Lauren's Heart
For the coming 2019-2020 academic year, the Global Sport Institute’s research theme will be “Sport and the body.” The Institute will conduct and fund research and host events that will explore a myriad of topics related to the body.
Her name is Lauren.
She is a runner.
She was not born Lauren. Or a she. But she was born a runner.
Running is her passion and her focus, and she is very good at it. But there’s something else driving Lauren, something stronger than her passion to compete. And that is her desire to be who she really feels she is — a woman.
Lauren is transitioning from male to female and has invited an Arizona State University research team led by Sid Angadi to document the changes the transition are making to her body and her athletic performance. The team is examining what happens when an elite athlete is given the extra hormones needed to make the change. This research could help answer the question: Do transitioned athletes have a competitive advantage over biological females?
In the months to come, Lauren's journey will be chronicled by Global Sport Matters.
