Mary Cain Is Fixing Female Sports

Jun 28, 2021

Mary Cain, a former professional track and field athlete and now CEO of Atalanta, shares her journey from being a promising athlete to facing the dark side of competitive sports. She discusses the pressures of elite training and how they impacted her mental health. Cain highlights her efforts to empower female athletes through her nonprofit, advocating for inclusivity and healthier coaching methods. The conversation explores the importance of community support and the need for systemic change in women's athletics to prevent toxic cultures.

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ANECDOTE

Early Career and Nike

Mary Cain's early success in high school led to a professional contract with Nike.
She moved to Portland to train with Alberto Salazar, where weight became a major focus.

INSIGHT

Control and Communication

Salazar's focus on Cain's weight, despite her performance, suggests a control issue.
This was exacerbated by the restricted communication with her parents.

ANECDOTE

Breach of Confidentiality

Cain was reprimanded for sharing her weight struggles with her parents.
The team's supposed psychologist, Darren Treasure, shared athlete information with Salazar, breaching confidentiality.

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A cornerstone of this podcast is the power of sport to catalyze personal and societal change, cultivate confidence, and ultimately transform lives.

But what happens when sport breaks you?

If you’ve listened to my conversations with Lindsay Crouse and Lauren Fleshman, you know this story is all too familiar within athletic institutions—particularly Nike. Today’s guest is busting this paradigm.

Meet Mary Cain.

Established as the fastest girl in a generation by the time she reached high school, Mary was only 16 when she qualified for the Olympic Trials. At 17, she became the youngest American track and field athlete to make a world championship, competing in Moscow in the 1500 meters.

Olympic glory seemed a foregone conclusion. Until that is, she joined Nike’s elite Oregon Project team run by infamous coach Alberto Salazar.

And that’s when everything changed.

Under severe pressure from Salazar and others to lose weight, her mental and physical health began to crumble. Ultimately, her body collapsed—and her running career behind it. Then she just disappeared.

Until November of 2019 that is, when Mary broke her silence on what happened and why, bravely exposing the abusive system that derailed her in a New York Times Video OpEd entitled, “I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I joined Nike”.

Here’s the thing about Mary: she’s emerged from this whole experience stronger—both as an athlete and as an advocate resolute on creating positive change for the next generation of female athletes.

Now 25, she continues to run while serving as the New York Community Manager for the running apparel brand Tracksmith.

In addition, this podcast announces her new role as CEO of Atalanta, a new NYC-based elite running team & community non-profit Mary founded with the dual mission of promoting running community, inclusivity & diversity, while also rewriting the rule book on professional women’s athletics.

Today we get into all of it.

FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll611

YouTube: bit.ly/marycain611

I have a ton of respect for this young woman. Her story is powerful. It’s instructive. And I’m proud to help share it.

Peace + Plants,

Rich