Sole Sisters

Book excerpt: More than 11 million women run regularly, a number that's growing every year. They tend to be educated and affluent-the perfect audience for Sole Sisters. Half of all runners are women, and they are changing the face of the sport. It's a social outlet, a healthful way to improve mental well-being, and an opportunity to form bonds with like-minded women. Sole Sisters: Stories of Women and Running is a gripping collection of stories that captures the inspirational heart of the women's running. Authors Jennifer Lin and Susan Warner have interviewed women of all ages from all walks of life and all parts of the country. All of their subjects have one thing in common: Running has transformed them. There are both heartrending stories of grief and survival and lighthearted tales of friendship. Among them are: * Sisters who competed in a 5K race to honor a sister who survived breast cancer. * A 9/11 widow who ran her first marathon to honor the memory of her husband. * A 65-year-old woman who overcame obesity and alcoholism to finish the grueling Ironman triathlon. * An unknown runner from Norway named Grete Waitz who decided to run a marathon-and changed the face of the sport. Sole Sisters: Stories of Women and Running is not just for women who run. It appeals to all women who know what it means to have the support of others who share their trials and triumphs. Sole Sisters: Stories of Women and Running is sometimes touching, sometimes funny, and always inspiring.