Mary Cain Is Back: Where Has She Been For the Past 2.5 Years? Leaving NOP, Moving to NYC

“My main focus would be: 1) Enjoy the moment 2) Really focus on really prioritizing yourself in these day-to-day life situations. I think having success so young, the biggest threat to you as a person is getting a little too sucked into your sport, the lifestyle and being so go-go-go all the time. I think my letter would say, ‘Go have that milkshake. Go see that movie. Go out with that friend. Love running and commit to running but the best way to do that is to love yourself and commit to yourself. Make sure you’re doing those other things as well so that once you go out for a run, you’re so happy to be there.'” – Mary Cain on what her letter to her younger self would share


Mary Cain joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to share where she’s been for the past 2.5 years. Cain’s name recently popped up atop the results of the New York Road Runners Japan Run 4-Miler in Central Park on May 12th and it was her first race finish in more than 900 days.

Cain’s name was a major one in the sport back in 2013. As a high school star out of Bronxville, New York, she set high school record after high school record – 1:59.51 for 800; 4:04:62 for 1,500 and 4:24 for the mile. She finished second at the 2013 U.S. Outdoor Championships 1,500 meters and then went on to place 10th at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow. She opted to bypass the traditional NCAA system and turned professional before her senior year of high school. Upon completing her high school degree, she moved to Portland, Ore. to train with the Nike Oregon Project under coach Alberto Salazar.

What happened next? Cain opens up about her year in Portland and why she ultimately made the decision to move back to New York City in 2016. She details the list of injuries that have plagued her from following through on the expectations that many had for her. However, she’s just 23 years old. Everyone likes a good comeback story and Cain is a believer that she’s writing her own.

She recently made an appearance in a video of a training stint in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., so we discuss why her form looks so bad in that video but more importantly, why she left that trip with a better perspective on the sport.

We work our way back to 2013 and follow her career path until the present day. Plus, Cain shares what she would write in a ‘Letter to her younger self’

A lot to unpack on this episode of THE CITIUS MAG Podcast with Chris Chavez

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Chris Chavez

Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.