In a feat still unmatched today, Lorraine completed four consecutive Olympic Games, commencing with the first marathon for women in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The climax of her career was an Olympic bronze medal in the marathon at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
On the Wings of Mercury is the most compelling autobiography I have ever read. Rather than a sports book filled with events and statistics, it is a book written by a sportswoman. Lorraine takes the reader on a fascinating odyssey: moving from her early childhood experiences, which helped shape her as a runner and person, through to the mature, articulate woman she is today — who at her best could beat anyone in the world.
Lorraine is a storyteller of considerable skill and she writes with an outstanding command of language and use of metaphor. Throughout this powerful story she holds the reader’s attention and respect. It is unusual for an athlete to write their own story without journalistic assistance, but perhaps this is what has enabled Lorraine to better explore her innermost thoughts, her own motivations and spirituality.
This is a candid, superbly written autobiography, providing the reader with a rare insight into the high and low experiences of an elite athlete".
Peter Snell