Run, Swim, Bike, Survive
What is the Finish Line Feeling? According to Liz Ferro, it’s a powerful sensation of being the most extraordinary person you can be and feeling as if you can do anything.
A local author, mom, wife, motivational speaker and athlete, Ferro will visit Lakewood Public Library on October 22 to discuss her book “Finish Line Feeling,” as well as the organization she started, Girls With Sole, which tries to give that sense of accomplishment to girls who need it most.
In her memoir “Finish Line Feeling,” Ferro honestly discusses her rocky start in life and the childhood trauma that made her feel worthless. Her first two years were spent in foster homes, leaving her terrified of men and afraid to be alone. Although she was adopted at age two by good parents, Ferro was sexually abused by a neighbor at age eight. Her early experiences convinced her she was unlovable, a bad person who was lucky to be taken in at all.
What saved her was sports. At the time the sexual abuse was happening, swimming was her therapy. The cool, chlorinated water was soothing and cleansing, and exercise made her feel less anxious. As she matured, Ferro’s early experiences gave her a deep well of anger that resulted in her lashing out verbally, engaging in dysfunctional relationships and suffering an eating disorder. Again, sports saved her. Besides swimming, running and biking, Ferro joined club teams at Miami University. Being athletic was healing for Ferro, building her self esteem and confidence and showing her the strong connection between body and mind.
Throughout her 20s, depression and emotional upheaval continued, but so did the healing power of sports. According to Ferro, there was no single moment that resulted in her starting Girls With Sole, which provides girls aged 9 to 18 the opportunity and equipment to participate in team sports, running, yoga and dance. The organization grew organically out of her own experiences and her desire to help girls who have been abused or are at-risk. Many of the girls served are in foster care, residential treatment or juvenile detention centers and have never had access to fitness programs or been able to experience the healing that Ferro found in sports.
Over the past two years, Ferro and her organization have received national recognition in magazines such as Runner’s World and SELF and on the TODAY show. This publicity validated the crucial need for programs such as Girls With Sole. “The outpouring of requests for our programs afterwards, from around the country, was overwhelming,” says Ferro. The first chapter outside of Northeast Ohio is slated to open next year in Charleston, South Carolina. However, Girls With Sole is still a very grass roots organization, with no staff or funding to support salaries or office space. Ferro decided to run a marathon in every state to raise awareness and money for the organization; she is currently about halfway through her goal.
Join Ferro at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 22 in the Main Library Auditorium to hear her inspiring story and find out how anyone can experience that Finish Line Feeling. Copies of her book will be available for sale and signing. All programs are free and open to the public.