Mary Cain, who in 2013 was the youngest American athlete to represent the U.S. at the World Championships and was the 2014 World Junior Champion in the 3000 meters has come out with a harrowing and excoriating account of the treatment and poor coaching she received after joining Nike’s elite “Oregon Project.”
There was no certified sports psychologist or certified nutritionist – “it was really just a bunch of people who were [Head Coach Alberto Salazar‘s] friends.”
The physical and emotional abuse Cain experienced was so bad that her bones became fragile to the point that she broke five in the program. She also developed suicidal thoughts and began committing self-harm. Even when coaches – including Salazar – learned of this, she allegedly received no help or support. Here she is, in her own words, describing her experience.
I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike
I come from a family of runners. Although never a standout performer myself, my father ran 19 marathons and both my brothers were excellent long-distance runners. We attended the same high school as Olympic runner Steve Prefontaine, and my eldest brother broke Prefontaine’s freshman high school 2-mile record – a record that still stands, I believe. Although I don’t run or jog anymore, I still thrill to watch track and field events every now and then.
Cain’s account is heart-breaking, infuriating…and 100% believable. I applaud her courage and am grateful she is sharing this disturbing story. I believe her assertion that “young girls’ bodies are being ruined by an emotionally and physically abusive system.”
Cain concludes her video with a list of concrete, helpful, and wholly reasonable reforms for the protection of girls and women in the sport. I will watch to see whether Nike and other powerful forces in track and field will respond with substantive changes.
Blatant Calm 