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Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith
What fears are standing in your way or holding you back? How do you want to become stronger? Olympic and World champion hurdler Sydney McLaughlin wants to help you answer these questions as she shares her personal story of struggles and victories, of faith and transformation.
Sydney McLaughlin knows about facing down obstacles. She has mastered not only racing over hurdles on the track but also tackling challenges in her personal life—from lifelong battles with perfectionism and anxiety to persistent questions about her identity and whether she was "enough."
Her pursuit of perfection and people-pleasing continued for years until God broke into her story with his overwhelming grace, transforming love, and empowering truth.
In Far Beyond Gold, Sydney will share aspects of her life story and personhood she has never shared publicly before, offering a more complex picture of who she is. She will inspire you
Conquer your fears in Christ's strengthStand strong in your identity in himPush past your perceived limitsOvercome the challenges you're facing
Experience the story of a woman who shifted from anxiety to boldness, from limits to freedom, and from perfectionism to purpose—and now shows the world that often what we think is impossible is possible with God.
Sydney McLaughlin knows about facing down obstacles. She has mastered not only racing over hurdles on the track but also tackling challenges in her personal life—from lifelong battles with perfectionism and anxiety to persistent questions about her identity and whether she was "enough."
Her pursuit of perfection and people-pleasing continued for years until God broke into her story with his overwhelming grace, transforming love, and empowering truth.
In Far Beyond Gold, Sydney will share aspects of her life story and personhood she has never shared publicly before, offering a more complex picture of who she is. She will inspire you
Conquer your fears in Christ's strengthStand strong in your identity in himPush past your perceived limitsOvercome the challenges you're facing
Experience the story of a woman who shifted from anxiety to boldness, from limits to freedom, and from perfectionism to purpose—and now shows the world that often what we think is impossible is possible with God.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 30, 2024
245 people are currently reading
5999 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 563 reviews
July 11, 2024
This is a book that I would highly recommend you give to your teenage daughter. McLaughlin pulls back the curtain on her fears and insecurities as a young woman in the world of track and field, and how she finally found the peace, purpose, and satisfaction she was looking for through a relationship with Jesus.
As other reviewers have said, McLaughlin's "trials" are maybe not what many of us would think of as true life difficulties. But that's not really the point. This is a great lesson of A) how even the most successful people can never be satisfied in the world, and B) the transformation that real Christianity can have on someone.
Looking forward to seeing McLaughlin compete this summer in Paris.
As other reviewers have said, McLaughlin's "trials" are maybe not what many of us would think of as true life difficulties. But that's not really the point. This is a great lesson of A) how even the most successful people can never be satisfied in the world, and B) the transformation that real Christianity can have on someone.
Looking forward to seeing McLaughlin compete this summer in Paris.
January 22, 2024
I have idolized Sydney McLaughlin since we were both running high school track at the same time. The first time I witnessed her race the 400m Hurdles in person was at New Balance Nationals in 2017, and I truly couldn't believe my eyes...and every race since, she continues to amaze me. I found her story very interesting because she speaks about the insecurities she faced in her early life (many of which were extremely relatable to my own insecurities as a runner at that time) and how, as she found extraordinary success in the years that followed, she overcame those fears by leaning into faith. Religion has never resonated with me as my identity is rooted elsewhere, but I love reading about other people's perspectives of how faith shapes them and leads them to achieving their goals. Sydney illustrates the growth of her faith over time very clearly and reflects how her faith impacted each of the most important races of her career thus far. It's no secret that God has a visible presence in many sports, and many athletes lean into prayer and worship on their paths to athletic success; I'm not sure I had a strong grasp of why athletes did this until reading Sydney's perspective. Lot of respect for Sydney and wishing her continued success!
August 19, 2024
Love love love this book! From the track stories to the amazing testimony God’s saving grace, all of it were encouraging, inspiring, and God-glorifying.
February 12, 2024
This was a short (205 pages) and quick read by track star Sydney McLaughlin turned Christian evangelist. It was an easy enough read and learning more about her track and Olympic fame was of interest. It was also encouraging to hear about her faith journey and her husband ( now a pastor). However, the book turns a bit preachy and simplistic and overloaded with scripture quotes. Also, what she considers “trials” in her life ( rain on her wedding day) seem a bit small to me at times. I am hopeful that people interested in her athletics may come to know Christ from reading her story.
January 3, 2025
"All of us want to know who we are, why we are here, and what's going to make us happy and full-filled."
February 25, 2025
This was a great and encouraging story! I’ve been a fan of Sydney for being a powerhouse athlete and inspiration, her determination, and most importantly, her outspoken faith in Jesus.
In this book, Sydney shares her obstacles and victories from her younger years as a track and field athlete to being in the Olympics. She is honest and real about her struggles with anxiety and perfectionism, something I think many readers will be able to relate to. I loved how she shared her faith and testimony and incorporated Scripture throughout.
You don’t have to be an athlete to enjoy this story! I would recommend this book to teens or adults✨
Quotes:
"If God has plans for you, no one, not even you, can stop them."
"Fear is a product of misplaced priorities. It comes from valuing the wrong thing too much. But when you value Jesus above all else, he takes your fear and replaces it with faith.”
"I had to choose faith in an invisible God, not leaning on my own understanding but having confidence that his perfect will was going to happen. Even when everything felt out of control.”
“I learned that in racing and in life, God gives you exactly what you need to run the race he has for you.”
In this book, Sydney shares her obstacles and victories from her younger years as a track and field athlete to being in the Olympics. She is honest and real about her struggles with anxiety and perfectionism, something I think many readers will be able to relate to. I loved how she shared her faith and testimony and incorporated Scripture throughout.
You don’t have to be an athlete to enjoy this story! I would recommend this book to teens or adults✨
Quotes:
"If God has plans for you, no one, not even you, can stop them."
"Fear is a product of misplaced priorities. It comes from valuing the wrong thing too much. But when you value Jesus above all else, he takes your fear and replaces it with faith.”
"I had to choose faith in an invisible God, not leaning on my own understanding but having confidence that his perfect will was going to happen. Even when everything felt out of control.”
“I learned that in racing and in life, God gives you exactly what you need to run the race he has for you.”
March 27, 2025
This memoir is raw, honest, and inspiring! I don’t think I knew who Sydney McLaughlin was until this book, but I just loved her story!
She was a runner from a young age and she tells her journey from elementary to the Olympics! She shares the highs, the lows, and all the struggles in between.
Even though she had great success, she also had debilitating fears that plagued her for years. This impacted her performance at the Rio Olympics as a 17 year old.
How her life changed in the next 5 years was amazing, and she was a different person by the time Tokyo Olympics started. She has a very clear testimony of salvation and faith in Christ. I was impressed by her openness in sharing her determination for purity before marriage! 👏👏
Highly recommend this memoir! Thanks to @this.curly.girl.reads for putting this on my radar!
She was a runner from a young age and she tells her journey from elementary to the Olympics! She shares the highs, the lows, and all the struggles in between.
Even though she had great success, she also had debilitating fears that plagued her for years. This impacted her performance at the Rio Olympics as a 17 year old.
How her life changed in the next 5 years was amazing, and she was a different person by the time Tokyo Olympics started. She has a very clear testimony of salvation and faith in Christ. I was impressed by her openness in sharing her determination for purity before marriage! 👏👏
Highly recommend this memoir! Thanks to @this.curly.girl.reads for putting this on my radar!
October 23, 2024
I am not a runner, but I really enjoyed this memoir and took a lot away from it. It is fascinating to get into the head of a runner—especially one who’s set world record speeds multiple times! As a believer, the Bible speaks about running the Christian race, and I couldn’t help but find correlations while reading about Sidney’s training, struggles, and races.
I also greatly loved reading about how she came to Christ and how she’s grown over the years since then. I personally related to her struggle with anxiety and second all she said about how amazing it is when the Lord Jesus gives you victory over that! This book was very uplifting and encouraging.
A few favorite quotes:
🏃♀️ “Whatever we do, making sure it honors God is the highest and most fulfilling way to live. Whatever may come day by day, we can do it for him.”
🏃♀️ “You can’t run from hard conversations. You can’t hide from reality, even if you’re afraid. If you want to compete at the highest level, you’ve got to make hard choices, but you’ve got to handle them the right way.”
🏃♀️”Fear is a product of misplaced priorities. It comes from valuing the wrong thing too much. But when you value Jesus above all else, he takes your fear and replaces it with faith (Philippians 4:6-7).”
Whether you’re a runner or not, you will likely find this book a blessing. This is a well written and inspiring story ❤️ I recommend it for both teens and adults.
I also greatly loved reading about how she came to Christ and how she’s grown over the years since then. I personally related to her struggle with anxiety and second all she said about how amazing it is when the Lord Jesus gives you victory over that! This book was very uplifting and encouraging.
A few favorite quotes:
🏃♀️ “Whatever we do, making sure it honors God is the highest and most fulfilling way to live. Whatever may come day by day, we can do it for him.”
🏃♀️ “You can’t run from hard conversations. You can’t hide from reality, even if you’re afraid. If you want to compete at the highest level, you’ve got to make hard choices, but you’ve got to handle them the right way.”
🏃♀️”Fear is a product of misplaced priorities. It comes from valuing the wrong thing too much. But when you value Jesus above all else, he takes your fear and replaces it with faith (Philippians 4:6-7).”
Whether you’re a runner or not, you will likely find this book a blessing. This is a well written and inspiring story ❤️ I recommend it for both teens and adults.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2024
Absolutely amazing woman! Brave, faith filled and encouraging. I've never been interested in track and field, but I'm team Syd this Olympics! #gosydgo !!!
June 10, 2024
There’s a post somewhere on my high school finsta about how much I love Sydney and how she’s literally the prettiest woman alive so of course I had to listen to her book (read by her!) Crazy to think that when I made that post she was actually struggling with anxiety and I loved to hear about her journey with Christ. the perfect book to listen to on my runs and the perfect read for any athlete or runner or Christian or anxious girlie™️
September 7, 2024
I have read reviews that found this book to be preachy and/or judgmental. I didn’t think it was either. This was just plain and simple her story of her journey to self discovery and spiritual awakening. Saying that the major things that literally make Sydney, Sydney should be left out of her AUTOBIOGRAPHY is ridiculous.
I enjoyed getting to know Sydney in this way and am happy for her and all of her accomplishments on and off the track.
I enjoyed getting to know Sydney in this way and am happy for her and all of her accomplishments on and off the track.
Read
February 26, 2024ever since the 2016 olympics, i have loved watching sydney’s running journey! it was so interesting to read this book and see what was going on behind the scenes. with a lot of athletes, we only see their highs, so i thought it was really inspiring to read about how sydney overcame insecurities and other lows in her life. i also loved reading about her faith journey and how that also impacted her running and life. def would recommend this!
January 26, 2025
genuine & encouraging! a really neat testimony of God's transforming grace
May 27, 2025
“All of us want to know who we are, why we are here, and what’s going to make us happy and fulfilled. We want to have a purpose, a strong sense of identity, and clarity about how we are supposed to spend our days.”
“When I left Rio, I thought I was leaving behind the biggest challenge of my life. I had no idea that the next two years would be even harder. And to reach joy, I had to go through trials too big for me to face on my own.”
I wouldn’t be caught dead running on a track.
Scratch that, I would most definitely be caught dead if I was running on a track because I’m a firm believer that running— especially my hardest— would kill me. My knees and legs hurt just thinking about what Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone does for fun. So no, I didn’t read this book to help me get off the starter blocks better or get my legs over hurdles in a graceful way—I pulled a hamstring just writing that sentence—but her story did really resonate with me and it was a true joy to read.
Because even though she’s a 4-time gold medal Olympian with world records, she’s just like you and me. She struggles with fear, anxiety, identity, and the desire to find meaning and purpose in life.
This book chronicles not only her literal races and Olympic experiences, but the race the author of Hebrews refers to: “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (12:1)
Far Beyond Gold is Sydney’s story that beyond her gold medals, she found freedom and life she never knew existed and now could never live without. And she wants you to know about it too.
I think this would be a great book for people who compete in track and field but also for young people in general. She is transparent about her physical and emotional struggles but also real life things like navigating dating relationships, food, and social media. I think it would be an inspiring read for a lot of young women to see that you don’t have to capitulate to cultural ideals for sex and fame and appearances.
It’s interesting reading the negative reviews on this book because they largely all say the same things: too much Jesus; it was preachy; too much about her faith journey and not enough insights on her career.
But man! To take Jesus out of this book would be completely missing the point. She wrote to show how HE is the center of her life— not running, not winning. That’s the ‘beyond’ part. She can’t tell her story without Jesus, the catalyst for her life transformation, the basis of her character, the strength for each day and each race.
I appreciated her candidness in sharing truth. Because it was genuine. She didn’t just put in bite-sized pieces that appease the masses without making them feel uncomfortable. No, she is overflowing with love and praise for her Savior and she should shout it from the mountaintop.
Her Career
On the track side of things, Sydney is known for running the 400m hurdles. In fact, she holds the world record for this event (50.37 seconds). She won gold at the 2020 Olympics and then at the 2022 World Championship. After this book went to publishing, she won gold again in the 2024 Olympics, breaking her own previous world record.
She has also won gold for participating in the 4x400 m relay in 2020 and 2024.
Her career began as a teen and has only progressed from there. I suppose it’s not really a surprise: both her parents were track stars and her brothers also ran track. It was her destiny in a lot of ways.
But her own competitiveness and the pressure to succeed created a growing and debilitating fear of failure.
“It wasn’t enough just to be a runner; I had to be a winner. I viewed victories as value… I convinced myself that I was put on this earth to win. And in order to receive love and respect from others, I had to finish first. If I didn’t, what good was I?”
I imagine the pressure and anxiety and fear she felt is what a lot of young actors and actresses face as well. They have achieved something great, and yet are treated beyond their years or have expectations put on them that they are not ready to bear.
“Inside, I felt like I still needed good role models to help me through all these wild changes, yet everyone was already looking at me differently, expecting me to share wisdom I did not yet possess.”
I think Caitlin Clark probably feels the same weight. We see these young people in the spotlight and they’ve done great things, but then we look to them for wisdom or to portray something beyond where they are and feel disappointed when they misstep or misspeak.
They are young and still figuring out their identity, still learning how the world works. We can definitely admire their work and achievements, but we should watch how we burden them with our needs or expectations that they should not be responsible for.
“Everything that had once seemed to be my peace quickly became my nightmare. I couldn’t fix myself. I couldn’t let go of my fear, anxiety, and need for approval on my own.”
Sydney shares the struggles she faced in relationships, during Covid and how that affected her training and Olympic hopes, and her mental health. She’s looking in hindsight now, but it’s perceptive of her to realize that when she sought help for her anxiety and depression, she wasn’t treating the root of the problem.
“I knew I needed to overhaul my life, change how I thought about my worth and my purpose, but everywhere I went for help I was getting only temporary solutions for my problems. Remedies for the symptoms of anxiety and sleepless nights, not the disease of self-focus and a misplaced identity.”
In many cases medication is wise to help us, but in so many cases there is a problem that sinks deeper into every fiber of our being and cannot be remedied by a pill, but a Person. Who bears the weight of our sin and our failures and gives us hope for tomorrow, a future.
To piggy-back off the Covid thing, I thought it was really interesting to hear how Covid impacted her ability to train. She was living in LA at the time and the stay-at-home order closed down tracks. A hurdler can only practice so much in a studio apartment.
To also think of the anxiety all of those Olympic athletes must have suffered under the duress of Covid testing that could so easily end their chances to compete.
“Each day, we endured multiple rounds of testing, knowing that if we got a positive, our Olympic dreams were over. I became hyperaware of my body. Am I showing any symptoms? Am I feeling tired, congested, or lightheaded? Twice a day, I had to take a COVID-19 test. Those were always nerve-racking, facing the possibility that we had flown all the way to Tokyo just to not be able to compete.”
We all can share ways that Covid influenced our lives— for starters, my twins were born in 2020 and spent almost two months in the NICU where my daughters were not allowed to visit. But I’m always interested to hear how others were impacted and how they grew during those times. I hope the next time stay-at-home orders are on the table, our 2020 experiences can better speak into future decisions, weighing people’s quality of life above uncertainties.
Her Faith
I’ve read many memoirs and heard many faith stories. Sydney’s is the real deal. She very explicitly shares the gospel message. And she shares the thoughts she had had about Jesus and the Bible that we’ve probably all thought at one point and brings good counsel.
She also avoids preaching a prosperity gospel that says, once you find Jesus all your problems go away and you always find health, wealth, and success. That is not the true gospel. Jesus actually promises us that we will have hardship and pain. Health, wealth, and success are never guaranteed. But nonetheless, we have all we need in Christ.
Her career could be over at any moment. She may suffer an irreparable injury. She may lose a loved one. But Sydney knows that her hope is not in her ability to win. It’s not in the people who love her most. It’s in the God who holds the world together, who calls us his own, and who has plans better than any we could come up with on our own. His race is always best because it goes far beyond gold. It takes fear and it turns it into faith. It takes captives and sets them free.
Other Negative Reviews
Besides people being annoyed by Sydney’s confident and evident faith (because how dare she?!), there were a couple other themes I noticed.
A few reviewers thought she wrote her memoir too early and she should have waited until more of her career had happened. If she had waited another year, she’d have had the 2024 Olympics to include.
But no one knows the future. It’s clear that God had laid it on her heart to use her platform to share the Good News of life and freedom for all who call on the name of the Lord. Share it while you can! We don’t know what tomorrow holds, we don’t know how many days we have left.
Plus, who says you can only write one book? Now that she has shared this, maybe she’ll write one with more details about her coach Bobby Kersee who also coached Allyson Felix and Flo Jo. Or maybe she won’t because it’s none of our business. I don’t know.
Some reviewers commented on the ordinariness of her life and how her ‘trials’ weren’t really that big a deal. I guess they were looking for stories of things hardly anyone has ever endured?
I mean, I would argue that not many people have endured the training she has, but even so, doesn’t that make her story more relatable and useful for us ‘normal’ people? We are a fickle people, the way we treat the ‘elite’ or the ‘famous.’ We put them on pedestals, place our own expectations on them, complain about their privilege or how they are or are not using their platform, complain that they had it too easy, or that they just could never understand what it’s like to be us. And then when we find out they’re just normal people with struggles just like us, we’re bored, unimpressed, and looking for the next ‘AMAZING’ thing.
We need to stop comparing our hardships with others. Everyone battles fear and anxiety—Olympian or not— and she shares how Christ freed her from that. That’s not a training or therapy reserved for the elite- that’s a remedy for every normal run-of-the-mill person. She wrote this book, not to raise herself higher, but to bring something down to us.
Do we only care about ‘the most’ extraordinary people/lives? Those are the only ones worth knowing and learning from? Are we really going to read this book and say- hey, cool story, but why don’t you go experience something more life-threatening or what we’ve ‘agreed’ to be super hard things, and THEN we’ll give you the time of day’? Is that how you would want someone to treat your story and what has shaped you? Is that how we measure value?
We may not have death around the corner or extreme emotional or physical challenges that constitute ‘major hardship’, but we all still have to go through every day. We all still have our struggles. We all still hunger for purpose and meaning and identity. We all still matter. You don’t have to wait to experience the highest highs or the lowest lows to matter. In the everyday, the mundane, you matter, and that’s why Sydney wrote this book. Because she knows you need the freedom of Christ in the everyday and the mundane. She knows we need the freedom from our own aimless stumbling.
Recommendation
There will always be people that put down books that preach the name of Jesus.
But I hope you are willing to listen to Sydney share her story and the freedom from fear she has found in her life. She wrote this book for you, I hope you’re open to hearing from her.
Is it a literary masterpiece? No. Is it a story of epic proportions? Depending how you feel about the Olympics, maybe not. But it’s genuine. It’s real. It’s hope. It’s truth. And I think we could all use a little bit more of that!
"It’s not about what medals I win or how history will remember my career. It’s far beyond gold. It’s about glorifying God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, through whom the Spirit works to bring redemption to those lost in sin."
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“When I left Rio, I thought I was leaving behind the biggest challenge of my life. I had no idea that the next two years would be even harder. And to reach joy, I had to go through trials too big for me to face on my own.”
I wouldn’t be caught dead running on a track.
Scratch that, I would most definitely be caught dead if I was running on a track because I’m a firm believer that running— especially my hardest— would kill me. My knees and legs hurt just thinking about what Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone does for fun. So no, I didn’t read this book to help me get off the starter blocks better or get my legs over hurdles in a graceful way—I pulled a hamstring just writing that sentence—but her story did really resonate with me and it was a true joy to read.
Because even though she’s a 4-time gold medal Olympian with world records, she’s just like you and me. She struggles with fear, anxiety, identity, and the desire to find meaning and purpose in life.
This book chronicles not only her literal races and Olympic experiences, but the race the author of Hebrews refers to: “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (12:1)
Far Beyond Gold is Sydney’s story that beyond her gold medals, she found freedom and life she never knew existed and now could never live without. And she wants you to know about it too.
I think this would be a great book for people who compete in track and field but also for young people in general. She is transparent about her physical and emotional struggles but also real life things like navigating dating relationships, food, and social media. I think it would be an inspiring read for a lot of young women to see that you don’t have to capitulate to cultural ideals for sex and fame and appearances.
It’s interesting reading the negative reviews on this book because they largely all say the same things: too much Jesus; it was preachy; too much about her faith journey and not enough insights on her career.
But man! To take Jesus out of this book would be completely missing the point. She wrote to show how HE is the center of her life— not running, not winning. That’s the ‘beyond’ part. She can’t tell her story without Jesus, the catalyst for her life transformation, the basis of her character, the strength for each day and each race.
I appreciated her candidness in sharing truth. Because it was genuine. She didn’t just put in bite-sized pieces that appease the masses without making them feel uncomfortable. No, she is overflowing with love and praise for her Savior and she should shout it from the mountaintop.
“Along the way, I’m going to show you how I came to recognize my fears and how you can spot the same anxiety in your life, then respond by going to the one who can set you free. I pray my story will point you in his direction and show you that no matter who you are or what you do, God is calling you to trust him, to let go of the struggle to define yourself or live up to other people’s expectations. He wants you, no matter who you are, to find your identity in him and his Son, Jesus Christ.”
Her Career
On the track side of things, Sydney is known for running the 400m hurdles. In fact, she holds the world record for this event (50.37 seconds). She won gold at the 2020 Olympics and then at the 2022 World Championship. After this book went to publishing, she won gold again in the 2024 Olympics, breaking her own previous world record.
"It’s widely considered one of the most grueling events in the sport, often referred to as “the man killer.” Because of the hurdles, you have to master the technique required to clear the barrier every fourteen or fifteen steps without losing balance or velocity. And the length is just long enough to demand extraordinary endurance while being short enough to require superior speed.”
She has also won gold for participating in the 4x400 m relay in 2020 and 2024.
Her career began as a teen and has only progressed from there. I suppose it’s not really a surprise: both her parents were track stars and her brothers also ran track. It was her destiny in a lot of ways.
But her own competitiveness and the pressure to succeed created a growing and debilitating fear of failure.
“It wasn’t enough just to be a runner; I had to be a winner. I viewed victories as value… I convinced myself that I was put on this earth to win. And in order to receive love and respect from others, I had to finish first. If I didn’t, what good was I?”
I imagine the pressure and anxiety and fear she felt is what a lot of young actors and actresses face as well. They have achieved something great, and yet are treated beyond their years or have expectations put on them that they are not ready to bear.
“Inside, I felt like I still needed good role models to help me through all these wild changes, yet everyone was already looking at me differently, expecting me to share wisdom I did not yet possess.”
I think Caitlin Clark probably feels the same weight. We see these young people in the spotlight and they’ve done great things, but then we look to them for wisdom or to portray something beyond where they are and feel disappointed when they misstep or misspeak.
They are young and still figuring out their identity, still learning how the world works. We can definitely admire their work and achievements, but we should watch how we burden them with our needs or expectations that they should not be responsible for.
“Everything that had once seemed to be my peace quickly became my nightmare. I couldn’t fix myself. I couldn’t let go of my fear, anxiety, and need for approval on my own.”
Sydney shares the struggles she faced in relationships, during Covid and how that affected her training and Olympic hopes, and her mental health. She’s looking in hindsight now, but it’s perceptive of her to realize that when she sought help for her anxiety and depression, she wasn’t treating the root of the problem.
“I knew I needed to overhaul my life, change how I thought about my worth and my purpose, but everywhere I went for help I was getting only temporary solutions for my problems. Remedies for the symptoms of anxiety and sleepless nights, not the disease of self-focus and a misplaced identity.”
In many cases medication is wise to help us, but in so many cases there is a problem that sinks deeper into every fiber of our being and cannot be remedied by a pill, but a Person. Who bears the weight of our sin and our failures and gives us hope for tomorrow, a future.
To piggy-back off the Covid thing, I thought it was really interesting to hear how Covid impacted her ability to train. She was living in LA at the time and the stay-at-home order closed down tracks. A hurdler can only practice so much in a studio apartment.
To also think of the anxiety all of those Olympic athletes must have suffered under the duress of Covid testing that could so easily end their chances to compete.
“Each day, we endured multiple rounds of testing, knowing that if we got a positive, our Olympic dreams were over. I became hyperaware of my body. Am I showing any symptoms? Am I feeling tired, congested, or lightheaded? Twice a day, I had to take a COVID-19 test. Those were always nerve-racking, facing the possibility that we had flown all the way to Tokyo just to not be able to compete.”
We all can share ways that Covid influenced our lives— for starters, my twins were born in 2020 and spent almost two months in the NICU where my daughters were not allowed to visit. But I’m always interested to hear how others were impacted and how they grew during those times. I hope the next time stay-at-home orders are on the table, our 2020 experiences can better speak into future decisions, weighing people’s quality of life above uncertainties.
Her Faith
I’ve read many memoirs and heard many faith stories. Sydney’s is the real deal. She very explicitly shares the gospel message. And she shares the thoughts she had had about Jesus and the Bible that we’ve probably all thought at one point and brings good counsel.
“With an overemphasis on the judgment part of the gospel, I often didn’t value God’s other characteristics, such as love, grace, and forgiveness.”
“There were days where I would just sit on my dorm bed looking at a Bible, not knowing what I was reading. I was searching for any sort of comfort or solace. It never came. Not because God wasn’t there but because I wasn’t truly seeking him. I was seeking a Band-Aid, something to cover the pain, something to pass the time just to get me to the next thing planned. That’s not how God works, though”
“I’d always seen the Bible as a self-help book. Open it and get a boost of encouragement. Some practical tips for the day. A mantra for Mondays when you’re irritable... all the uncertainty, as well as my newfound hunger to understand the Bible, was slowly teaching me that I wasn’t the center of the universe. God had a plan that was way bigger than my running, my relationships, and even my family’s health. The Bible wasn’t a road map to the best version of my life; it was a road map to God. And my job was to trust, obey, and be patient. Talk about a reality check. In a culture that teaches that we are to live our truths and do whatever makes us happy, God was completely tearing down those ideologies for me.”
"Not only did Jesus want my present, he also wanted my future. With him at the helm of my life, I could take my eyes off things of this world and my past infractions and look forward to a glorious future in his presence. A massive weight was lifted. I was never meant to lead my own life. I had tried that up to this point, and it landed me in the most unfortunate places. Surrendering to God was not giving up my freedom; it was finding it."
She also avoids preaching a prosperity gospel that says, once you find Jesus all your problems go away and you always find health, wealth, and success. That is not the true gospel. Jesus actually promises us that we will have hardship and pain. Health, wealth, and success are never guaranteed. But nonetheless, we have all we need in Christ.
"God may have track victories in my future, or he may not. All I can do is be faithful with today. I can work hard. And perhaps more importantly, I can enjoy the process.I see that running is God’s plan for my life. He gave me this gift. He gave me a platform. I tell people all the time, there is a responsibility that comes with that. No matter who you are or what you do, what is in your heart pours out. How you present yourself is a representation of who you serve, whether God or other people."
"I’d learned that in racing, and in life, God gives you exactly what you need to run the race he has for you. He gives grace and help to all those who look to him, not themselves, for strength, courage, peace, and joy."
Her career could be over at any moment. She may suffer an irreparable injury. She may lose a loved one. But Sydney knows that her hope is not in her ability to win. It’s not in the people who love her most. It’s in the God who holds the world together, who calls us his own, and who has plans better than any we could come up with on our own. His race is always best because it goes far beyond gold. It takes fear and it turns it into faith. It takes captives and sets them free.
Other Negative Reviews
Besides people being annoyed by Sydney’s confident and evident faith (because how dare she?!), there were a couple other themes I noticed.
A few reviewers thought she wrote her memoir too early and she should have waited until more of her career had happened. If she had waited another year, she’d have had the 2024 Olympics to include.
But no one knows the future. It’s clear that God had laid it on her heart to use her platform to share the Good News of life and freedom for all who call on the name of the Lord. Share it while you can! We don’t know what tomorrow holds, we don’t know how many days we have left.
Plus, who says you can only write one book? Now that she has shared this, maybe she’ll write one with more details about her coach Bobby Kersee who also coached Allyson Felix and Flo Jo. Or maybe she won’t because it’s none of our business. I don’t know.
Some reviewers commented on the ordinariness of her life and how her ‘trials’ weren’t really that big a deal. I guess they were looking for stories of things hardly anyone has ever endured?
I mean, I would argue that not many people have endured the training she has, but even so, doesn’t that make her story more relatable and useful for us ‘normal’ people? We are a fickle people, the way we treat the ‘elite’ or the ‘famous.’ We put them on pedestals, place our own expectations on them, complain about their privilege or how they are or are not using their platform, complain that they had it too easy, or that they just could never understand what it’s like to be us. And then when we find out they’re just normal people with struggles just like us, we’re bored, unimpressed, and looking for the next ‘AMAZING’ thing.
We need to stop comparing our hardships with others. Everyone battles fear and anxiety—Olympian or not— and she shares how Christ freed her from that. That’s not a training or therapy reserved for the elite- that’s a remedy for every normal run-of-the-mill person. She wrote this book, not to raise herself higher, but to bring something down to us.
Do we only care about ‘the most’ extraordinary people/lives? Those are the only ones worth knowing and learning from? Are we really going to read this book and say- hey, cool story, but why don’t you go experience something more life-threatening or what we’ve ‘agreed’ to be super hard things, and THEN we’ll give you the time of day’? Is that how you would want someone to treat your story and what has shaped you? Is that how we measure value?
We may not have death around the corner or extreme emotional or physical challenges that constitute ‘major hardship’, but we all still have to go through every day. We all still have our struggles. We all still hunger for purpose and meaning and identity. We all still matter. You don’t have to wait to experience the highest highs or the lowest lows to matter. In the everyday, the mundane, you matter, and that’s why Sydney wrote this book. Because she knows you need the freedom of Christ in the everyday and the mundane. She knows we need the freedom from our own aimless stumbling.
Recommendation
There will always be people that put down books that preach the name of Jesus.
But I hope you are willing to listen to Sydney share her story and the freedom from fear she has found in her life. She wrote this book for you, I hope you’re open to hearing from her.
Is it a literary masterpiece? No. Is it a story of epic proportions? Depending how you feel about the Olympics, maybe not. But it’s genuine. It’s real. It’s hope. It’s truth. And I think we could all use a little bit more of that!
"It’s not about what medals I win or how history will remember my career. It’s far beyond gold. It’s about glorifying God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, through whom the Spirit works to bring redemption to those lost in sin."
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August 7, 2024
I’ve loved Sydney for years now and really enjoyed her book. She tells her story so well and takes every opportunity to give God glory. Her heart for track and competition, and how to use that to point people to Christ is so inspiring and I’m so thankful for the wisdom she shares.
August 25, 2024
THIS BOOK! I will encourage all of you to read this book! It was so inspiring, encouraging in my faith, compelling, interesting, and simple. I am amazed by the way God is using her story and spurred on in my own faith and craft!
November 8, 2024
Slowly realizing audiobooking memoirs is one of my favorite things so if you throw in one about God and sports I’m freaking there. This book was a sweet insight into her life and her wrestling to give her life and career over to the Lord. Overall grateful for the platform she has and how she’s used it to glorify the Lord!!!
July 30, 2024
200 page modern memoirs written mostly for young women that I listen to rather than read have a hard 4-star ceiling for me, but this one pushed the ceiling for sure. McLaughlin is no doubt my favorite Olympian. Great read if you like Jesus, sports, and short books.
August 12, 2024
I will admit when I started this book I thought it would be either a cheesy story or a “humble brag” about her life, it was neither of these things. I found her story so interesting, encouraging, and a beautiful testimony to the ways that the Lord works through us for his purposes. As an athlete and believer, I deeply resonated with many of the struggles with fear and control and felt encouraged by the end of the book that the Lord is sovereign and works all things for his glory.
September 4, 2024
What an encouragement this book was and one that grew my faith. I knew Sydney was the real deal, but after reading her journey my respect has skyrocketed not only for her but also her Godly amazing husband.
“What a person does doesn’t change what they believe, but what they believe inevitably changes what they do.”
This is the kind of woman I desire my sons to marry. I read snippets of this to my 20 year old and he reiterated that this is what he desires as well. Praying her in!!
I highly recommend this one!! 5/5✨
“What a person does doesn’t change what they believe, but what they believe inevitably changes what they do.”
This is the kind of woman I desire my sons to marry. I read snippets of this to my 20 year old and he reiterated that this is what he desires as well. Praying her in!!
I highly recommend this one!! 5/5✨
February 12, 2024
Highly recommend! It's a fun time to read this since the summer Olympics are coming up!
December 27, 2024
Track & Field is my favorite to watch in the Olympics. I loved reading Sydney’s story and learning more about her. Would be a great book for any athlete with big goals to read. Especially someone wanting Jesus along for their ride. ❤️
February 15, 2025
Okay I’ve been wanting to listen to this since the Olympics and since I’m on a memoir kick I decided to go for it. Sydney essentially shares her testimony—understandably, there’s not a ton of life experience to cover since she was only 24 when it was published. The book focuses heavily on her identity as a professional runner and how knowing Christ shifted her perspective on life. It’s an encouraging read, though the message does get repetitive and if I’m being honest, the parts outside of her gold medal and world record weren’t the most engaging. Still, I’m a Sydney fan!
January 29, 2025
Awesome to see a believer at the top of her field, representing Christ boldly! Listened to the audiobook, read by the author.
August 5, 2024
A nice light, encouraging read. Can't believe she attends Grace Church—small world.
May 26, 2024
I have never related to a book so much before, as a hurdler and a Christian this book was so beyond amazing. I didn’t realize how solid her faith was and how similar her beliefs are to mine. 10000000/10 rating. This was such an encouraging book to me not only in running but in my faith. I love how everything gives glory to our creator. It was also so interesting to read about her life and how she came to be who she is today.
July 6, 2024
Sweet story but got a bit repetitive (especially the parts about her faith, which I agreed with in principle but started to skim through toward the end of the book). While I understand why she wanted to write and publish this now, I wish she’d waited 20+ years and had a longer view on her career to write about. Regardless - will always enjoy watching her run, and I will be cheering her on in the Paris Olympics!!
Movie rating: PG for some references to intimacy, but generally glossed over
Movie rating: PG for some references to intimacy, but generally glossed over
February 4, 2025
In the happiest tears possible at the end of this book. What a beautiful and encouraging testimony of God’s incredible work in Sydney’s life.
December 6, 2024
Such a refreshing and endearing read. Sydney McLaughlin was so real and open about the fear that had held her back and limited her. I would highly recommend reading or listening to this just for that side of the story. She had a lot of good truth to share about fear and what it will do to a person. I enjoyed reading about someone that had a such a positive childhood and family life, but still had to sort it all out once they got out on their own. It was easy to share in her successes and relate to the low times. Such a powerful testimony about Jesus changing her life. For a fellow Christ follower her story was such a breath of fresh air. As an American I just cheered for her at the Olympics without knowing anything about her. Now, I’ll highly recommend her story to the young people I work with and hopefully help her use her platform to speak Jesus and truth to people. Two favorites quotes: “To live life dependent solely on external circumstances of those around me is to be at the mercy of people just as lost as myself.” “Fear is a result of misplaced priorities. It comes from valuing the wrong thing too much. But when you value Jesus above all else. He takes the fear and replaces it with faith.”
February 7, 2024
5/5 stars (Special thanks to W Publishing Group for providing a copy of this book)
As a track and field fan I've been a big Fan of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone for quite some time. To be honest even with that, I went into this book half expecting another athlete/celebrity bland quickly written memoir. Yet another one written to capitalize and cash in on their fame. Where it's clearly obvious a ghost writer did the heavy lifting or even worse where the writing is so stilted or painful that you wish a ghost writer had been involved.
Instead I walked away encouraged, inspired, entertained, and grateful. Sydney candidly and openly shares her testimony starting in 2016 when she made the Olympic trials at the age of 16 all the way through the 2022 World championships where she not only captured gold but smashed the world record (which she already held) in the 400m hurdles. While she grew up in a Christian home/church, her identity was placed in her athletic ability without a personal relationship with Christ. She shares how He patiently called her to Himself during the time period covered in the book and how she now lives confidently in her identity as His child. A wonderfully written book (easy to read and fairly short) that presents a beautiful and clear picture of the gospel. Thank you Sydney for sharing your story and how Christ freely allows all of us to live not in fear but in faith.
As a track and field fan I've been a big Fan of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone for quite some time. To be honest even with that, I went into this book half expecting another athlete/celebrity bland quickly written memoir. Yet another one written to capitalize and cash in on their fame. Where it's clearly obvious a ghost writer did the heavy lifting or even worse where the writing is so stilted or painful that you wish a ghost writer had been involved.
Instead I walked away encouraged, inspired, entertained, and grateful. Sydney candidly and openly shares her testimony starting in 2016 when she made the Olympic trials at the age of 16 all the way through the 2022 World championships where she not only captured gold but smashed the world record (which she already held) in the 400m hurdles. While she grew up in a Christian home/church, her identity was placed in her athletic ability without a personal relationship with Christ. She shares how He patiently called her to Himself during the time period covered in the book and how she now lives confidently in her identity as His child. A wonderfully written book (easy to read and fairly short) that presents a beautiful and clear picture of the gospel. Thank you Sydney for sharing your story and how Christ freely allows all of us to live not in fear but in faith.
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