A biography for Mary Cainhasn’t been written yet.
“In so many ways, I just love athletics. It would be really hard for me to pivot outside of the sports world.”
“Nobody goes into a sport saying, I want to be the fourth-best person. We all want to be No. 1.”
“For many years, the only thing I wanted in the world was the approval of Alberto Salazar. I still loved him. Alberto was like a father to me, or even like a god.”
“That's one reason I think the 1,500 is so exciting. You have to be strong, have to be a distance runner. But in that last hundred you are going all out.”
“I'm not one of those people who is scared, like, 'Ooooh, I'm going to burn out.'”
“So in my sophomore year of high school, I ran in Barcelona for the World Junior Championships, and I set the national record for the girls' 1,500 meters in doing so.”
“And I know I will run for the rest of my life because the actual act and art and feeling of running I love, and I hope to compete on a high level.”
“I'm an Armory girl. I've been racing here since eighth grade. Our relay won here my freshman year, but winning the Wanamaker Mile is even bigger. That's huge.”
“Part of me wonders if I had worked with more female psychologists, nutritionists and even coaches, where I'd be today. I got caught in a system designed by and for men which destroys the bodies of young girls.”
“I guess my whole thing has always been that nobody knows you except for yourself and nobody knows your story except for you and the people who you care about.”
“Always maintain confidence in yourself and confidence in your training.”
“I never let myself get psyched out. My motto is, 'Stay calm and carry on.'”
“I have decided, and am truly excited to announce, that I will be turning pro. I believe that, in the long run, this is the best way for me continue to develop as an athlete.”
“Running is such a mental sport.”
“It's good to have somebody who is there to see you day-to-day, even hop into some runs with you.”
“As long as I really stay on top of my school work, which I'm for the most part able to do, it's really no problem, me missing school.”
“One thing I struggle with is competing, being in a pack, running with a lot of bodies.”
“It took me so long to accept that a lot of the stuff I went through was really messed up. I did realize I was being invested in more as a product rather than as a person.”
“Societal pressures can really force girls to look one specific way, when in reality there's not one way to be good.”
“Don't get me wrong, it's fun when you get cheers for being a little kid. But if I wanted to be babied, I would not have gone pro. I'm welcoming the idea that people will be thinking of me as Mary Cain the professional, not Mary Cain the high schooler.”