In her memoir Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World, American distance runner, turned coach and advocate, Lauren Fleshman, challenges the idea that treating female athletes exactly like male athletes constitutes progress. Instead of demanding equal access to existing structures, she argues that those very structures; designed around male biology and definitions of success; often undermine the female athletes they claim to uplift.

Fleshman reveals how her drive to succeed in distance running pushed her into cycles of disordered eating, recurring injuries, and emotional exhaustion. At the same time, she outlines training methods that respect and support female physiology rather than resist it, paving the way for a future where female athletes can train smarter, stay healthier, and perform at their best without compromising their well-being.

The book resonates far beyond the world of track and field. Fleshman’s reflections on institutional blindness, and the distinction between equity and equality speak to broader challenges in education, workplace culture, and social policy. Considering current discussions surrounding the Women’s European Championship and the persistent disparities in how female athletes are supported, promoted, and perceived, Fleshman’s insights are more important than ever.