Running Free

Rebecca Quinlan was a top-ranking athlete with Olympic ambitions when anorexia nervosa took hold of her life. This memoir traces the illness's grip, the suffering it brought, and the long, uneven road back to health.

Her condition led to repeated and lengthy hospital admissions, and at her lowest point she was only a few hours from death. Now in recovery, she writes about what it is like to be controlled by an eating disorder and about what gave her the will to keep fighting. She also aims to raise awareness of anorexia itself.

The book is written for people living with this chronic disease, as well as the carers and families who support them, and it argues that recovery is always within reach. Quinlan also draws attention to the dangers eating disorders pose in competitive sport.