Suzy Favor-Hamilton, a prominent American middle-distance runner, dominated the tracks in high school and college. She pursued her education at the University of Wisconsin, where she clinched nine NCAA championships and 23 Big Ten titles. Additionally, she secured a silver medal at the Universiade. Despite her national success, Suzy never cracked the top ten in the international rankings over 800 or 1,500 meters. However, she triumphed as the US champion at 1,500 meters/mile in 1989-90 and 2000-02.
Her international accolades include a bronze at the 1998 Goodwill Games and a notable fifth-place at the 2002 International Cross-Country Championships, marking the best performance by a US woman. But Suzy Favor Hamilton’s life extends beyond the track. She has many more tales to share. We aim to illuminate her journey, covering everything from her past relationships to her current career endeavors.
Birth
Suzanne “Suzy” Favor took birth in 1968 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Her parents are Conrad and Rachel Favor. She also understood at a young age that she loved running. “This is what I want to do with my life,” she thought after winning a race in fifth grade. Suzy was also an eleven-time state champion. She had won more medals than any other high school runner, male or female. Thus She became one of the top hundred high school athletes of the century by Scholastic Sports Magazine.
Early Life and Education
Suzy Favor graduated from high school in Stevens Point. Favor began running for the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1987. She went on to win numerous awards. They include nine NCAA titles and 23 Big Ten titles (21 of which were individual). She was a 14-time All-American in track and cross country. Thus was named Wisconsin Female Athlete of the Year every year from 1987 to 1990. In 1991, she became the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Decade. She continued to run after graduating from the University of Wisconsin. She married in 1991, taking her husband’s surname (Hamilton). But she continued to compete under her surname Favor.
Early Career
Favor Hamilton won seven US National Championships as a professional runner. However, she competed in 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, and 2000 in Sydney. However, Suzy found the competition to be highly stressful. She didn’t win a medal in any of her Olympic races. Therefore, Suzy fell in the final turn of the 1500-meter race in her last Olympic competition in 2000. She pretended for years that her fall was caused by dehydration and previous injuries. But she eventually admitted to falling on purpose.
She explained that she had severe panic attacks and intense anxiety. They were due to the reason that three other runners passed her. Thus she realized she would not win a medal, so she thought to herself, “Just fail,.” And she did so. Getting pity seemed more appealing than dealing with the disappointment seemed better to her.
Professional Career
She set two American records while competing professionally. Suzy ran her specialty 1500m in under 4:00 five times. She was soon to become the second-fastest American woman ever. This was a fraction of a second behind leader Mary Decker Slaney. The favor recieved the award of USA Track & Field’s Female Distance Runner of the Year in 2000. During this time, she was the world’s fastest middle-distance runner.
Favor competed in the Summer Olympics in 1992, 1996, and 2000. Therefore, she finished 11th in the 1500 meters qualifying round in 1992. And 4th in the 800 meters qualifying round in 1996. In 2000, she qualified for the finals of the 1500 meters with the second-best qualifying time. It was again 1/100th of a second slower than the winner. Though she was going to lead going into the final lap, she failed. She later admitted to tripping on the track after fading in the stretch.
Prostitution
Favor Hamilton admitted to working as an escort prostitute after a reporter confronted her in December 2012. Suzy said she became an escort under the influence of her antidepressant medication. This was a misdiagnosis of her bipolar disorder. She had a lack of familiarity with mental illness. Her husband also encouraged and prodded her. She attributed her current state to the suicide of her brother, Dan. Her therapist informed her that the antidepressant she was taking had caused her to become manic. They said, “Suzy wasn’t the one.” She kept emphasizing that it wasn’t her.This all was due to the illness. The Big Ten renamed its award for Female Athlete of the Year. This award had previously carried her name.
Her prostitution became public soon after. This publicity led Favor Hamilton to lose several sponsorships and business relationships. She lost the deal with Nike. She now speaks at mental health conferences and has written a memoir, Fast Girl.
Suzy Favor Hamilton & Her Mental Struggles
Favor Hamilton’s Return
Suzy Favor Hamilton began moonlighting as a high-end escort in Las Vegas in 2011. This was several years after retiring from professional running. She earned hundreds of dollars an hour. Suzy worked semi-anonymously. But several of her regular clients found out who she was. Thus she got outed by a writer within a year.
Athlete scandals are a tired genre. But Favor Hamilton’s demise was unique. Which made the story spread across the country. A marathon race series and the Growers Association were among the sponsors who dropped her. Her father advised her to leave the country. He told her to change her name. Suzy kept quiet for a long time about what led her to become an escort. She did not, however, leave the country. Favor stayed married and continued to participate in the running community.
Favor Hamilton’s answer to this is untreatable bipolar disorder. She explains this in detail in a new memoir. Favor Hamilton became depressed after the birth of her daughter, Kylie, in 2005. Her doctor prescribed Prozac in 2007, and another doctor prescribed Zoloft a few years later. Zoloft and other antidepressants were pretty rough meds. When taken without mood stabilizers, it gets harsh. Zoloft can cause manic symptoms in people with bipolar disorder. Favor Hamilton writes in “Fast Girl” that she became manic after taking Zoloft.
Realization
Favor Hamilton describes her decision to work as an escort, not as a sharp left turn. But as a slight detour down a path, she had already traveled. Sexuality and performance are frequently a hazy topic for female athletes. And a camera-ready appearance often opens the door to successes outside of competition. Favor Hamilton set a personal best at a meet in Europe. There, a meet promoter suggested her performance-enhancing drugs. She thought of becoming a household name using that. He meant that she was lovely and that the hard part was figuring out how to win. Favor Hamilton acted in national ad campaigns for Pert Plus and Nike. She also appeared in a successful swimsuit calendar.
She writes that she was making a lot of money. Which was more than many of her peers who were running as fast as or faster. But they felt Suzy was getting more attention than she used to get. They weren’t entirely wrong, though. Throughout the 1990s, Favor Hamilton was one of the world’s fastest runners. But she never seemed to be able to win the big races. Some athletes may have become defiant in the face of such criticism. But Favor Hamilton appears to have internalized the message that she was valuable and powerful because of her appearance.
Suzy Favor Hamilton & Fast lane
The plot of “Fast Girl” revolves around her own life. From a young runner’s journey from wholesome runner to Las Vegas prostitute to mental-health advocate. Favor Hamilton’s running career, on the other hand, is fascinating in and of itself. She won nine national titles at the University of Wisconsin. The most ever by a woman in the NCAA. She became the second-fastest 1500 meter runner in American history until 2014. By trailing only Mary Decker Slaney. She was, however, frequently snakebit, losing seven US outdoor titles to Regina Jacobs. Jacobs always seemed to have a slightly better kick in the final straightaway. Slaney and Jacobs both tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs later on. Which feels quite ironic.
Athletes’ motivation to become world-class in any sport is pretty standard. And usually, it is a mix of healthy and unhealthy psychological habits. Their fear seemed to propel Favor Hamilton in particular. Suzy was almost unbeatable in college. She seemed to falter the most at the most critical meets as a professional. She underperformed in each of the Olympics for which she qualified. And she describes them as excruciating in the book.
Favor Hamilton was leading the 1500m at the Sydney Olympics when the majority of the field passed her. Thus falling to the track with less than half a lap remaining. She initially blamed dehydration for the fall. But she later admitted it was semi-intentional and the result of a panic attack. She writes that she admired her friend Mary Hartzheim. Mary was a talented runner and University of Wisconsin classmate. She loved that Hartzheim was able to leave the sport before it consumed her life.
Suzy Favor Hamilton & Her Married Life
Suzy married Mark Hamilton. He was a pitcher on the university Basketball group. Suzy Favor Hamilton persuaded her husband, Mark, in many things. This included going skydiving and having a threesome with an escort. This was a celebration for their twentieth wedding anniversary in 2011. Suzy claims this was also due to her mania. She was enthralled by the encounter and persuaded Mark that she should return alone.
Suzy approached the escort agency at the age of forty-three. She wanted to work for it. She writes, “Becoming a part-time escort myself made absolute sense.” Mark didn’t like it, but he couldn’t stop her. Favor Hamilton explained in a recent interview this situation. She explained that they witnessed her depression for years. Thus both Mark and her sponsors welcomed her new enthusiasm at the time. The arrangement had to be discreet. But it didn’t last long. This was according to the escort-rating Website. The Erotic Review stated that she was once among the top-ranked escorts in Las Vegas.
“Fast Girl” is more or less a straightforward memoir of rising and fall in terms of structure. This indicates that Favor Hamilton is writing with a sense of regret. When she writes about putting her family in the spotlight. Her guilt is palpable. Otherwise, it’s a bit hazy. The sections on bipolar disorder different from the narrative in pamphlet-style interludes.
Along with her other bipolar disorder symptoms came a desire to engage in risky behaviors. She said she had never considered these before. That is undoubtedly true. But it also reduces an experience. As it was complicating and ambiguous in her account to something deterministic and mechanical.
Suzy Favor Hamilton’s Recovery
What is the status of Favor Hamilton’s recovery? Favor Hamilton left her in-laws’ house when the story broke to go hiking with her husband. They fought in the car on the way to the trailhead. Suzy Favor Hamilton attempted to jump out the passenger door. Mark Hamilton had to seek additional assistance as a result of this. For her family, the diagnosis was the most challenging of all. Suzy wrote these without going into great detail. She finally made it clear to the clients that her time as an escort was over. Suzy also believes she has found the proper medication and doses. This, too, after a lot of trial and error.
She wrote that she is running now because it gives her freedom. She runs because it makes her happy.
Facts About Suzy Favor Hamilton
Therefore, we bring you the most common searches on the Internet related to Suzy.
Suzy Favor Hamilton Net Worth
She was one of the best performers in the world. Suzy took part in middle-distance running during the 1990s. Though she never became a household name. She competed in three Olympics in a row . Suzy reached the finals of the 1500-meter race in her final appearance.
According to The Smoking Gun, she was working as a $600-per-night escort in Las Vegas. Her net worth is around 1 million US dollars.
Suzy Favor Hamilton In 2023
There have been many documentaries about Suzy Favor Hamilton this year. Which brought a new buzz around her brand.
Suzy Favor Hamilton On Dr. Phil Talk Show
Suzy Hamilton appeared on Dr. Phil’s talk show. There she exposed a lot about her own secret life. This was around the time her book came out.
Suzy Favor Hamilton’s Book
After retiring from competitive running, the three-time Olympian became an escort in Las Vegas. In her book, she talks about the mental illness that drove her to prostitution. Fast Girl: A Life of Running from Madness is Suzy’s book. This is available in bookstores and for download.
Suzy Favor Hamilton & Here Book Reviews
Her book Fast Lane has received plenty of positive reviews from critics. It has a rating of 80 in Goodreads.
Suzy Favor Hamilton’s Documentary
There have been many documentaries about Suzy Favor Hamilton this year. Which brought a new buzz around her brand. One of these is Suzy Favor Hamilton: Long journey to mental health.
Suzy Favor Hamilton’s Wiki
Suzy Favor Hamilton has a wiki of her own. However, she does not verify the data available there.
