approach to training and performance, they can be much faster in adulthood. It's not worth sacrificing their health and all future prospects for 1 or 2 years of high school glory. The female athletes competing in the professional ranks don't look like this.
Unfortunately, some of the Puma Elite women do or used to. One of them won the OT marathon in this apparent state.
Yes but then she was too injured to compete at the Olympics and DNF’d after jogging less than 5k.
You must be very concerned since you made two identical posts about people you don't know and their bodyfat!
Um no, this is my first post to Letsrun ever.
If you read ANYTHING about what I've said, I've lived this experience and know many other athletes who have. It's dangerous and concerning. EDs are a mental illness that wreak havoc on the body and mind and can cause long term devastating issues. I am worried about these athletes.
It's freaking 2025. Eating disorders among runners are well-known and studied which makes it all the more painful to watch – I see so many high school and college girls (guys struggle too) who are clearly suffering from eating disorders.
Why do coaches, med staff, athletic directors, ANY ADULTS who can very easily SEE their kids struggling, and have surely seen it many times, continue to let someone train and compete, while the athlete is clearly suffering? We need these adults to freaking step up and do the right thing and get these kids the help they deserve.
Also, I know there’s probably not a straightforward answer here, but why is it that some runners with eating disorders just not get injured, or it takes years for injuries to catch up with them?
Some context: I’m a former D1 runner who developed an ED and subsequently injuries and rough illness, but with the help of friends, teammates, and professionals was able to recover and continue running.
Six things on a serious note:
1. You're right—there should be more folks focusing on this. I think it is changing, but it often seems the change is happening far too slowly. Still, this is better than where it used to be.
2. TLDR; don't underestimate how difficult it is to help the ED sufferer recognize the issue and treat it. On a "support team" side, there are truly a number of factors in play. Even if someone is knowledgeable about the signs, and can see the issues, often the ED sufferer is in denial, or outright obstinance, about it being a problem. Some will even recognize it is a problem, but are willing to exchange what they think are short-term gains for long term risks. Moreover, well-meaning folks trying to help often approach it poorly (every ED sufferer is different, and how to reach them differs) and even those who do not often get pushed away by the athlete if they persist. Watching friends and loved ones suffering from addictions or disorders is truly difficult, and hard to navigate for more than just the sufferer.
3. Focus on body weight is terrible. Weight is a poor substitute for a myriad of relevant factors—it summarizes a bunch of different things down into one number, and using that number as a gage is foolish. BMI has the same issues. To a degree, even VO2Max measurements have the same problem—it is a summary of factors, and not what you should be focusing on (velocity at VO2Max, that's different).
4. For endurance, the high carb revolution is coming. Balancing macro nutrients and micro nutrients is coming. Elite endurance athletes already do this. The Peleton in a major cycling race? They fuel sooooo much. Major marathoners, swimmers, skiers, triathletes, etc—all have been trending towards more and better fueling, and taking down records more and more often. It's just got to trickle down.
5. High school, and to some extent college, is the bottom of the spear. They lag, badly. Many high school coaches—who often don't have much training—are stuck 10-20 years back in time on what worked then. Under-fueling—especially dangerous for high school girls going through puberty, but also for the boys—was more common. Plus, high school schedules and stresses can make it genuinely difficult to get the fuel you need. I'm not sure who—USATF, state entities, USOPC, someone?—can bring a focus to this, and maybe help educate or even mandate more focus on fueling, but that might help a lot of folks.
6. Finally, you do see more body types in both the men and women's side of things than you used to see. Does this mean fueling is no longer an issue? No. But, look back at World Champs and US Trials one to two decades ago, and compare it to now. The folks at the front vary more greatly, and each have their strengths and weaknesses, than they used to vary IMHO. This is because every runner is different, and every body has a different peak shape and form for different types of efforts. Trying to make everything the same was always foolish, but then again if you're having to balance a team of dozens or hundreds I guess there is a reversion to a mean rather than the exceptionalism of the individual.
Thanks for your thoughtful input. As for #2, this was me spot on. I was in absolutely in denial that I had a problem and it took me getting an injury, a very bad illness, and my friends and family admitting that my personality altered for the worse, to accept what was happening.
I think some of what led me to finally post was I saw a post about a particular athlete, people expressing concern, and then someone saying something to the effect of "you're all worrying she's too skinny but she's not getting hurt so what's the problem?" and her family "liked" that comment. Just based on that, seems that athlete's family are in denial of how badly their kid is suffering. Maybe they're not injured today, but unfortunately I think a perfect storm is brewing.
It's hard to see that athlete constantly in the spotlight, setting an example for younger runners. I even find myself getting quite triggered by photos and videos because it takes me back to that mindset and plants seeds of doubt of myself now (even though I'm still running & competing well)
It’s a very tricky thing. The main reason these girls are as good as they are just because they’re super thin. If they put on weight, they would be slower. I don’t know why it has to be a disease can’t they just be restrictors trying to be at the perfect racing weight? ?
Why can’t after they quit the sport and then also start eating “normal” again?
all sports offensive lineman eat a lot. Once they quit the sport they lose some weight wrestler starting themselves because they wanna be light in the lower weight class.
"Why can't these people with a mental illness just stop having a mental illness?"
Being a top high school runner has never been so rewarding, at least in a worldly almost glutenous sense.
Not only do you get medals and bragging rights, like you would have 50 years ago, but there's a more concrete hierarchy as to who the best runners are (real nationals, race databases, ect) AND you can earn money, interviews, and scholarships in amounts never seen before.
There's so much more reward for being at the top than ever before, and indirectly, I think that alongside the rise of Dyestat, athletic.net, tiktok and youtube channels that cover the sport, ect- Newbury Park and Brosnan's crew- with the L and L Youtube Channel, played a role in showing people the "flashy" lifestyle of a top XC runner, and the potential upside of running fast.
With the rewards of being at the top so visible and plentiful, people are naturally incentivized to try and climb to the top. If you aren't a genetic freak, then a dependable way to "overclock" your body for a year or two is to eat little.
There isn't a "solution", unless you imagine that we completely reinvent the sport or forcibly control the media landscape surrounding the sport.
The best we can do is to have each coach and athlete raise awareness, be vigilant, and intervene when reasonable, and we can get to a safer place as a sport.
Nothing makes me more irate than watching you pigs on this site think you are actually "helping" when you sit and talk about a specific girl's body - ESPECIALLY A MINOR!!! It's seriously the most inappropriate sh*t ever. If you're going to talk about the general topic of athletes with eating disorders, go ahead, but do so with some actual advice that may be CONSTRUCTIVE... And DO NOT mention a female minor by name! How f*cked up are you people!?
Those of you who just chime in to say something like, "whoa! She's scary thin" and, "she needs help" - you need to fight your urge to click "post reply". You're doing nothing to help. In fact, you're just showing that you're an a$$hole. You may be totally correct in your assessment that these athletes may be headed towards health issues, but expressing that by talking trash about a specific young girl's body is disgusting - especially considering that most of the comments are probably from grown men.
If you're acknowledging that an Eating Disorder is a sickness or some kind of mental disorder, and you're going to post crap that these young girls may see, you're only creating a new problem for them. I guarantee you, they're fighting to get healthier, whether you tell them to or not.
These girls are highlighted by running at big meets and then the social media celebrations that follow.
Their bodies aren't being objectified at all, and the fact they're girls is only because Eating disorders disproportionally effects females.
These athletes are trading off lifelong health (and running success) for success in the present. There's a solid chance they could be just as fast at a weigh 5% higher as well.
Perhaps if their coaches/parents saw these threads they'd be empowered to do something, knowing many distance runners have been through similar experiences.
These girls are highlighted by running at big meets and then the social media celebrations that follow.
Their bodies aren't being objectified at all, and the fact they're girls is only because Eating disorders disproportionally effects females.
These athletes are trading off lifelong health (and running success) for success in the present. There's a solid chance they could be just as fast at a weigh 5% higher as well.
Perhaps if their coaches/parents saw these threads they'd be empowered to do something, knowing many distance runners have been through similar experiences.
Not being objectified?!? You're a buffoon, wasting your life signing in under 20 different IP addresses to hit the up or down arrow to try to justify your need to talk about young girls' bodies. You're freaking weird, and you give zero schitts about helping a young girl.
Why do coaches, med staff, athletic directors, ANY ADULTS who can very easily SEE their kids struggling, and have surely seen it many times, continue to let someone train and compete, while the athlete is clearly suffering? We need these adults to freaking step up and do the right thing and get these kids the help they deserve.
It's easier said than done.
You ask why don't all these athletic people do something. As a former coach, I'll ask you this - What about the parents? They must see it as well. They are around them way more than a coach.
This is a cop out and there are many things coaches can do. If you are a college coach, use common sense here. Don’t recruit runners with visible eating disorders or behaviors. Yes, not every eating disorder is visible. But in my experience many are and still I have watched coaches do nothing. And be for real, if you think you can’t tell the difference between skinny and unhealthy. You can-there are so many signs. It’s not just in the body (though it’s clear in a lot of cases) hair, face, skin etc. Remember that eating disorders are contageous. Utilize nutritionists, dieticians and health experts. Also bring in parents. Whether you are high school or college coaching you are capable of having honest conversations with your athletes if you see an issue. In my experience, most coaches do choose to ignore the issue or wait until it’s too late. In college, I had a teammate with a history of mental health issues. She started running well and came back from a summer of training and she was half her original size. Everyone thought she was fit. She was! Had a great XC season, but over time, we realized that she wasn’t fueling properly, was obsessed with diet, and timing of when she was eating. She lived with several of our teammates and they grew uncomfortable with her behaviors. We brought this to our coach, who then suggested in so many words, that we were being catti, trying to sabotage her in some way. It was wild. The athlete suffered a huge injury during indoor and that ultimately ended her career. Be the adult in the room. I had a teammate similar to my college teammate, in high school. They reminded me so much of each other it was scary. This teammate had a strong passion for the environment and used veganism to hide what was clearly a disorder. Unfortunately my coach, instead of spotting this for what it was, fueled her habit because he was vegetarian too. He used that to bond with her instead. To be honest I think my coach was far more concerned with being her….friend…than he was being the adult in the room. He needed to grow the heck up and help her. Just an unfortunate thing all around.
Nope-I’m a huge AP fan. I didn’t care for her platform when she was at Florida because she was clearly unhealthy and masking it, sending a dangerous message to young girls. She has really turned it around and I think is going to be a positive role model for young female runners-look at what you can do when you’re healthy! She is no longer plagued by injuries and seems genuinely happy. I have no doubt she has many more all-American honors waiting for her. RF (‘24) is also a great influence, as many have mentioned. I’m referring to NC and IR (nothing proven! And I don’t want to project…but that decline doesn’t just happen.)
Jesus, I didn't know people were talking about a specific runner. I just clicked on some link to a photo of what I think is a HSer. Can't believe people would let her run.
you would think almost 25 years after AT and what she went through that coaches and parents would have finally decided that watching their athletes starve in high school isn't really the best choice for long term success. also we need to remember that these are kids and they don't know any better. time and time again their retrospective thoughts in interviews post-recovery are "I thought I discovered the secret to running fast and kept it a secret from everyone else" or something similar. but the adults in their lives SHOULD KNOW BETTER and should be better at seeing the signs or talk to their female athletes about amenorrhea (not singling out a specific runner just general thoughts about high school running)
Nothing makes me more irate than watching you pigs on this site think you are actually "helping" when you sit and talk about a specific girl's body - ESPECIALLY A MINOR!!! It's seriously the most inappropriate sh*t ever. If you're going to talk about the general topic of athletes with eating disorders, go ahead, but do so with some actual advice that may be CONSTRUCTIVE... And DO NOT mention a female minor by name! How f*cked up are you people!?
Those of you who just chime in to say something like, "whoa! She's scary thin" and, "she needs help" - you need to fight your urge to click "post reply". You're doing nothing to help. In fact, you're just showing that you're an a$hole. You may be totally correct in your assessment that these athletes may be headed towards health issues, but expressing that by talking trash about a specific young girl's body is disgusting - especially considering that most of the comments are probably from grown men.
If you're acknowledging that an Eating Disorder is a sickness or some kind of mental disorder, and you're going to post crap that these young girls may see, you're only creating a new problem for them. I guarantee you, they're fighting to get healthier, whether you tell them to or not.
I understand your concern but not sure why you're replying directly to me here, in my original comment and multiple comments in this thread I've said I am a female former D1 runner. I have not named any names and the language I've used is "they" and "the athlete." I do agree we should not name specific people.
Running media...Milesplit, Dyestat, etc. keep glorifying these athletes short term success despite the obvious problems that go along with it. That kind of attention is very desirable by many girls and they see what it takes to achieve it. They may be relatively new to the sport and haven't been warned of any of the dangers or watched long enough to see those way too thin athletes fall apart and end their career after only a year or two of success. Coaches and the media are way too irresponsible with this subject because they like winning. It will only happen more often if we keep glorifying this kind of "success".
this is a great point. I cannot imagine being a young athlete in today's social media age...I remember my region had a local site that kept up with predictions and news and even that would make me anxious. today's pressure must be immense
It's freaking 2025. Eating disorders among runners are well-known and studied which makes it all the more painful to watch – I see so many high school and college girls (guys struggle too) who are clearly suffering from eating disorders.
Why do coaches, med staff, athletic directors, ANY ADULTS who can very easily SEE their kids struggling, and have surely seen it many times, continue to let someone train and compete, while the athlete is clearly suffering? We need these adults to freaking step up and do the right thing and get these kids the help they deserve.
Also, I know there’s probably not a straightforward answer here, but why is it that some runners with eating disorders just not get injured, or it takes years for injuries to catch up with them?
Some context: I’m a former D1 runner who developed an ED and subsequently injuries and rough illness, but with the help of friends, teammates, and professionals was able to recover and continue running.
Its not an athlete issue only. You can no ore tell someone to just start eating than you can tell them to just not be depressed. Its a mental health issue. People get EDs that are not playing any sports. They are indeed adults, but as a coach you have to be pretty forward about referring anyone who is underfueling to support system.
I never said or implied it was only an athlete issue, nor did I say or imply that the solution is to tell them "just start eating." I quite literally said adults in their life need to "do the right thing and get these kids the help they deserve."
As I've mentioned in my original post and various responses, EDs are a mental health issue, and I have suffered from an ED that led to injury, illness, dulling of my personality, and generally poor quality of life.