HURDLES IN THE DARK

An athlete shares her journey from her childhood barrio in Texas to the collegiate track.

Fourteen-year-old Elvira Kristelle “Kristy” Gonzalez had 24 hours to raise $40,000 to rescue her mother from the kidnappers across the border in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, who had abducted her following a wedding. Caught in the middle of drug-fueled violence, Kristy’s life took a shocking turn. Instead of racing boys to help her friends win bets, she had to race the clock to save her mother’s life. When Ma returned, utterly traumatized by the experience, Kristy was deeply affected, too—“I try looking into her eyes, but every time I do, they haunt me.” Kristy became suicidal but had to deal with her own severe trauma alone. She decided to seek a path to higher education by getting a hurdling scholarship. But she faced trial after trial—from landing in juvie at 16 following constant fighting with Ma to being groomed and abused by a coach. Kristy found herself continually jumping over hurdles, both figuratively and literally. In this perceptive narrative, moments of joy, confidence, and light contrast with the depths of confusion, hurt, and darkness, highlighting the struggles that many vulnerable young athletes from underrepresented backgrounds face. The author pays homage to her Tejana heritage throughout, often using Spanish phrases that are explained in English in context.

An unfiltered and honest account of perseverance, resilience, and defying the odds.