Older, Faster, Stronger: What Women Runners Can Teach Us All About Living Younger, Longer

Webb begins this stirring fitness memoir by telling the reader that she had an epiphany when she turned 50: “I wanted to enter the second act of my life in the best shape of my life, even fitter than I was as a 20-year-old varsity athlete.” Immersing herself in research, she soon discovered that many obstacles await an older female runner: reduced lung capacity, bone density, estrogen levels, and muscle mass and a heightened risk of injury. Webb soldiered on, hitting her age group’s qualifying standard for the Boston Marathon on her second try. Encouraged, she began training in earnest, despite entering the early stages of menopause in the meantime. She learned many lessons in the process—particularly that there are more ways to measure fitness than running times. Webb, inspired by many of the people she met (especially Olga Kotelko, a 94-year-old who took up running at age 77 and has since won over 700 gold medals), finished her journey with the World Masters Games in Turin, Italy. Those who may have put off exercise thinking they’re too old or out of shape will likely find themselves lacing up their running shoes after reading this informative and inspiring tale. Agent: Samantha Haywood, Transatlantic Literary Agency. (Oct.)