Marcus Thompson

The fabric was so soft and official. The polyamide-spandex blend hugged, yet still breathed. The speedsuit’s pink piping and yellow Adidas logo practically glowed against the kit’s deep purple, a color Adidas dubs “preloved fig.” McKenzie Long put it on and modeled in the nearest mirror, seeing how it complimented her skin tone, her muscles, the tattoo sleeve covering her right arm. This speedsuit could be bought for about $300. But her cost was much more. Her price was all of her discipline. An untold number of brutal workouts. The pain in every defeat. The hunger...