Finish Line Feeling

by Liz Ferro

“When Liz came to us, not only did she bring fitness, liveliness, self-esteem, and encouragement to our girls, she also brought a purpose to their lives,” says Susan M. Brown, L.P.C., of the Multi-County Juvenile Attention System in Canton, Ohio.

This uniquely uplifting memoir tells the compelling story of the author’s journey from foster child and sexual abuse survivor to founder of the nationally recognized running organization, Girls With Sole. Ferro describes how to gain joy and fulfillment through athletics, and reminds us to believe in ourselves and our dreams. Gritty, yet often humorously told, her story proves that with resiliency, anyone can be rewarded with the euphoria she calls the “finish line feeling.” For more information about Liz, Girls With Sole, to join our fundraising team (Team LULA) or to receive a free GWS newsletter on request, please visit

Genres: Nonfiction

356 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 2012

Reviews

[Theresa]

I wanted to love this book, especially to support a local (Irondequoit grad) author. I just did not. I couldn't get past the poor writing. It was easy to skim the entire book, a saving grace. I would not promote her as an inspiration to young women, and would not call her an example to emulate. She strikes me as pretty narcisistic. She was always taken care of by men from her father on. She was promiscuous in a stupid way. She continues to seem to be quite self-centered. Training for marathons and contests that include that and more are time consuming at the expense of families. She strikes me as someone who is continually using something outside of her to find what she is looking for. She's lucky to have her organization to use as a facade for this. It's better than drugs and alchohol, to be sure. The book did not get to speaking of organization until the end. The writing gave a great tutorial on how to be self-destructive for 2/3's of a life. I don't buy her as altruistic. I see her as using an organization to perpetuate her running habit. I have known many who have faced and overcame adversity through their jobs or through being in the world, and these characters are those who I would want my child(ren) to be like.

[Felicia Johnson]

Finish Line Feeling by Liz Ferro is one of the most inspiring true stories of survival that I've ever read! Liz overcame so many obstacles in her journey through life. She was raised in foster care and had suffered sexual and physical abuse. She did not use her past as an excuse not to succeed on her incredible journey. No, Liz did not give up. She went on to help others by finding joy and peace in her success with athletics, running marathons and her organization Girls With Sole. Finish Line Feeling is RAW, unique and uplifting. Liz's life story is one of hope, survival and WINS!

[Alisha Perkins]

Raw and real... amazing book by a brave woman!

[Tami]

This was a quick autobiographical read of a local Clevelander. Fitness-specifically triathlete sports helps her physically & mentally in her nonconventional life. Later she started Girls With Soul. It is a non profit that provides physical and wellness programming for girls at risk. The organization keeps growing and can easily be brought to schools, social work agencies etc.

[Abby]

I loved it!!!!!!

[Amanda Ferry]

Bravely raw and honest, Liz's dynamic life is truly inspirational.

[Stephanie]

I enjoyed reading this memoir quite a bit, even though much of it was sad. The author, Liz Ferro, is from my city and a friend of mine met her during a race, encouraging me to read her story. I'm really glad that she recommended it to me and that I got to read about this woman's fascinating life, the obstacles she faced, and how running (and other sports) helped her to rebuild and become stronger. She then went on to create Girls With Sole, an organization encouraging other young girls who have faced trauma to become runners. Liz Ferro is one inspiring woman, and her story pushes me even more to get back into running, something that has been a struggle for me since having my son. I miss that "finish line feeling" and can't wait to feel it again!

[Dwayne Wojtowicz]

I won this book in a Goodreads.com giveaway.

Liz Ferro opens up her heart, soul and her life with us as she retells the story of her adoption through her marriages.

"Finish Line Feeling" is a story of challenges and conquers; life and death; humor and grit.

She is a survivor of sexual abuse that her mother finds out about, but just sweeps it under the rug and never tells her father. Secrets are supposed to be kept hidden, but in Liz Ferro's case, they come out and to light.

To help her over come her pitfalls, she starts running triathlons. She pushes herself to that "finish line feeling," the euphoria of overcoming everything in her past.

A good read for all women.

[Heather]

I won a signed copy of this book through Goodread's Giveaways.

I enjoyed Liz Ferro's story. I find it difficult to review memoirs because these are Ms Ferro's experiences, memories and insights.

I found her story to be very moving and can see how she can be very motivational to the girls she works with.

[Anthony Tenaglier]

Life isn’t a race, but running a race can teach us a lot about life. In Liz Ferro’s book, I learned how one can overcome adversity through personally challenging oneself to not only trust the sole’s on their feet to get them through the finish line, but also believing in the soul of your own heart.

[Janelle]

Liz is brutally honest in her memoir about sexual abuse and the destructive behavior it caused and her ultimate redemption through running. She's funny, self-deprecating, and holds nothing back. She's an inspiration.