Suzy was the US Junior Record Holder at 1500m and won 3 National Junior Titles in High School.

Competing professionally, Suzy won seven USA National titles, set two American Records, was a three-time Olympian, ran her specialty 1500m under 4:00 five times and at the time was the second fastest American Woman in history. In 2000, Suzy was the fastest woman in the world, but came last in her race at the Sydney Olympics.

Triggered by feelings of inadequacy, Suzy slipped further into darkness and was eventually misdiagnosed with depression. The prescribed drug made her high, too high in fact, and soon, she was working as an escort in Las Vegas.

Only being outed to the world and an eventual diagnosis of bipolar disorder led her to begin the slow process of recovery. Years later, she is sharing her story about her experiences with bipolar disorder as well as her struggles with life during and after running.

Show notes

Growing up and wanting to be perfect, the reasons behind it and what drove her to this level of perfection
Her older brother and how his illness impacted on her life
Finding running at 11 years old
Dealing with the pressure from a young age
Loving running, and when it all started to change
Being ranked number 1 in the country
How she used food to help manage the pressure
Dealing with an eating disorder
When she started to think about the Olympics
Feeling carefree while running
Her first Olympics - 1992 Barcelona
Not getting the support from her coaches that she needed
Competing against athletes who were doing drugs
No focus on the mental side of racing while competing at the Olympics
The highlight from her running career - making the US Olympic Team and beating her idol
Her downfall
Going into the 2000 Olympics after having run the fastest time in the world in Oslo
Losing her brother to suicide before the Olympics
The 1,500 Olympic race - What happened with 100 metres to go
The fall out and what happened afterwards
Falling out of love with running
Being diagnosed at 42 years old
Her rock bottom…
Having her daughter in 2005
Being given drugs for depression
Deciding to jump out of a plane and heading to Vegas to celebrate 20 years of marriage
The spiral into destruction and how she started to cope
Sex was becoming her escape and dealing with hyper sexuality
Fast Girl - A Life Spend Running From Madness
Working as an escort in Vegas - Kelly
Your power as a women
Hiring a male escort
The escorting world…
What is hyper sexuality?
Being exposed via the Smoking Gun Website and the impact it had on her life, her husband and her marriage
The journey of how she got from where she was to where she is now
Taking baby steps and how life is not perfect
How she recovered thanks to her husband
Being bi-polar and the relief that came from the diagnosis
Being able to share her story and be an advocate for mental health
Dealing with shame
Running for fun now!
Loving yoga and how it brought out all of the pain
Her final words of advice

Social Media

Website - http://suzyfavorhamilton.com

Twitter - @favorhamilton

Instagram - @favourhamilton

Facebook - @favourhamilton

Book - “Fast Girl – A Life Spent Running From Madness”

Feeling inspired week after week?

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs.

#331 - Alonzo Bodden