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Since her Olympic win, Wineberg has frequently given motivational talks about her experience. It seemed to inspire people, Wineberg said, which encouraged her to put her story down in writing. This time, though, Wineberg wanted to share more than just her journey as an athlete.
“I had to find some peace,” Wineberg said. “I was battling with being adopted and dealing with that.”
Writing the book helped Wineberg to forgive, she said, and she hoped her story would help others with similar struggles.
“I wanted to be able to inspire others who were going through the same thing, whether it’s adoption, finding a birth parent or forgiving someone in their life,” Wineberg said.
Wineberg has made appearances in Springfield before, including a speech at Clark State Community College’s 2010 “We Are IT Day,” an event introducing young women to careers in technology.
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Her husband and coach, Chris, is a Northeastern High School Graduate.
“It’s very nice to be able to come back to his hometown and share the book,” she said.
The book signing in Springfield will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Beacon of Hope store in the Park Shopping Center on Bechtle Avenue.
Wineberg has also held book signings in Cincinnati and Columbus and hopes to take her book tour outside of Ohio soon. So far, she said, the response has been positive: Readers have found her story both inspiring and relatable.
“The book has shown that I’m human, too,” Wineberg said.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in Cincinnati, Wineberg writes that she was an average runner in high school. While running at the University of Cincinnati, where she majored in education and ran track on scholarship, she perfected her stride.
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Before winning Olympic gold, Wineberg was also a 2007 World Championship Gold Medalist in the 4x400 meter relay.
Now retired from the sport, Wineberg lives with her husband and two daughters in Cincinnati and teaches second grade at Cincinnati Public Schools. Wineberg said her students love knowing that their teacher is an Olympic gold medalist and, now, a published author.
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