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Win at All Costs
Book

Win at All Costs

Inside Nike Running and Its Culture of Deception

Matt Hart
Dey Street, 2020

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Concrete Examples
  • Insider's Take

Recommendation

The 2012 Olympics crowned running coach Alberto Salazar’s triumphant second act. A legendary distance runner in the 1980s, but lacking Olympic medals, he’d fallen apart physically. Now, athletes he coached won medals in the 10,000 meters, including second placer Galen Rupp, who’d been under Salazar’s wing since high school. But, reveals journalist Matt Hart, sinister deeds lay behind Salazar’s feel-good story. He constantly flirted with – and often crossed – ethical lines. He all but ordered Rupp and other runners to take drugs for imaginary ills. Salazar was ultimately sanctioned for doping. As it often does, athletic competition once again offers an object lesson about the means to an end.

Take-Aways

  • Alberto Salazar once was the brightest star among US distance runners.
  • He lamented the fall of US runners from international prominence.
  • As a coach, Salazar used training methods that pushed the envelope of fairness.

About the Author

Matt Hart covers sports science and performance-enhancing drugs. His work has appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic Adventure and Outside.

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