Politics & Government
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The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team
In this unvarnished and affecting memoir, 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. 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.
Told with stunning honesty, The Longest Race is an unforgettable story and a 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. Kara's memoir reveals how she broke through the fear of losing everything, bucked powerful forces to take control of her life and career, and reclaimed her love of 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. 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.
Told with stunning honesty, The Longest Race is an unforgettable story and a 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. Kara's memoir reveals how she broke through the fear of losing everything, bucked powerful forces to take control of her life and career, and reclaimed her love of running.
Editorial Reviews
"In her new memoir, Goucher says for the first time publicly that she is the woman behind the sexual assault allegations that led to her former coach Alberto Salazar to be banned from the sport for life in 2021."
-Good Morning America
"Kara's story is inspiring and powerful, and she shares it with vulnerability and honesty. This book has something for everyone, whether you're a seasoned runner, just starting out, or don't think you have any interest in running at all. A must-have for your bookshelf, it leaves you motivated, empowered, and ready to take on the world. Thank you, Kara, for sharing your story and reminding us all that we are stronger than we know."
- Allyson Felix, seven-time Olympic gold medalist and twelve-time World Championship gold medalist
"After much anticipation, Goucher has finally released her memoir . . . The two-time Olympian uses a deeply personal story of her time in elite running to encourage other women to use their voices."
-Women's Running
"Stunning in its honesty and intimacy, The Longest Race is one of the most important athlete memoirs of its generation. Kara Goucher takes us inside a breathtakingly complex world, showing us the love and beauty of sport as well as its gruesome abuses of power, callous cruelty, and disregard for the athlete-specifically the female one."
- Kate Fagan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen
"Kara Goucher's journey is dramatic and alarming. Beyond that, she and Mary Pilon have put together a stellar work of investigative journalism. The Longest Race will break your heart and blow your mind."
- James Andrew Miller, #1 bestselling author of Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN
"A lightning-quick runner who would go on to become a two-time Olympian and the face of Nike, Kara had no idea that her 7 years with the Oregon Project would elevate her career to soaring new heights - and drag her into one of the darkest chapters of her life. In her explosive new memoir, Kara opens up about how she and [her husband] Adam helped expose Salazar - the once-beloved coach they regarded as a father figure."
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-Good Morning America
"Kara's story is inspiring and powerful, and she shares it with vulnerability and honesty. This book has something for everyone, whether you're a seasoned runner, just starting out, or don't think you have any interest in running at all. A must-have for your bookshelf, it leaves you motivated, empowered, and ready to take on the world. Thank you, Kara, for sharing your story and reminding us all that we are stronger than we know."
- Allyson Felix, seven-time Olympic gold medalist and twelve-time World Championship gold medalist
"After much anticipation, Goucher has finally released her memoir . . . The two-time Olympian uses a deeply personal story of her time in elite running to encourage other women to use their voices."
-Women's Running
"Stunning in its honesty and intimacy, The Longest Race is one of the most important athlete memoirs of its generation. Kara Goucher takes us inside a breathtakingly complex world, showing us the love and beauty of sport as well as its gruesome abuses of power, callous cruelty, and disregard for the athlete-specifically the female one."
- Kate Fagan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen
"Kara Goucher's journey is dramatic and alarming. Beyond that, she and Mary Pilon have put together a stellar work of investigative journalism. The Longest Race will break your heart and blow your mind."
- James Andrew Miller, #1 bestselling author of Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN
"A lightning-quick runner who would go on to become a two-time Olympian and the face of Nike, Kara had no idea that her 7 years with the Oregon Project would elevate her career to soaring new heights - and drag her into one of the darkest chapters of her life. In her explosive new memoir, Kara opens up about how she and [her husband] Adam helped expose Salazar - the once-beloved coach they regarded as a father figure."
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Readers Top Reviews
Monica BrickerKather
I was an avid runner during the Goucher era and always saw the happy beautiful Kara running and smiling. This story was so raw and really makes you realize that you never know what is truly going on with someone. Her story of her ups and downs in her running career is so real and endearing. I really enjoyed it as would recommend to any female athlete.
One of the most raw, emotionally powerful, and inspiring books. Kara Goucher has owned the track, the roads and cross country courses for decades. Take an inside look at her emotional and mental strength behind being and NCAA champion, world medalist, Olympian and fighting mental and sexual abuse to better women’s sports. A love for the sport that is unmatched with an end that will help any any athlete see the bigger picture in sports.
SMD
This is more than just a story about the Salazar controversy. Kara’s honesty shines throughout- she presents things in a way that never crosses over to bragging or narcissism as is so common in running memoirs. She just tells it like it is- her struggles and triumphs. As a Minnesota amateur runner, about the same age as Kara, I have always admired her, but this really deepened that admiration. It took a lot of courage to tell her story and I have every confidence it will help other women to find their voices.
Tony Loyd
I'm reading the last few pages of Kara Goucher's amazing book, The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team. I have always admired Kara's grit on the track and the road. But here, she reveals how that grit and integrity shows up in the rest of her life. Read this book. It will break your heart. It will have you nodding in recognition. Sometimes it feels like a slow-motion train wreck. But you will be cheering at the end. Well done, Kara. We love you.
SummitSP850
Quick, engaging read--I made time for this book and finished it in two days, even though I was quite busy when it arrived. As a woman and recreational athlete, in addition to being a fan of Kara Goucher (check out her podcast with Des Linden, "Nobody Asked Us with Des and Kara"), I was excited to read the book and looking forward to hearing Kara's perspective on her own life and experiences. However, as simply a sports nerd, I have to admit that there is nothing new here. Since the fall of Lance Armstrong, various sources have provided the public with inside stories of the toxic environment and cultures existing within professional sports, particularly as that relates to women. Most of the events that Kara describes in this book were detailed in "Win at All Costs: Inside Nike Running and Its Culture of Deception" by Matt Hart, and in my opinion, Kara's version didn't really offer much beyond basic feminine insights you'd expect any woman facing these moments to have. There is one fairly new revelation that the book offers, but to me, it seemed as though the authors understood something new needed to be included to make the book relevant, and Kara understands relevance. They played that out until the end in a traditional fashion by moving away from it but always reminding readers it happened in tiny snippets, until there was finally a conclusion at the end. It was a good read, and I am happy I read the book. But, to be honest, I wish I'd put myself on the waiting list for it at the library instead of purchasing it.
