Mary Cain

Biography

Born in 1996 in New York Mary Cain exploded onto the world Track & Field scene in the last few years with a series of record breaking performances in the middle distance events.   With the support of her family, Dad Charles, Mum Mary and sisters Aine, Catherine and Mairead the Bronxville High School student has been competing with distinction since 2010 when she won the NYS Class C Cross Country and in 2011 when she placed 2nd in the USATF Junior 1500m Championships and won both the NYS Class C Cross Country and the NYS Federation Championships.

In 2012 aged 16 Mary won the USATF Junior 1500m Championships and went on to break the American Junior 1500m record at the IAAF World Junior T&F Championships in Barcelona with a 6th place finish.    She also competed in the US Olympic Trials placing 18th overall in the 800m.

In October 2012 Mary started work with coach Alberto Salazar, the three times New York City marathon winner and coach to a number of the top distance runners in the world athletes including Olympic 10,000m gold and silver winners Mo Farah and Galen Rupp.

In the 2013 indoor season Mary went on a record breaking spree first breaking the 41 year old a US High School indoor mile record with a time of 4:32.78.  Her 1500m split time en route to the mile record was also a US Indoor and Outdoor High School Record.  One month later she improved the mile record to 4:28.25 which was also a Wold Youth Best.  Also during the indoor season she set high school records in the 3000m and 2 miles and went on to win the USATF Indoor Championships mile title.

Mary opened her 2013 outdoor season with a new American High School and Junior 1500m record of 4:04.62.  At the Prefontaine Classic in June she became the first American Youth, Junior or High School athlete to break 2 minutes for the 800m with a new American Junior and High School record of 1:59.51.  She placed 2nd in the USATF Championships 1500m to become the youngest ever athlete  to run for Team USA in the World T&F Championships.  Showing great maturity beyond her years Mary progressed to the World Championships 1500m final eventually finishing 10th.  At the end of the year she was awarded the IAAF and USATF Young Athlete of the Year awards.

Mary’s success continued on the 2014 indoor season.  She set a new World Junior Indoor 1000m record with a time of 2:35.80 and became the second fastest junior ever to run the mile indoors wither her time of 4:24.11 which was just 0.01 secs outside the world record.  She won the prestigious Millrose Games Wannamaker mile and the USATF Indoor 1500m Championships.  Outdoors she won the IAAF World Junior 3000m title in Eugene in a personal best time of 8:58 having won the USATF Junior 3000m title one month earlier.

Mary currently lives in New York, attends Fordham University and is coached by John Henwood.