Episode #20: Abigail VanderKooi

The Blue Water Running Podcast

Hello and welcome to episode #20 of The Blue Water Running Podcast! This podcast features and celebrates the achievements of high school and collegiate cross country and track athletes from the Blue Water Area of Michigan.
Our guest today is Abby VanderKooi, an incredibly accomplished runner, and a recovered survivor of an eating disorder. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, “An estimated 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. 10,200 deaths each year are the direct result of an eating disorder—that’s one death every 52 minutes.” https://anad.org/eating-disorder-statistic/
Abby is a Junior at GVSU with XC PRs of 17:43 for 5K and 20:43 for 6K and Track PRs of 16:46 for 5K and 34:35 for 10K. Abby was a cross country state champion for Muskegon Western Michigan Christian High School all four years of high school, with a 5K best of 16:48, and on the track had bests of 10:29 in the 3200, 4:57 in 1600, and 2:20 in the 800. However, despite her amazing successes, Abby would tell you the most important thing now in her life isn’t running - it’s being a healthy, balanced person with running as a part of her life. She is an outspoken advocate of transparency and recovery for people struggling with the same issues, particularly through her Instagram account, Running on Ice Cream.
Disordered eating is unfortunately common in distance running, as athletes may struggle with body image or the belief that lighter body weight will make them faster. Female athletes are twice as likely to engage in eating disorder behavior than male athletes; however, both men (77%) and women (80%) participating in weight-dependent sports report using compensatory behaviors - in other words, they change their behaviors to adjust their weight. Eating disorders may be tough to detect among athletes due in part to their secretiveness, the stigma surrounding the disorders, and the fact their symptoms may not be visible. https://anad.org/eating-disorder-statistic/.
IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU CARE ABOUT IS STRUGGLING WITH AN EATING DISORDER, PLEASE REACH OUT AND GET THE HELP YOU NEED. Talk to a parent, a trusted friend, a teammate, a coach, a doctor, or anyone who can point you in the right direction to begin your journey back to physical AND mental health. You can also find resources through the National Eating Disorders Association website. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help/. You deserve to be the best version of yourself, for now and in the future.
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