Win at All Costs

Inside Nike Running and Its Culture of Deception

By: Matt Hart

Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg

"After years of rumors and speculation, Matt Hart sets out to peel back the layers of secrecy that protected the most powerful coach in running. What he finds will leave you indignant—and wondering whether anything in the high-stakes world of Olympic sport has truly changed." —Alex Hutchinson, New York Times bestselling author of Endure

Game of Shadows meets Shoe Dog in this explosive behind-the-scenes look that reveals for the first time the unsettling details of Nike's secret running program—the Nike Oregon Project.

In May 2017, journalist Matt Hart received a USB drive containing a single file—a 4.7-megabyte PDF named “Tic Toc, Tic Toc. . . .” He quickly realized he was in possession of a stolen report prepared a year earlier by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for the Texas Medical Board, part of an investigation into legendary running coach Alberto Salazar, a Houston-based endocrinologist named Dr. Jeffrey Brown, and cheating by Nike-sponsored runners, including some of the world’s best athletes. The information Hart received was part of an unfolding story of deception which began when Steve Magness, an assistant to Salazar, broke the omertà—the Mafia-like code of silence about performance-enhancing drugs among those involved—and alerted USADA. He was soon followed by Olympians Adam and Kara Goucher who risked their careers to become whistleblowers on their former Nike running family in Beaverton, Oregon.

Combining sports drama and business exposé, Win at All Costs tells the full story of Nike’s running program, uncovering a corporate win-at-all-costs culture.

©2020 Matt Hart (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Nicely done

I’ve heard the story before but never in such detail. I long admired both Salazar and Nike but hard to be a fan of either when the only principle they adhere to is deceit. Purity of sport is just a marketing scheme and I’m left disappointed with the decisions made to stay at the top. The author does a nice job of portraying the story in objective light. It was an exciting read.

Great enlightening book

You'll likely like this book if you're a running junkie and are alright with learning about how the biggest running brand is corrupt.

An extremely interesting read

This book was so interesting and really makes you rethink Nike as a company and the pursuit of athletic greatness.

Great Detail

Was very impressed with the details. You best know that this is the norm in so-called ‘pro sports’ these are merely enter-taint-ment lab rats. Glad I quit taking this nonsense seriously when I did!

Sleazeball Salazar and mob mentality Nike

Very happy this story came out in such detail. It’s a shame that Nike still has such a hold on sports.

As a collegiate track coach myself

As a college track and field coach, and having known a lot of the characters, the story was intriguing.

Controlling and demeaning Nike culture

Outstanding story. Disgusting, infuriating sexism and abuse in the Nike culture. You won’t find me buying their products again.

Sad but true pressure on athletes

It was well researched and written. Salazar is absolutely evil. Worth a read for anyone who played a sport or has kids that do.

Eye opening look inside

Although I knew about these accusations, I do not think one could fathom the depths of deception and moreover the timeline of events. What had been unfolding for decades while prominent runners smiled on magazine covers is heartbreaking and eye opening. This serves as a good reminder that there is often more going on than meets the eye. Especially in the world of sports, where what may appear as a “dream job”, if often rife with politics and underhandedness. The triumph of the truth in this case is a redeemer.

a nice layout of a modern scandal

it's sad to know exactly how corrupted professional sports,has become. the sport of running is dear to my heart, so especially disappointing