This scientist is racing to discover how gender transitions alter athletic performance—including her own

This scientist is racing to discover how gender transitions alter athletic performance—including her own

6 years ago
Anonymous $RBasgWKaIV

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/07/scientist-racing-discover-how-gender-transitions-alter-athletic-performance-including

Joanna Harper's personal journey and love of running have shaped her research interests.

PORTLAND, OREGON, AND PHOENIX—Joanna Harper swallowed a few pills in late August 2004, a day after running in the Hood to Coast relay race between Oregon's highest mountain and the Pacific Ocean. They delivered a small dose of estrogen and a testosterone blocker and set in motion changes that Harper, who was designated male at birth and raised as a boy, had imagined since childhood. Harper's timing was deliberate—the 47-year-old nationally ranked runner wanted one more race before disrupting her hormones because she knew she'd never run as fast again.