Let's Learn From Mary Cain And Create A Safer, Healthier Sport

By Isabel Max for DyeStat

In the first hour of the morning it was released, Mary Cain’s Op-Ed for the New York Times appeared four times in my phone’s notifications. The video had gone viral before most of us had gotten out of bed. The former teenage professional said her running career for Nike was riddled with emotional and physical abuse. Watching it, I felt sick, frustrated and disappointed.

I realized that as far as women have come in running, we still have a long way to go. It’s been 47 years since Title IX. With only half a century of running behind us, we remain guinea pigs. 

Later, I was discussing the video with a teammate who said, “I just don’t understand how she didn’t see that coming.” What she meant was, at the highest levels of the sport, is it even possible to maintain a healthy relationship with food, or an unwavering self-confidence, when there is constant pressure and expectation to perform? 

It can’t be easy, especially at 17 to 20 years old. 

This video hit close to home. All females must confront transition from puberty to adulthood, and this is a hurdle the running world doesn’t yet know how to deal with. The general trajectory of boys is linear – they tend to get faster and stronger with each year.

For girls, it can be a roller coaster. As Cain pointed out, all athletes have to be conscious of their bodies. The trick is knowing how to do what’s necessary to be a competitive athlete and remain healthy (physically and mentally), without prioritizing one above the other.

Alberto Salazar wanted Cain to set a new precedent for women’s running. Cain claims he ended up damaging her potential by focusing too much on the scale and stopwatch. What he seemed to leave out was the human part of the equation. When Cain had suicidal thoughts, or cut herself, she said her coach didn’t listen.

Cain’s missed distress signals are now our clarion call to try something new and different. 

What’s the solution? Be patient and surround yourself with good coaches (when you have that choice, either as a potential college runner or later) and role models. My sister, Fiona, and I are lucky to have great coaches and role models. One such role model is Mel Lawrence.

Now 30, Mel is one of the top steeplechasers in the country and has her sights set on the 2020 Olympic Games.

“People get to a point where they just don’t enjoy running, whether they’re over-competing or whatever it is, but I actually still really enjoy it. I have this piece of me that says ‘I think I can still get faster,’” Mel told me.

Here’s the thing: Mel is getting faster. She was the NACAC champion in Toronto last year and in September she won the steeplechase at The Match - Europe vs. The United States, in Belarus.

Mel has made it this far because of her commitment to the sport for the long run.

“I definitely have not had a linear projection, which I think, as much as it sucked at the time, having all the injuries helped me because it made me realize what made me unsuccessful,” she said.

Mel persevered with help from her coach, Lauren Fleshman. To me, Mel’s ever-improving career and Lauren’s guidance is no coincidence.

Lauren introduced me to the idea of running as a roller coaster. She talked to my team about the perseverance this sport requires of women. She didn’t try to disguise the elephant in the room, but opened our eyes to it. I learned that my potential lies somewhere on the bumpy road ahead, and her talk helped me establish a standard in my mind for who I want to let come along for the ride.

Part of why my sister and I chose to run at Princeton is because Coach Brad Hunt meets that standard. He is committed to protecting the team culture. By that, I mean he honors the meticulous balance female athletes must strike to be successful and healthy. 

These are the things we, as the next generation of runners, must consider as we go forward. This is why Cain has spoken up, and why we must listen. She has given us the reins.

She wants us to set the new precedent.