“Running as Fast as We Can” is the newest read from Strong Girl Publishing

July 24, 2024

High school is an uphill battle… especially if you run cross-country.

/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Running As Fast As We Can is Molly Hurford’s debut young adult novel. It is available for pre-order and will be released on StrongGirlPublishing.com and wherever books are sold September 17, 2024.

Juniors Krista and Elle might have been best friends once. Not anymore. But they do have two things in common: A distaste for school sports, and need for an athletic extracurricular on their college resumes. When they show up to the first cross-country practice of the season, it’s a surprise to both of them.

Even after all these years, writer and wannabe punk Krista wants nothing to do with preppy go-getter Elle—even if they have to spend practices and race days together. But what caused the rift between the former childhood friends… and what will happen when the reason for their mutual dislike shows up with serious swagger?

Competitive sparks will fly, but it’s going to take the two girls finding common ground if they’re going to make it through the school year and fight back against the real enemy.

Running as Fast as We Can is Hurford’s first young adult novel and explores themes of self-identity, friendship, body image, disordered relationships with the body and food, pressure to perform, and sexual harassment. The book shifts between the perspectives of the two girls, showing that while two people may share an experience, their perspectives will definitely not be the same. Early readers have said that the stories each girl shares and their parallel but entirely different high school experiences not only were relatable, they were illuminating.

“This was the hardest book I’ve written,” Hurford says. “I wanted to be as honest about the high school experience as possible—and that meant leaning into the difficult experiences that so many of us faced at that age. I know kids in high school today face different pressures with social media, but I think many of our experiences remain the same. I also have always written about friendships that aren’t always easy, and this book took that to an entirely new level. It’s something I come back to because friendships are complicated—but female friendship is so important at any age.”

Author Molly Hurford is a writer and podcaster in love with all things cycling, running, nutrition and movement-related. She’s a little obsessed with getting people—especially girls and women—excited about finding a sport they love and spending time outside. She’s the author of a dozen books about endurance sport, both fiction and nonfiction. She created the Shred Girls, a middle grade fiction series focused on getting girls excited about bikes. Her most recent novel, The Strong Girl, went back in time—to the 1870s—to see just how strong girls anytime, anywhere can be. Most recently, she collaborated with track sprinter and Olympian Micha Powell on a memoir entitled Sprinting Through Setbacks.

Hurford is a member of the Women Fiction Writers Association and the Canadian Authors Association. She is a RRCA run coach, holds 200-hr Yoga Teacher Training certification as well as being NCCP Cycling Coach certified. She holds a Precision Nutrition Level 1 certification and is a Fast & Female Expert Ambassador.

Centering the book around racing cross-country was purposeful. Reading is one of the best ways for girls to be able to see themselves in sport and in activities traditionally dominated by boys, but girls are wildly underrepresented in books, especially in the middle grade and young adult age range where the dropout rate in sport is highest. Strong Girl Publishing helps girls see themselves in sport and outdoor adventure, inspiring them to try new activities by creating engaging stories around girls in sport, all while holding space for young women athletes to share their voices.

“With Running as Fast as We Can, I didn’t want to write a book that was only about running,” Hurford says. “While running almost becomes its own character in the book and it’s an important part of how the characters connect, it’s not the full story. I wanted to share a love of running—but using my own teen years as a springboard. I hated the idea of team sports and running, and I wanted my characters to have to figure out how to navigate cross-country from that place, not as longtime athletes.”

Strong Girl Publishing creates books and content to inspire girls in sport, written by young women who’ve been there. The new small publishing company was founded by longtime author, journalist, and athlete Molly Hurford, who has been writing stories for young women athletes for years—including the popular Shred Girls series. Strong Girl Publishing aims to increase visibility of girls in sport and outdoor adventure, while also providing an outlet for young women athletes to share their stories authentically.

Advanced reader copies of Running as Fast as We Can are available. Email info@stronggirlpublishing.com and we’re happy to work with you for interviews, excerpt selection, any edits to cut chapters to hit your ideal word count, and any quotes from the author about the project.