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Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know About Women
Award-winning sports journalist Maggie Mertens tells the propulsive, edge-of-your-seat story of how women broke into competitive running over the last century, getting faster and fiercer with every race and changing our understanding of gender and power, in athletics and beyond.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
June 21, 2024
Better Faster Farther is a nonfiction book that broadly talks about three different topics concerning women and running: women being able to run and participate in marathons; the female athlete triad (amenorrhea, eating disorders, and bone fractures); and how women sports have (poorly) addressed the question of ‘what is a woman?’
I’m not particularly interested in marathons, but I do have to say: wow. What the fudging fudge is wrong with people? Some things IRKED me. Like reading about one of the organizers of the Boston Marathon (which didn’t allow female participants until the 1970s) harassing a woman who had disguised herself as a man to be able to participate. I have forgotten his name and honestly, I’m glad about that, what a moron. (Also, sports bras were invented in 1977! I’m part of the Itty bitty titty community and still, I wouldn’t. I have nothing but respect for women who have to do without them, the thought gives me nightmares).
The second part was the one I was more interested in. I’m not an athlete but I do run daily and I’m happy to announce I’ve dealt with the female athlete triad (amenorrhea, eating disorders, and bone fractures) lol It was interesting to read 1) how women who run are basically forced into this by societal standards AND sport coaches. And 2) why sports science has done us wrong. If you’re a runner, you’ve probably heard the good old advice that the lighter you are, the faster you run. I’ve had a runner coach tell me that. So, HA. Turns out that is proven correct by sports science for men. But women show that having more muscle and weight is better than being light. Like WHAT.
Anyway, this had me having a moment when I read it because she had receipts. Like, a runner coach told me to lose weight to be fast. That it’s fine to be underweight if you’re trying to hit a PR. And now I see this?
Aaaand the last part deals with just more sciency bits that deal with the question of: is it okay for transgender women to run against afab women at races/the Olympics? Complete transparency here, I do struggle with this question, and this book didn’t help much. It explained how women had their DNA tested and at times kicked out of competitions for being too manly and things like this, and then it spoke about the female body vs the male body. Transgender women are faster than afab women for the most part because of their body composition and not testosterone, this was interesting to read. There was a more nuanced explanation about how depending on when the transgender women got certain surgeries, this would actually not matter, and things like that.
I just found the ending of this section sort of blergh. Mertens just said the male body is made to win at running, but can that be changed? And I thought it was powerful in a way, but also discouraging to add this in your last chapters. She wraps up her book talking about the connection between war and running, how races have men trying to win and go for the kill, and that we have forgotten the humbleness that comes with running. It’s not you versus the world, but you against that hill. You against yourself. And I think, by putting this question of ‘can women be faster?’ at the end, it just trumps that conversation of how running shouldn’t be something to win others but something to challenge ourselves.
Anyways, I liked it. The second part was great. I wish it had included more on the third aspect of the book (transgenders in races) to understand how things are right now. And maybe offer something that was more conclusive.
I’m not particularly interested in marathons, but I do have to say: wow. What the fudging fudge is wrong with people? Some things IRKED me. Like reading about one of the organizers of the Boston Marathon (which didn’t allow female participants until the 1970s) harassing a woman who had disguised herself as a man to be able to participate. I have forgotten his name and honestly, I’m glad about that, what a moron. (Also, sports bras were invented in 1977! I’m part of the Itty bitty titty community and still, I wouldn’t. I have nothing but respect for women who have to do without them, the thought gives me nightmares).
The second part was the one I was more interested in. I’m not an athlete but I do run daily and I’m happy to announce I’ve dealt with the female athlete triad (amenorrhea, eating disorders, and bone fractures) lol It was interesting to read 1) how women who run are basically forced into this by societal standards AND sport coaches. And 2) why sports science has done us wrong. If you’re a runner, you’ve probably heard the good old advice that the lighter you are, the faster you run. I’ve had a runner coach tell me that. So, HA. Turns out that is proven correct by sports science for men. But women show that having more muscle and weight is better than being light. Like WHAT.
Anyway, this had me having a moment when I read it because she had receipts. Like, a runner coach told me to lose weight to be fast. That it’s fine to be underweight if you’re trying to hit a PR. And now I see this?
Aaaand the last part deals with just more sciency bits that deal with the question of: is it okay for transgender women to run against afab women at races/the Olympics? Complete transparency here, I do struggle with this question, and this book didn’t help much. It explained how women had their DNA tested and at times kicked out of competitions for being too manly and things like this, and then it spoke about the female body vs the male body. Transgender women are faster than afab women for the most part because of their body composition and not testosterone, this was interesting to read. There was a more nuanced explanation about how depending on when the transgender women got certain surgeries, this would actually not matter, and things like that.
I just found the ending of this section sort of blergh. Mertens just said the male body is made to win at running, but can that be changed? And I thought it was powerful in a way, but also discouraging to add this in your last chapters. She wraps up her book talking about the connection between war and running, how races have men trying to win and go for the kill, and that we have forgotten the humbleness that comes with running. It’s not you versus the world, but you against that hill. You against yourself. And I think, by putting this question of ‘can women be faster?’ at the end, it just trumps that conversation of how running shouldn’t be something to win others but something to challenge ourselves.
Anyways, I liked it. The second part was great. I wish it had included more on the third aspect of the book (transgenders in races) to understand how things are right now. And maybe offer something that was more conclusive.
August 31, 2024
This book Blew. My. Mind.
It was slow at first and hard to get into as it starts with the history of women’s running and reads more like a college paper rather than a novel. However, I still really appreciated the backstory. As an amateur female runner, it’s truly inspiring to learn how HARD women worked to get equal opportunities in sports. It makes me want to run in honor of every woman before me who had to run without proper gear and recognition, often not even being able to compete officially.
As the book progressed to outlying the horrifying rules placed on female olympians and their hormones, I was flabbergasted. I’ve never known just how corrupt the sports committees can be in terms of trying to push female athletes out. This book fundamentally challenged the way I view transgender and intersex athletes.
This book was deeply inspiring and informative.
“Separating sport by sex Is not always about protecting women’s opportunities - it’s sometimes about protecting the gender hierarchy”
It was slow at first and hard to get into as it starts with the history of women’s running and reads more like a college paper rather than a novel. However, I still really appreciated the backstory. As an amateur female runner, it’s truly inspiring to learn how HARD women worked to get equal opportunities in sports. It makes me want to run in honor of every woman before me who had to run without proper gear and recognition, often not even being able to compete officially.
As the book progressed to outlying the horrifying rules placed on female olympians and their hormones, I was flabbergasted. I’ve never known just how corrupt the sports committees can be in terms of trying to push female athletes out. This book fundamentally challenged the way I view transgender and intersex athletes.
This book was deeply inspiring and informative.
“Separating sport by sex Is not always about protecting women’s opportunities - it’s sometimes about protecting the gender hierarchy”
April 13, 2025
More a history of women’s running than an exploration of how “running changed everything we know about women.” It really didn’t feel like the thesis put forward in the subtitle was reflected in the story at all, and that was disappointing! On the other hand, there were compelling stories of women runners I’d never heard before and I enjoyed the structure that pushed the distance up as history went on. There were a couple interesting arguments that challenged how I may talk about women in sports but all in all, this was just okay.
August 29, 2024
BETTER FASTER FARTHER is for every woman incensed by the fact that women weren't allowed to run the 1500m until the 1972(!) Olympics, and everyone who has no clue that women weren't (aren't?) always welcomed into running spaces.
It's also a great history of women in the sport of running.
This is the rare book that I'll likely reread sometime in the next few years, just so I can commit more of it to memory. And it's a book I liked enough to have thoughts/feelings about the cover - is there content in here about "how running changed (things people) know about women," sure. But there's a lot more, too.
(Not a perfect book, but I'm rounding up to 5 stars based on the sheer amount of times it had me highlighting passages.)
Thank you to Algonquin and NetGalley for a free e-arc of this title for review.
It's also a great history of women in the sport of running.
This is the rare book that I'll likely reread sometime in the next few years, just so I can commit more of it to memory. And it's a book I liked enough to have thoughts/feelings about the cover - is there content in here about "how running changed (things people) know about women," sure. But there's a lot more, too.
(Not a perfect book, but I'm rounding up to 5 stars based on the sheer amount of times it had me highlighting passages.)
Thank you to Algonquin and NetGalley for a free e-arc of this title for review.
January 13, 2025
Came for the marathon inspiration, left with notes about biases in Western science to include in my own research. We stand on the shoulders of giants!
September 27, 2024
Loved it! Super engaging history of women in the sport of running. I won’t take my freedom to run for granted knowing how HARD women had to work to do so. The book also covered the female athlete’s triad, the need for healthy training, and the historical challenges of who counts as a woman. Great reckoning for the power of women in the face of a society that has often labeled us as too weak to do all we can do.
October 31, 2024
Imagine thinking the uterus would fall out if a woman was allowed to run.
November 8, 2024
Really great read as I was gearing up to run my first marathon. So much information that was really well presented. Some maddening, some inspirational. I would recommend for anyone into running and/or women’s athletics.
January 8, 2025
3.5 - Interesting read about the history of women in athletics as well as misconceptions and discrimination they faced. Was a fun read for me as I start training for my first half marathon :)
If you liked this I would also recommend “Up to Speed” by Christine Yu (more focused on health and training for female athletes) or “All in Her Head” by Elizabeth Comen (more about history and misconceptions about women’s health)
If you liked this I would also recommend “Up to Speed” by Christine Yu (more focused on health and training for female athletes) or “All in Her Head” by Elizabeth Comen (more about history and misconceptions about women’s health)
November 5, 2024
This book blew my mind in lots of ways, made me so thankful to the women in the stories who pushed to prove women can run too!
July 4, 2024
Essential reading! This book is not just for athletes or just for women. It's for anyone with interest in the way societal gender norms shaped our assumptions of the physical limitations imposed by sex and the dedicated people who continue to push back on those limits.
While reading, I vacillated between feelings of outrage and empowerment, despondency, and pride. Mertens details the centuries of female subjugation in sport and celebrates countless women who refused to take "no" for an answer. Her interviews with athletes who have achieved beyond what doctors and scientists claimed is possible are interspersed with research that disproves the presumed inferiority of the female body. To me, the most upsetting revelation in the book is the lack of empirical data being used to enforce International guidelines of participation in events and what chemically, genetically, and hormonally constitutes a woman. This also inspires hope that with more information and more voices calling for research, the playing field will eventually be even for all genders.
While reading, I vacillated between feelings of outrage and empowerment, despondency, and pride. Mertens details the centuries of female subjugation in sport and celebrates countless women who refused to take "no" for an answer. Her interviews with athletes who have achieved beyond what doctors and scientists claimed is possible are interspersed with research that disproves the presumed inferiority of the female body. To me, the most upsetting revelation in the book is the lack of empirical data being used to enforce International guidelines of participation in events and what chemically, genetically, and hormonally constitutes a woman. This also inspires hope that with more information and more voices calling for research, the playing field will eventually be even for all genders.
June 21, 2024
This book is timely and very informative. The review of history of women in track events (from too delicate to run beyond 100 yards to running marathons in disguise to prove it is not harmful to women) led naturally to a discussion of how athletic organizations define females in order to allow them to participate in sports. This was a much deeper issue as definitions of "female" were often based on beliefs, faulty research, racism, or plain old bias. It is interesting that leaders felt a need to define "female", but there was never a need to define "male."
July 22, 2024
Some of the stories here are compelling and the topic is really cool but it’s marred by some of the driest writing I’ve seen in a book like this. I felt preached at in a book where I wanted to be inspired and go “holy shit these women are awesome”.
January 7, 2025
I heard about this book when the author was a guest on an episode of "You're Wrong About" called "Rosie Ruiz and the marathon women" (which I highly recommend). They had a link to the book on the episode and I bought it right away, also buying a copy for my dad, a retired womens cross-country coach.
This was an exceptional book. Mertens not only shows vast knowledge, data, and history, but also respect, admiration, and acknowledgement of women in the sport. I truly loved how she showed us how great we are while also telling us: of course we're great - because we're human.
It is a wonderful research book wrapped in novellas of amazing women who fought sexist systems, but it is more than that.
The only drawback is the editing is a bit clunky - sometimes Mertens omits years or names and it can be a bit confusing as to what era and what person she is referring to, and in some cases there were pages that would have been better suited in other chapters (in one particular chapter on Black women running, there was a whole story on the medical field treating women as frail, similar to stories already told in the previous chapter). However, this did not distract materially from the overall focus.
This was an exceptional book. Mertens not only shows vast knowledge, data, and history, but also respect, admiration, and acknowledgement of women in the sport. I truly loved how she showed us how great we are while also telling us: of course we're great - because we're human.
It is a wonderful research book wrapped in novellas of amazing women who fought sexist systems, but it is more than that.
The only drawback is the editing is a bit clunky - sometimes Mertens omits years or names and it can be a bit confusing as to what era and what person she is referring to, and in some cases there were pages that would have been better suited in other chapters (in one particular chapter on Black women running, there was a whole story on the medical field treating women as frail, similar to stories already told in the previous chapter). However, this did not distract materially from the overall focus.
September 14, 2025
I was fascinated with Better Faster Farther from start to finish. It artfully entwines history and science through great journalism and vivid storytelling. I found it to be incredibly thought-prevoking, not only about discrimination in sports, but also my own sexual identity and what it means to me to be a woman.
In the beginning, I was a bit confused because I was expecting a more physiological narrative whereas the story gave mostly historical accounts. However, the historical events described occurred in part due to a lack of biological evidence, which may have been the author's point (?) as she frequently references physiological data when available (later in the book). This realization also further engaged me in the story (i.e., further enraged me about sexism in sports). I listened to the audiobook and although Mertens read well, I felt like I could hear the emotion in her words, which brought me to a whole new level of engagement with the story. Nonetheless, she detailed situations with lots of names and events in a practical way that was clear and easy to follow.
In the beginning, I was a bit confused because I was expecting a more physiological narrative whereas the story gave mostly historical accounts. However, the historical events described occurred in part due to a lack of biological evidence, which may have been the author's point (?) as she frequently references physiological data when available (later in the book). This realization also further engaged me in the story (i.e., further enraged me about sexism in sports). I listened to the audiobook and although Mertens read well, I felt like I could hear the emotion in her words, which brought me to a whole new level of engagement with the story. Nonetheless, she detailed situations with lots of names and events in a practical way that was clear and easy to follow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 19, 2024i think i've found that i CAN read and enjoy non-fiction. it just needs to be narrowly focused, accessibly written, and fit neatly within my established interests. this was a well-timed follow-up to "the other olympians" because it treads some familiar ideas: the egalitarian spirit of racing and the political anxiety that causes, sex and sports, and how we designate gender (really how we designate women). less political and archivally focused than "the other olympians", this was instead an exploration of various turning points in women's running. i enjoyed this book enough to finish it. i could appreciated a more explicit politic (it's only in the last chapter that we deal with the fact that the category of 'woman', the book's whole raison d'être, may not totally coherent) and a stronger narrative (the flashes in and out of history are illuminating, but don't always feel related) but still solid!
October 20, 2024
Although I will never be a competetive runner, nor do I think a marathon is in my future, this book inspired me to keep up my running (jogging) game. This is not a completely thourgh history of women's struggle and fight to be able to run and then to run competitively, but it is a thourghly engaging, and well researched, history.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of women in running, whether you're a runner yourself, used to be a runner, or just interested in the history of women in sports.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of women in running, whether you're a runner yourself, used to be a runner, or just interested in the history of women in sports.
July 17, 2024
Wow! My husband picked this out in a book shop for me while on vacation…he must know me too well because I loved it! Even if you are not a runner, I think it is still a fascinating and frustrating read. What some of these women had to go through just to be able to run. Smh. A+
December 26, 2024
Lots of good history here along with some interesting revelations and controversial topics covered within the book. Definitely have a deeper appreciation for every race I can enter after reading this book.
January 12, 2025
I fckn love when women. So many inspiring, heartbreaking and rage inducing stories of the trail blazing women who had the courage to simply run when quite literally everyone else said they couldn’t. (Listened on audio book & loved!)
October 11, 2024
I enjoyed this but wish it was focused more on the modern accomplishments of female runners.
January 7, 2025
‘Women runners have proven that what is humanly possible is often beyond the scope of society’s limited imagination’
What a compelling and inspiring take on sport and human capabilities.
What a compelling and inspiring take on sport and human capabilities.
June 11, 2025
Listened to it mostly on audiobook. Great storytelling that got me fired up and thinking in new ways!
August 12, 2025
2.5 - Some compelling, important stories, but was overall unfocused
November 3, 2025
Maybe 3.5 stars. Some parts I really enjoyed but others felt slow and a bit dry.
July 2, 2024
I come from the family of female runners. Headed by my mom who ran as far back as I can remember, and my sister who continues to run today with power and strength, and the number of my aunts who have run throughout my youth. This book, and all its brilliance is dedicated to them.
October 15, 2024
This is so important! I learned so much about running, women, and I also got a reminder about how sexist and misogynistic sports and medicine are. Going through the history of women and running has made me realize how incredible and resilient we are. Watching Ruth Chepengetich break 2:10 in the marathon while listening to this book was so inspiring. I think everyone should read this!
March 18, 2025
I loved all the information about the history of women’s track and field!
July 23, 2025
A MUST READ for anyone who coaches female athletes, is a female athlete, or knows a female athlete!
October 11, 2024
Fabulous. I listened to this, so I didn’t find it dry like some comments said. Anybody interested in the history of women’s athletics and inequalities in running should give this a listen, 10/10.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews