Megan Flanagan: A Young Runner's Journey through RED-s (relative energy deficiency in sport)

07/16/21 • 35 min

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This story follows the journey of runner Megan Flanagan through relative energy deficiency in sport, RED-s, to health and developing a community of awareness and support, Strong Runner Chicks.

Megan started linking thinness with performance at a young age. Body commentary, prevalent ideals of what a winning distance runner should look, and the desire to be competitive led Megan down the path toward RED-s: she was amenorrhoeic (had stopped menstruating) by the time she was graduating high school. Her journey demonstrates the numerous challenges young women athletes face to get the health support and education they need to navigate away from the seriously harmful syndrome of RED-s.

This story follows Megan’s journey through her early days of discovering her love of being an athlete, to her frustrations and struggles with RED-s through her NCAA Division I career, and on to how she’s created and found strength in community and taken hold of her own health. Megan is the founder of Strong Runner Chicks, a community to support and uplift women runners.

Ways to follow Megan Flanagan

Follow Megan on Instagram: @meginspire

Follow Strong Runner Chicks on Instagram: @strongrunchicks

Learn about Strong Runner Chicks on their website

Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories

Instagram: @womensrunningstories

Twitter: @WomenRunStories

Website: womensrunningstories.com

Email host Cherie: [email protected]

Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This story follows the journey of runner Megan Flanagan through relative energy deficiency in sport, RED-s, to health and developing a community of awareness and support, Strong Runner Chicks.

Ways to follow Megan Flanagan

Follow Megan on Instagram: @meginspire

Follow Strong Runner Chicks on Instagram: @strongrunchicks

Learn about Strong Runner Chicks on their website

Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories

Instagram: @womensrunningstories

Twitter: @WomenRunStories

Website: womensrunningstories.com

Email host Cherie: [email protected]

Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

BONUS: Hear Her Sports: Dagmara Wozniak, Olympic Saber Fencer

Special bonus introduction to the Hear Her Sports podcast, featuring elite sabre fencer Dagmara Wozniak. Hear Her Sports is hosted by Elizabeth Emery, a former professional cyclist who has a deep interest in increasing the visibility and strengths of women in sports. For five years, Hear Her Sports has been featuring long-form intimate profiles of female athletes and other women in the sports space who are breaking boundaries, speaking up, and living with power and confidence.

Since this episode ran in early 2020, Dagmara was named to the Tokyo Olympic Team, so you can learn about her here and then cheer for her at the Games.

From Hear Her Sports: Sabre fencer Dagmara Wozniak is a two time Olympian – London in 2012 and Rio in 2016, where she won a team bronze medal. After recent ankle surgery she is now actively training and competing to make the Tokyo2020 Olympic team. Dagmara is 2018 Pan Am Championship gold medalist and 2015 Pan Am Games Gold Medalist. She also speaks at schools about body positivity and determination.

In this episode she inspires with stories of rehab, Lindsey Vonn documentaries, winning well, strength training, whoop, and how sports is like art. She’s also just plain fun to talk to.

Dagmara’s website

Dagmara’s Instagram

Dagmara’s Facebook

WHOOP

Insight Timer app for sleep, meditation

Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season, documentary recommended by Dagmara

Lindsey Vonn: The Climb

Rising Strong by Brené Brown

Hear Her Sports website: http://www.hearhersports.com/

Find Hear Her Sports on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

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Next Episode

Introducing Roads to Boston 2021: 9 Runners, 1 Finish Line

Introducing Roads to Boston 2021. Join us following the running journeys of 9 women from around the world to the 125th Boston Marathon, which happens October 11, 2021. From their early days lacing up, all the way to the start of one of the most beloved athletic events in the world, we're telling their stories. Listen . . . to energize your own running pursuits.

The last Boston Marathon took place April 2019. And finally, this legendary event is back, in person. For every participant who gets an entry to Boston, it's a victory all its own: you can't just sign up for Boston, you have to earn your way in.

This year, getting an entry was harder than ever. Pandemic concerns saw the field limit cut by a third.

For this series, we follow the stories of 9 women who did get an entry, from how they got started running in the first place, through to earning their Boston entries, and how they are living the marathon life as they prepare for this legendary event.

Get an inside look at what goes in to getting to the start line of the 125th Boston Marathon. Whether Boston is in your future or your running interests take a different shape, join us to energize your own aspirations.

Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories

Instagram: @womensrunningstories

Twitter: @WomenRunStories

Website: womensrunningstories.com

Email host Cherie: [email protected]

Women's Running Stories is a member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices