No Finish Line: My Life As I See It » (Unabridged)

Marla Runyan became an Olympic athlete despite a progressive eye disease that has made her legally blind, and received international recognition during the competitions in Sydney.

"Blind? I think there's no doubt that Marla Runyan can see things much clearer than most of us with 20/20 vision." - Lance Armstrong

Marla Runyan was nine years old when she was diagnosed with Stargardt's disease, an irreversible form of macular degeneration. With the uneasy but unwavering support of her parents, she refused to let her diagnosis limit her dreams. Despite her severely impaired, ever-worsening vision, Marla rode horseback and learned to play the violin. And she found her true calling in sports.

A gifted and natural athlete, Marla began to compete in the unlikeliest event of all: the heptathlon, the grueling women's equivalent of the decathlon, consisting of seven events: the 200-meter dash, high jump, shot put, 100-meter hurdles, long jump, javelin throw, and 800-meter run. In 1996, she astonished the sports world by qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials and, along the way, set the American record for heptathlon 800. It was then that she decided to concentrate on her running. Four years of intense effort paid off. In 2000, she qualified for the U.S. Olympic team by finishing third in the 1,500 meters. In Sydney, she placed eighth in the finals, the top American finisher - the highest women's placing for the United States in the event's history.

With self-deprecation and surprising wit, Marla reveals what it's like to see the world through her eyes, how it feels to grow up "disabled" in a society where expectations are often based on perceived abilities, and what it means to compete at the world-class level despite the fact that - quite literally, for her - there is no finish line.

Publishers Weekly

"My whole life was `special.' I rode a `special' bus, went to a school with a `special' program.... But I wasn't special, I was angry," observes Olympic runner Runyan. Rendered partially blind by Stargardt's disease, Runyan tells the story of her trials en route to the Olympics. Growing up embarrassed by her condition and all the more headstrong for it, Runyan set and achieved high goals to compensate for a lonely and painful childhood, tackling horseback riding and first violin before she turned to track and field. (She obtained her driver's license a bit later.) In 2000, she was the first American to finish the women's 1,500 meter race, coming in eighth the highest U.S. women's placement in the history of the event. But at the heart of her story is an allegory of change: she outgrows coaches, learns patience over perseverance and comes to understand that her greatest stumbling block is her own willful approach. Thankfully, the book never waxes maudlin like the many oft-aired inserts during the 2000 Olympic Games where every athlete competed not only in their event but also for the most-outrageous-life-challenge award. Rather, she presents her story with acuity and grace, rising above expectations and prejudice ("Do you ever fall down?" is a question journalists frequently ask). Written with Sally Jenkins who collaborated on Lance Armstrong's autobiography, It's Not About the Bike, Runyan's story is well-paced and finishes strong; readers will hope she keeps going and going. (Oct.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.