You never have to preface with "I'm not a crazy feminist." It's not a radical thought to think men & women have been treated differently throughout history and that women deserve equity.

“I’m not a crazy feminist”” I hate being treated as different or less than males” That’s feminism and it’s not crazy.

The reporter calling a young girl ‘a robust 108 pounds’ 14:35 is despicable. I’ve always wondered, how all of these bystanders and enablers can ignore, what is right in front of them-these poor girls look sick! Thank you for speaking out!

Such a good video. 45 yr old guy here who runs 100 miles a month. Daughter starting cross country this year as 7th grader. Will be using this video as a part of my teaching her to just enjoy the sport for now and not worry about being the best. That is a decision for her to make as she gets older and has info like this to reference.

Theres a runner named Konstanze Klosterhalfen from germany, whos literally just skin and bones. Shes injured almost every year, missing half of her races and noone says anything, because she broke several german records. As a german runner myself I always looked up to her, but now after healing from my own eating disorder, I just feel sorry for her.

I ran cross country in high school and I distinctly remember feeling markedly tired and slow around my period. It's a real conundrum for ALL female athletes. In order to be healthy we have to menstruate, but in order to be competitive, a period (and the requisite body fat necessary to have one) just gets in the way.

Women’s gymnastics has gone through a similar progression. Senior elite teams today are generally older than they were 20 years ago. Back then, if you weren’t a teenager winning the all around it was unusual. Bodies (and particularly female bodies) change in puberty and you have to relearn how to use it - nowhere is that more under the spotlight than in elite sports. I like to think the return of Biles and Lee in elite gymnastics this year could be testament to the fact that people are slowly learning this and supporting the athlete through this transition leads to better and ultimately healthier individuals.

Being different than males is not the same as being less capable. That's the narrative of our male centered culture tho. That must be changed, or we women will continue to suffer the consequences of being treated like smaller, weaker, imperfect men. Good job on addressing such sensitive topics, you're so well spoken!

Can you do a TED talk on this? I think it’s about getting it out there. You are hella impressive.

As a fellow former athlete (martial arts) and in recovery for an ED, I can honestly state that this video is the FINEST I've ever seen regarding the links between competitive sports and eating disorders in women/girls. The research you've done, the hypothesis you raised and the conclusions you reached were completely spot on! As both a 30 year old scientist and a feminist/humanist, I salute you, Allie 😊

My wife is an exercise scientist who focuses on strength training. Talking with her about this, she thinks young female runners should focus on strength training and nutrition a little bit during their years of puberty to see larger increases post puberty

As a guy who ran cross country in high school about a decade ago, I never would have guessed this was going on. Very enlightening and education. Great analysis.

Tearing up watching this. I have struggled from age 15 with disordered eating due to the stigmas surrounding size in distance running. My junior year of college, my coach equated my thinner frame to my success by commenting on the size of my legs after my best ever 6K. That crushed me and sent me into one of the worst bouts of starving and binging I had ever experienced. What should have been one of my best seasons (due to the training I put in over the summer), ultimately became a mediocre season because I kept getting sick and had zero energy. To make matters worse, I didn’t open up to any one for help so my teammates were frustrated with me because they thought I had just given up. I never felt more isolated or helpless. I was a prisoner to my mind. I still struggle daily with food and body image but it’s much better than ever before since my identity and success are no longer rooted in running… however I’m in law school and the legal profession is riddled with eating disorders and substance abuse. I wish I could say the pressure on women to look a certain way in order to be successful, was limited to running. I remember racing at Nike cross regionals in Boise and you were there racing as well. I never would have imagined you were battling some of the same demons I was. I’m so sorry you had to endure all of this. I hope you are able to stay in a healthier and happier mindset moving forward. Thank you for spreading awareness about this issue.

I’ve struggled with anorexia several times in my life, especially because I am an athlete, but “don’t look like one.” I was 5’2” and 140 pounds on the tennis team in high school. Although I was heavy, I performed very well. But I simply did not look the part. I eventually dropped down to 115 pounds when I had anorexia. It sounds like a healthy weight for my height, but I was cold and lethargic and miserable. I have begun to accept that I am naturally larger, and more so that my larger frame actually helps my athleticism and tennis play. Thank you for posting this video.

Me at 40, sitting here thinking if I can just lose some more weight, I’ll get better/faster. Maybe if I just eat less calories I’ll be X weight by race day. So many of us need to hear this. I really appreciate your honesty and vulnerability.

Someone needs to go after these “coaches” for child abuse. Systematically giving young female athletes eating disorders is not coaching, it’s abuse and neglect.

Allie, I am a 74 year old man. You are one of my heroes, and you are an inspiration to me. I frequently watch athletics on you tube, and when it's on t.v. here in England. I must tell you that when I watch runners compete, every single one of them, from first place to last place, is a hero in my book. I admire them so much for taking part and giving of their best, no matter where they finish in the race. Allie, I love your videos, your articulate commentaries, your courage and honesty, your gracious sportsmanship, and most of all your sense of humour and your priceless sweet smile. I wish you well. May the Lord Jesus bless you in every area of your life.

I think research into the female body is finally starting to translate into female training. I listened to a guided run on the NRC app that specifically addressed the menstrual cycle and how if affects training. You might be interested in listening to it and looking into what’s discussed. I think a different approach to training women is needed… yesterday. Thank you for your bravery in sharing your story. ❤

This reminds me of how some coaches in womens gymnastics are rethinking training plans to have girls peak later, like after puberty. If an elite gymnast is mastering really hard skills before puberty is over (or started), she is just going to find them more difficult after puberty and have to relearn, which is going to leave her frustrated and potentially wanting to quit. Better to slow down the progression and make sure all the fundamentals and good form are mastered. Plus, yoynger girls see the older girls struggle and probably think "puberty is bad, I need to eat less food"

i was a competitive swimmer for over 12 years and I can tell you a lot of us understand as well. My coach would do the same thing- call me fat, weigh me in front of everyone and have them moo at me- I'm not sure if coaches are still allowed to do this, but it was humiliating and I have a fear of even being weighed at my dr

feminism is not a dirty word. ❤❤❤❤ i understand exactly the feeling you have about calling yourself that but so many badass women across the world fought and are still fighting for equality and we owe it to our sisters who are still disenfranchised to use our privilege to spread the message. thank you for sharing your story. i hope you find healing and health today and for many days to come

Young women hear me clearly, it is OK to be a woman, and have a womanly body. I’ve been a size 12/most of my life, and I may not have men chasing at me every day, or comparative and competitive women, complementing me on how thin I am, but what I do have is the confidence in my womanhood, and in my personhood, to be the most feminine, caring, beautiful, and loving woman I can be. And you don’t have to lose 1 ounce to be that way.🙏🏾

As a registered dietitian who ran cross and track in college, I absolutely LOVED your take on this. Changing the narrative around nutrition and health’s impact on running success *especially* for women and girls is exactly what we need. I loved your idea of creating a new narrative embracing nonlinear progression for females during puberty. I’m so glad you’re experiencing physical and emotional healing and spreading this message!

It’s interesting to know if running attracts individuals prone to ED or the other way around. Probably some of both. It’s certainly a sport that attracts perfectionist hard working kids.

One of my best friends was a female soccer player in high school. She collapsed on the field, nearly died and had to spend significant time in a rehabilitation facility because of an ED. This stuff is insane, I don't know how anyone thinks an athlete can be successful without proper nutrition. That's number 1, at best you're setting yourself up to fail long term. Thanks for shedding light on this

I'm a sixteen year old boy who has suffered from an eating disorder for about a year now and I am trying to recover from it. My weight was so low that I was at 84 pounds and still tried to lose more weight. At that point I had completely lost control over myself and was nearly put in the hospital. I love to run so much! However when I had an eating disorder I wanted to run to lose weight, now that I am back to a healthier weight of about 100 pounds I run for fun and to build strength. I love that you are speaking out about the horror of this disease, thank you.

I was a fat teen that developed an ED and got a lot of "congratulations" and positive responses when I went from 190lb to 125lb within 4 months. Everyone saw me exercise and thought "way to go!" they never noticed how unhealthy I was (Anorexia B/P subtype). I definitely get it. People don't always realize they are encouraging disordered eating habits until it becomes visibly obvious or it lands someone in the ER.

Allie, This has to be the best video about women's running I've ever seen. I wish every high school running program would watch this. The funny thing is there are coaches out there that wouldn't want to show it because it might make their girls team slower if they listened to you. This is pervasive throughout women's running world wide. Keep it up Allie!!!

Hello, I’m a current marathon runner. 25 years old, and Male. And I also had a struggle with an eating disorder that nearly took my life. This video was amazing, and I really admire your courage for speaking up on your experiences with ED. It is never easy to open up and be vulnerable in front of so many people you don’t even know. It shows your personal strength and resolve. For me, The struggle of placing all of my worth on my performance and playing around with my nutrition to feel a sense of control and like I was “accomplishing something”, it sucked the joy out of the sport I was engaging in and I was feeling myself becoming weaker and weaker. It was only until I was hospitalized due to severe malnourishment that I realized I needed help, and the stigmatization of being a male with an eating disorder played a role in continuing to push my body past its limits while depriving it of basic nutritional needs. Now, I’m doing much better and am back in marathon training. Recently did Boston and am running cross country in college too. But what is better is that I have found enjoyment in the sport again. Something which I have not felt in a long time. Whenever I see a teammate beating themselves up over their performance, or trying to have a “perfect run”, I try to ask them, “Remember when you started running and it was fun?”. We place so much emphasis on performance and times that we forget to enjoy ourselves along the way. In any case, thank you once again for speaking out on your experiences. Your never alone! ❤️

This happened to me! I had an eating disorder all throughout high school (no period, REDS) and went on to run D1. I only raced a few times and ended up medically retiring my junior year. I started recovering towards the end of high school but the impacts of my behavior followed me for years. I'm 26 now and back to running (40-60 miles a week depending if I'm marathon training) and I've been injury free for years but I had to take a few years off, learn how to eat intuitively, sleep more. But I truly believe collegiate running would have been a completely different experience had I treated my body right in high school

The number of times I've been told I 'look like a runner' because I'm thin is crazy. And one of the most irritating things someone said to me once was 'I'd be as fast as you if I was your size' as if i just turned up to races without doing any work. So frustrating!

When I was in high school, there were three girls that I can think of who were absolutely incredible long distance athletes. I heard relatively regularly that once they get older/ hit puberty, they will no longer be at the top of the field. One of these girls was in my class and she did slow down after a stress fracture during her freshman year. She would say she ran too many miles that year and it wasn't healthy. I wasn't even a serious runner and I was aware of this expectation. Smaller meant faster. Looking back I really regret entertaining those ideas.

When I was in high school 20 years ago, there was a girl who broke both legs when she was running a race. She was praised as persistent and disciplined...even back then I thought that it was pretty crazy to let that happen to yourself..she was 1st or second in the graduating class, and I'm pretty sure that she gave her speech from a wheelchair.

As a father of 4 daughters, and 2 that are already runners, this is so incredibly important and well thought out.

Excellent talk. My daughter is a young gymnast and I want to be aware of this subject to best support her. ❤

Allie, this video made me cry. I'm a girl going into my junior year of high school. I have struggled with body image for a few years now. Sophomore year, I joined the cross country team at my school. My coach was very strict. I started to realize the same thing you did, that most people in this community encourage us girls to eat as little as possible to go fast. For almost a year, I severely starved myself and still believed I was fat and a failure despite having the best time improvement on my team and being very underweight. It was only recently when I saw the light and made the choice to not harm my body anymore. I can't thank you enough for shedding light on something that isn't talked about enough and that for the longest time, I felt alone in. If this video had a love button I would hit that. As for me, I love running as a hobby. But because of my struggles with body image and food restriction, I decided it's best for my mental health to respectfully leave cross country. I will be playing tennis this fall

Thank you for speaking out! I was bulimic for 13 years. Now fully recovered for almost a decade. For anyone still struggling please know that it is so worth it to recover! There is a beautiful life waiting for you!!!

I am continually impressed by your ability to talk about the "big picture" problems of EDs while struggling with one yourself. I was pretty good at the local level in my teens and 20s (BQ'd multiple times, won age groups, etc), but kept getting sidelined by injuries because of my own anorexia/bulimia. Fast-foward to today, I'm in my mid-40s and running the same times I did in my mid-20s, all while fueling my body and carrying more weight around. I am 10 years fully recovered. In the thick of it, I thought I was destined to a lifetime of internal voices telling me what I should and should not eat. Nowadays the voices are occasionally still there, but I can barely hear their whispers. I wish you strength in your recovery. Thank you SO MUCH for speaking out on this, Allie!

I play high level soccer and I'm 15. I know so many players who have EDs that have started with them trying to fuel their body better by tracking what they eat to see what helps them perform the best. One of the best goalkeepers in my country went through an ED and it completely destroyed her to the point where she couldn't dive because of her bruises and lack of natural padding. She was truly an amazing goalkeeper and far better than anyone else I've seen but her ED destroyed her.

Iam 5’7 inches tall and weighed 120 pounds at the start of my eating disorder but ended up 75 pounds and inpatient and force fed. Alot needs to change in society and these sports cause it’s causing gravely bad consequences in so many young womens and even older womens life. I want to thank you again for bringing attention to this very serious problem

Thank you so much for bringing light to this. While I was nowhere near elite level in cross country, I can very much relate. In the depths of my eating disorder I was faster than I had ever been. My recovery coincided with "second" puberty (it was stunted prior from my eating disorder) and I got slower. My coach demoted me from varsity, and in a desperate effort to "redeem" myself I overtrained on a still-weak and recovering body and got a stress fracture in my hip, and never fully got even close to my freshman speed for the rest of my high school career. This was kind of traumatic for me -- I cared SO much about the sport. It took me five years to get in a healthy mindset I knew I needed to start running again. But on the bright side -- I am now performing better and have more energy than I ever did after my injury. I literally view my faster, younger self as a different person now and I'm okay with that. One thing that really triggered me was comparing myself to other teammates times and bodies (and how they correlate). It's practically impossible not to in the sport (and the uniforms made for boys don't help). You're absolutely right that the issue needs transformed from the inside out, and it's absolutely necessary for coaches to approach girls differently. As a young girl (we're talking impressionable 13-16 year olds here) a lesson or guidance from my coach explaining that it's normal to plateau -- literally exactly like you just did in your video -- would have completely changed my outlook. This is not just a temporary struggle that teenagers face; I know so many girls (like me) that are still affected by behaviors and disordered eating caused by the sport 10+ years later. TLDR; thank you so much for this because talking about it, and backing it up with facts, is the first step to changing the sport.

So glad someone’s talking about this! In a similar way, my eating disorder ruined my collegiate softball career. I still haven’t come to terms with it almost 10 years later

Too late for me, but my sister is still in high school cross country. Sending this to her, and hopefully you can help a high school athlete be aware about this!! Appreciate what you're doing, Allie

This is so important. Men and women are totally different biologically. And our hormonal cycles are so different than each other especially as we go through puberty. The immune system drops by about 75% during menstruation and about 50% during ovulation. I was a top high school and collegiate athlete in the sport of tennis. I was the best of the females and the worst when I played with the men. My coach would have me practice with the men and I could never keep up. My body- height, breasts, shoulder width, menstrual cycle, all impacted my performance. It is ridiculous that women are held to men's standards in sports. It is also ridiculous that we are now in an era that people are claiming there is no difference between men and women.

I needed to hear this. Now that I’m a little older (I’m still in my late 20s) I’ve been feeling slower lately in everything I do physically. You explaining that all these women still do great things years later, despite all the changes we go through, is so reassuring to hear.

As always, when you discuss this topic you do a superb job. Over the past 25 years I have seen far too many women suffer from RED and disordered eating. My son, who ran D3 and did well, lived in a house with the woman's D3 national champ in the 1500, who could not even compete in that event a year later. (Also, fun to see Jorge Torres in this video- one of my kids held the soph course record at York HS, until Jorge and Eduardo broke it a year later). It is likely hard for you to share this, but the service you are doing is invaluable. I think of Mary Cain and think of the opportunity lost with her. I hope that this will not affect our current crop of top runners- Katelyn Tuohey, Parker Valby, etc. And I am glad you are still running and able to produce content like this.

No cycle is crazy. Your body was screaming to stop. Thank you for making this video and showing the dangers that kids can fall into.

Puberty is such a tricky time for females and their participation in sports - having this sort of information is all to the good thank you for sharing and putting yourself in to the public eye - it really is so helpful 😊

I was a cross country runner in high school. I had my faster times during my freshman and sophomore years. During my Junior year, I hit a slump in my times likely due to my hips widening from puberty. Luckily, I had a very supportive coach, and I pushed through, changed up some of my training, and by my senior year I was running 24s and 25s like normal. It's never as scary as it seems, you just have to adapt to the natural changes your body needs to go through

Current head coach and ex associate coach at Seattle Pacific University contributed to disordered eating behaviors of not just me, but many other athletes. We were DII, not even DI, yet the severity of the psychological effects this time in my life had on me linger with nothing to show for. The long-term physiological effects this had on other athletes have been even more detrimental long-term. Really appreciate you speaking on this.

This made me cry. I’ve always looked up to you and listening to you talk so eloquently about the science and statistics of this was so uplifting. Thank you, Allie. This is my story as well and I’m working to be able to overcome it.

What a thoughtful, eloquent and powerful message. Well done and thank you for being so open about your journey, it will definitely help others. Run well ❤

I ended up quitting running because of my puberty change in high school because I couldnt perform like I used to. I stopped running for years and then picked it back up again running the fastest times of my life well into my late 20s. I truly believe if we had more of this narrative about development we would have more adults competing like I am. I am so thankful I quit because of ED triggers that I avoided so I can continue to run into adulthood.

The ability to get information like this out in the public is important. I am sorry for the heartbreak you went through here. You're blazing a trail and I revere your dedication. I remember watching you run when I was in college. You and Mary are heroes for your courage and your dedication.

Love that you use your story and your platform to illuminate, inform, and inspire!

Thank you for your transparency and a thoughtful video! This is the type of media that needs to open the conversation to that next generation.

This is so true. I under fueled in high school. Ran amazing times. Now at 45 injuries have plagued me since leaving high school and I now have to learn to run again slowly while eating and fuelling my body properly to stay injury free. Thankyou for blowing this elephant in the room wide open. ❤

This is easily the most important video on KZfaq. Your courage and honesty when dealing with these truly urgent, sensitive and UNADDRESSED YET PERSISTENT AND PERVASIVE problems are absolutely incredible. Nothing but praise for you and I am sure you will have an extremely positive impact on our young ladies moving forward. This video needs to be seen by PARENTS more than anyone. After Parents it needs to be seen and HEARD by coaches, nutritionist, pediatricians and other medical professionals, and if necessary the NCAA and even Congress. It's sickening that we are sacrificing our daughters' health for a GD track and field race. Utterly UNACCEPTABLE.

You are amazing girl! I know this vid took a whole lot of work, but it is so appreciated and needed. I’m encouraged to talk to teammates about this and their own struggles mentally and physically with the sport. I hope this reaches many and starts them on their journey to a healthy real with food and exercise ;)

This is an incredible video and I‘m glad you spoke up about this. It’s so important to hear the voices of the athletes and it’s time to redefine competition and what we think of as success !

I'm proud that you share this!! These stories need to be here, since the ED/Disordered eating problems are intense in the (professional) sport world!! And people don't know that, often coaches are reinforcing the sick behaviour. Good job girl ❣❤Again, I'm proud of you💕

Allie the quality of this video is phenomenal! So well written, spoken, paced, researched, and produced. It feels like there's such a focus on being the best as early as possible, when it really makes more sense to encourage kids to have good general strength and all around fitness, and a love for a sport that makes them want to really go all in once they become more physically and mentally mature. It should be a prerequisite for any athlete to have gone through puberty before going to college!

Allie, thank you so much for sharing and taking a stand. From a former cross country runner [in AK class of '14], I am so proud of you.

this is so important, thank you! i think i was the same year as you in high school XC, and it's been super heartbreaking all these years later to see the same thing happen to you and all the fastest young women i looked up to. getting slower every year of puberty was disheartening, but hope this video gets watched by lots of girls and coaches** more than anything!

Thank you for using your voice. I am going to start college this fall and I’m on the xc/track team. I will definitely be paying attention to my body and as a female athlete. I love the messed you are putting out!

So well said and researched Allie!! I think it would be absolutely iconic for you to give this lesson to different high school cross country teams so that the girls and coaches can actually understand that it is so very important to go through puberty in order to achieve long-term success.

Amazing job Allie! I hope every high school distance coach has their athletes watch this video. Keep running strong Allie!

Every running coach needs to see and understand this information. Great video. Well done.

Well done, Allie! It’s wonderful to see top runners and role models like yourself addressing this issue. I really wish female runners and the plateau during puberty was talked about more when I was a high school runner. I think I would have had a lot more confidence and success while respecting my body and the natural HEALTHY changes it was going through.

Thank you for this insightful video, Allie. I teach at a high school in Anchorage and follow girls XC and Track & Field here in Alaska. I will recommend this video to the runners I know. It is interesting that girls are being assessed for college scholarships during a time in their development which is not necessarily the best indicator of how they will do age 20-22 and beyond.

Fantastic video! Your story, and so many others need to be shared with up coming female runners AND their parents.

just thank you. ❤ talking about these things out loud helps us all heal ❤

Allie. Your video is stunning. THANK YOU SO SO MUCH. I relate to everything you said, almost on point. I remember being so afraid of puberty, and was so mad when I got my period. Thankfully because of the changing community, it did not take me as long to realize the lie that I was believing; that thinner=faster. However that was not until this belief led me to an ed. So many times I have thought that there could not be a way to have both health and performance, at least not for me. It is still a challenge to fight those thoughts that are so ingrained into our minds, but because of people like you Allie, things are changing. Thank you so incredibly much for this. This is exactly what the running community has needed for so long. Thank you for researching and thank you so so much for your effort. Things like this are changing lives. ❤️

I had an ed last summer and during the cross country 2022 season i did worse than i’ve ever done by far. years before i ran 22-25 minute 5k’s but when i was struggling with an ed i ran 27 minute 5k’s - i was trying to go as fast as i could and i just couldn’t no matter how hard i tried and worked out and i even had to be pulled out of a race. not every case of ed makes you faster, and i feel like most times it makes you slower. i’ve recovered now and i ran a 20 minute 5k only 4 months later when i just decided to go all in and fuel my body and not over exercise. i’m so so happy i’ve recovered and i hope if your struggling you find the motivation to recover!

This is so important ❤️ when I went through this I felt so alone, thankyou for sharing awareness 🫶🏼

Thank you for sharing this pivotal video Allie. Last year and this year has been a challenging year for me. I have faced 37 job rejections. There are days I don't feel like eating and not motivated to do things I enjoy. Right I am struggling with self confidence. July 4 I don't feel like celebrating last year and this year. I will continue to keep on grinding and need time to recover my self confidence. Your still one of my favorite youtubers.

This is one of the most important videos of the athletic world. Thank you for sharing your story and making awareness, and I am just so sorry you had to go through this. This video really can save lives though, and I really wish it does

Thank you so much for posting this. Not a distance runner, but I was a d1 platform diver. My coach was absolutely horrible to me about my weight. HORRIBLE. I thought it was a one off case of abuse, until I have heard many other female athletes speak up about this issue.

I don't know how this ended up in my algorithm, because I'm not big into running or athletics, but wow! I think it's an amazing video, you really broke down the problem so well and your vulnerability really added to it as well. I had no idea about how big this problem is! I hope your video's reaches a very big audience!

Allie you are absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for sharing so much good information about EDs. I went through an eating disorder before I even became a runner, it was just a way of me wanting to be the thinnest I could to look my best, and I would also overexercise. Thank goodness I recovered and am super educated on good nutrition now that I have been a competitive runner for almost 3 years. This information needs to get out to all female runners! I actually want to become a sports nutritionist in the future because I know what it’s like to go through this and I believe that all athletes should be fueling themselves properly for the best success and I want to help them do that!

My 13 year old has the running bug, and is in cross country and track. Sat down with her and my wife (who also runs) and watched this. Thank you so very much for this video! My daughter's not in the dark places you ended up, but she's on the cusp of high school track and cross country and entering some of the more risky periods of coach/peer/adult pressure that can lead to this. Your video is powerful, and I think we're all better prepared for her running journey now because of it. Keep being awesome, and I hope Europe is a great experience!

Im 3 minutes in and im aready in awe. So incredibly proud of the work youve clearly done internally. I also LOVE that you held your coaches and adults accountable

Well done, Allie. Thank you for doing this video. It should be required viewing by coaches, ADs and parents.

Thank you so much for bringing awareness to this. So so so important! Keep doing this!! 😍😍

Being afraid of how ones body will change, and trying to control it through extreme means like this- its not that strange. Its very understandable, and Im glad we are discussing it. Its important for many people, especially young women, to hear.

As a parent of a daughter who's struggled with ED, this hits my heart hard. I've learned as society we put way too much emphasis on body image (even with good intentions). I try to give compliments to others that have nothing to do with how they look or how their body happens to be. Don't say you look nice today. but rather - you seem happy today. You hit the same topic - associate success with the million other things that can be controlled such as work ethic, mental toughness, training routine, etc instead of body characteristics. I shared this with my high school son who's a part of the school XC team. I also plan to share this with a friend who has a middle school daughter who runs. In my mind your voice on this topic is so much more important than any races you ever won. Thank you for your strength.

Thanks for making this video Allie! While all stages of the athlete progression are important, the teenage phase seems like where there is the biggest opportunity for change. I was so malleable during those years, and trying to figure out how to feel successful. And so much of this period can shape my expectations for later in life. Let’s create a better understanding of what’s healthy!

This is such a powerful message. Thank you for sharing. The sport needs more women likes you in high-school, college and professional coaching. The strength that it took to make this is inspiring.

Like Mary Cain, Old style coaches like Mark Wetmore contributed to my story. Reading running with the buffaloes took my ED from a 4 to an 8. Women for sure have it worse when it comes to pressures in their body weight though. I really appreciate you being a shining voice speaking out

What a great video. Thank you for making me more aware of the issue. I think one day you would make a great coach and role model for young female runners. ☺️

thank you so much for sharing your story! I was not extremely athletic or even incredibly skinny as a youngster, but still struggled with a terrible eating disorder. Spreading awareness of the enormous pressure young girls and women are under to be skinny, is so so important.

This video popped up in my recommended and I was like hey I went to high school with her! I had no idea you were dealing with all this back then but it’s great to see you’re doing better!

I appreciate you Allie, this is a powerful message you are sharing. 😊👍

It sounds like training for high school and college coaches could be crucial, for high school coaches to support healthy training and body awareness for the long-term future, and for college coaches to consider that seeing a dip pattern is normal when recruiting high schoolers and to think big picture.. Plus hopefully training and screenings for the athletes themselves. Great job addressing a tough topic.

Beautifully said. Experienced this myself as a 13-15 yo. Hopefully sharing this will help young girls today not make the same mistakes🙏

you are probably one of my biggest role models! THIS will help SO many girls. ❤❤ keep being you!

I developed an ED the summer before my freshman year of high school because I wanted to get faster and finally have some control over my life. I ended up running through my league and district cross country meets with a fractured metatarsal. This injury took so long to heal that I missed out on a lot of my freshman year of track. I would’ve made it to state if I had been properly fueling myself. At my lowest point, I still wouldn’t have met the typical body standard that is forced upon female distance runners. I ran a lot faster after recovering and I didn’t feel super dizzy and weak all the time as well. Thank you so much for talking about this.

Imagine how fast the females could be with proper nutrition and training. Trainer and coaches has a lot to learn.

Excellent video! I have an 18 year old college freshman who struggled a lot with the mental side of things as her body went through her natural changes during her junior year. I am so glad to see she follows your Instagram. Your honesty in your experiences is invaluable to young women runners.

This is so amazing!!! Thank you for being vulnerable by sharing your story.