Mary Cain

“I'm used to running against the clock.”

“Getting to wear a Team USA uniform is amazing. I really wanted to get a uniform.”

“I tied so much of my self-worth - and trust me, if you're a runner, you understand this - to my performance.”

“To be completely consumed by track, that might be a little bit out of my comfort zone. I kind of like having friends who are less tracky.”

“In track and field, Nike is all-powerful. They control the top coaches, athletes, races, even the governing body.”

“It definitely is very exciting running against professionals now. Many of the runners in my races have amazing resumes and a lot of experience, so I just remind myself that every race is just a learning experience.”

“Latin AP was a struggle. There were a lot of people in class drawing pictures during that, but I took it seriously.”

“I love the sport of track and field. If I can be the person to make it a big thing in this country, that would be amazing.”

“My attitude is, especially in New York, we have some pretty brutal summers in terms of humidity. So for me, if you survive a summer of running in New York City, you get your runner badge!”

“I think you have to be a leader to be a coach. I think you have to be somebody who is willing to stand up even when it's hard.”

“Mary Decker's my idol.”

“I hope to be out there showing people that you can come back from really tough, awful times.”

“Tracksmith came to the table with an outside-the-box opportunity to join their team as both an athlete and employee, to pursue my dreams, contribute to a team and build a career.”

“I feel like athletes lean into this indestructible character. But unless you're doing something really shady, no one nails every day of their life. You're always going to have rough patches.”

“When I was out in Portland there was a lot of really great things about it. But being home, I'm a New Yorker, and I think I've really enjoyed being back out here.”

“The emotional weight being lifted just let me run free and commit to it. I have almost been able to refind a joy for running.”

“One of the things Coach Salazar always tells me is you're in just as good shape as anyone else and as long as you're in it with 400 meters to go, you can't give up.”

“I feel like in New York, we could of course open up more bike lanes, but I think it's even more important to create access for people to run, because I think it's more open to people of all socio-economic backgrounds. I think it's even more of an equalizer, in terms of sports.”

“When you're healthy, it's easy to stay healthy. But when you're hurt, it's easy to stay hurt.”

“The biggest thing that I've appreciated is that a lot of brands have stepped up and sent me stuff. As a professional runner, for many years I've been given Nike clothes. It's been kind of cool and fun to try something new and to do something that I haven't done in six years - train in non-Nike gear.”