OT: I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike

[Argonaut]

I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike: Mary Cain’s male coaches were convinced she had to get “thinner, and thinner, and thinner.” Then her body started breaking down.

As we're getting into the season and recruits are starting to pile up, I know it's easy to comment on the physical appearance of athletes.

But don't.

Obviously the coaching was the issue here, but I think it's just an important reminder to keep our mouths shut (and our fingers idle) when we think about voicing a criticism over the way a player looks.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Wow. That is a shocking and sad story. I'd seen her name in headlines recently but hadn't heard details or her speaking directly about it. Hard to believe it got to the point it did. Best wishes to her recovering her health and hopefully being able to run at an elite level again, but that is of course secondary to her well being.

 

[Argonaut]

Wow. That is a shocking and sad story. I'd seen her name in headlines recently but hadn't heard details or her speaking directly about it. Hard to believe it got to the point it did. Best wishes to her recovering her health and hopefully being able to run at an elite level again, but that is of course secondary to her well being.

I look at all the elite athletes we talk about and consider how one bad (or even mismatched) coach could have completely derailed their entire career.

She obviously has so much natural talent, it would be a shame for her career to end before it even truly started.

 

[oldude]

Just a side note. There is a HS jr out of Rockland County, NY by the name of Katelyn Tuohy who is breaking all of Mary Cain’s records. So far her parents and coach seem to be doing a reasonable job of limiting her workload and exposure. Hopefully, Tuohy will never have to face the type of pressure that Cain experienced.

 

[rvwsleep]

Just a side note. There is a HS jr out of Rockland County, NY by the name of Katelyn Tuohy who is breaking all of Mary Cain’s records. So far her parents and coach seem to be doing a reasonable job of limiting her workload and exposure. Hopefully, Tuohy will never have to face the type of pressure that Cain experienced.

I've watched a few of Tuohy's videos. She's an incredible runner who has no competition on the HS level.


And on the boys side, for your viewing pleasure, I present Matt Boling:
Matt Boling 44.74 4x4 Comeback!!!

 

[oldude]

I've watched a few of Tuohy's videos. She's an incredible runner who has no competition on the HS level.


And on the boys side, for your viewing pleasure, I present Matt Boling:
Matt Boling 44.74 4x4 Comeback!!!

You’re probably correct that Tuohy has no competition in HS. However, there is a 7th grader from MN by the name of Lauren Ping who has been shattering age group records. Just another child prodigy.

As for Boling, a.k.a. White Lightning, his 9.98 100 meters national record in the TX state championship has people comparing him to a young Usain Bolt. Boling is more versatile than Bolt, as you note running the 400 in addition to the 100/200 combination. Boling is also a 25’+ long jumper.

 

[meyers7]

[QUOTE="rvwsleep, post: 3325900, member: 3775"

And on the boys side, for your viewing pleasure, I present Matt Boling:
Matt Boling 44.74 4x4 Comeback!!!
[/QUOTE]
Probably even more impressive. 4X100

 

[Bigboote]

The one thing that really sticks out to me is that they were trying to get her down to 112 pounds. Mary Cain is listed as 5 foot 7. The conventional wisdom is that a distance runner should be about 2 pounds per inch. That may pertain just to men, but even if a woman should be 1.8 or 1.9, that would put her ideal weight at something north of 120 if she were a distance runner. But she runs the 800-3000, I think. The 800 is still an anaerobic race, much more power than endurance, requiring more muscle mass and weight than distance running. The 3000 is getting into middle distance.

So it's surreal to me that the coaches wanted her to get down to a likely (and definitely in her case based on what happened) unhealthy weight. She just couldn't build the necessary muscle to run long sprints and short distance at the weight they set for her. I don't know whether the folks at Nike were totally clueless or resentful that they "had to" coach women. Either way, something needs to change.

 

[RoyDodger]

Argonaut, thanks for posting. Powerful and shocking stuff.