Finish Line Feeling: Running with Power (Perseverance, Optimism, Wisdom, Energy, and Resilience)

This uniquely uplifting memoir tells the compelling story of the author’s journey from foster child and sexual abuse survivor to founder of the nationally recognized running organization, Girls With Sole. With brutal honesty, Liz Ferro writes about her own experiences of trauma, and how running, biking, and swimming pulled her through the toughest times imaginable, always reminding her of her own strength and worth. She writes about the challenges she’s endured with humor and heart, always looking for the meaning in each and every experience.

This inspiring, Cinderella story—which ends with Ferro being named as an honoree for Traditional Home Magazine’s Classic Woman award—will inspire all readers, no matter their story or goals. “Like a traveler on a long and tiresome journey, the finish line beckons you with the rewards and riches that come from achieving your goal,” she writes. “The warm beauty of the finish line after a race gives you the feeling of home, and makes all the efforts of getting there worthwhile.”

Gritty, yet often humorously told, her story proves that with resiliency, anyone can be rewarded with the euphoria she calls the “finish line feeling.”

Liz Ferro is an author, mom, wife, speaker, and the founder and CEO of Girls with Sole. Growing up in foster care, Ferro experienced sexual abuse but found solace in fitness, particularly swimming, biking, and running. The empowerment she gained from sports led her to create the non-profit organization Girls with Sole, which has received extensive national attention for its innovative and successful program curriculum. Ferro has completed more than 70 marathons, two 50K Ultras, five Ironman Triathlons, and countless road races and triathlons, including the epic and iconic Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco, California. She has completed a marathon in all 50 states, as well as on the Great Wall of China.

Ferro has been featured on the NBC TODAY Show, in SELF, Runner's World, and Family Circle Magazine. She is the recipient of the 2018 Smartwomen Award for Progressive Organization; the 2017 Community Changemaker Award from the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence; the 2016 Medical Mutual NEO Pillar Award; the 2015 Perspectives Women Who Excel Award; and the 2015 Symbol of H.O.P.E. Award.