Eating Disorders - frustrated with adults not stepping in

I agree. I've seen the same thing and it's alarming.

Don’t be woke

In terms of why female athletes who really look this way are still celebrated publicly, I think the answer is that we can't tell 100% from the outside just by observing. Even if it seems very likely they have an eating disorder, there are other possible explanations, like they may just naturally have a very slight frame and look that way even with healthy habits. Unlikely, but possible. So if running media don't know 100%, they aren't going to cover the athlete differently just based on suspicions. Really, esp. with minors, it does all come down to the coaches and families and people who actually know and support them personally.

I don't usually comment on these but there is one HS girl in particular that is so bad that it's sickening. The fact that the people around her allow this to continue is problematic as this girl already has struggles with the loss of her mother and she is obviously going through some stuff. Milesplit and other media isn't helping anything either by pretending we don't see what we see. This will end badly for all unless people wake up and speak up.

Did this high schooler just barely win at a national xc festival?

I saw that photo. Some adult should intervene.

They probably got bad genetics. I’m stuffing my face and I can’t gain any weight, despite my multi-year break from running.

I think we all know what or who you're referring to.

I've seen similar situations, and it's unfortunate, and it is unsustainable. They can produce and perform at high levels only so long like that before an injury occurs.

And I remind all the girls around me that it's always better to be strong than skinny. And they agree.

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.

This is tough, because you are inviting opinions you might not disagree with and, as you said, there are no easy answers.

There some hard turths, and I would ask, if you are willing to weigh them against your experiences and chime in. Talking about how you overcame your ED might help others.

So, the obvious problem here is thst you are talking about adults. Adults get to make their own choices, and sometimes that includes self-harming and self-destructive behavior.

I'm going to hazards a guess that we will see posters chime in and suggest fhat people who experience EDs have mental health issues. Was that your experience?

I'm skeptical. What you wrote suggests that there is a degree of isolation to behavior like this. You wrote thst you recovered thanks to a robust support network. If you are willing, please share more about what that looked like.

It's easy to ignore when the race results are acceptable. We see it every single year with the same exact results.

You can run great for 6-18 months with an eating disorder before it becomes an obvious problem.

Beautiful at any weight is what I say. Bring on the fatties and the waifies.

It isn't natural for women to have super low body fat. There are drugs athletes take to strip themselves of body fat. Body builders routinely do it.

I say let them eat cake, literally.

college is a different animal, where you're dealing with "adults" and are more likely to have resources to help. in high school, it mostly needs to be a parents job. a hs coach can maybe have conversations with the parents to help steer things in the right direction, but can be looking for trouble to get involved directly with the student on something like that. it's just a shltty reality of our world today.

Contact CPS

She didn't barely win, she dominated. Never challenged. But that is beside the point.

Too often parents are in such denial that they are actually enablers. That is often the hardest group to convince that there is a problem.

Why is it sh*tty? If I’m the parent, I don’t want a coach butting in with me raising my child. It’s completely unacceptable for a coach to do such a thing.