This Is Not About Running, by Mary Cain

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we talk with author, former professional runner for the Nike Oregon Project and current Irish national runner, and Stanford medical student Mary Cain about her memoir: This is Not About Running. We ask her about her youth, growing up in an abusive athletics system, training for Alberto Salazar as a high schooler. We also talk about her work with Atalanta NYC and The Athlete's Survivors' Assist, her growth and the many hats she wears as a survivor, leader, mentor, student and professional runner. She speaks on what she wishes for young runners today, the challenges we face and where the conversation should be going to enact concrete change.About the BookIn THIS IS NOT ABOUT RUNNING Cain shares her whole story, offering never-before told details and perspective to shed light on the normalized abuse in sports, and advocating for a better future for athletes. Cain is fearless in her storytelling. She has a passion for writing and each short chapter of the book recounts a vignette in present tense, bringing the reader alongside her. She gains speed, notches wins, and excels in school—and encounters cruelty and abuse starting early on and becoming deeper and darker throughout her time running for Nike. The memoir is aptly organized into 5 gripping parts of Mary Cain’s young life and they are titled Talent, Rookie, Competitor, Professional and Champion.This episode and book comes with trigger warnings on disordered eating, body shaming, sexual harassment, abuse, self-harm, mental health episodes and suicidal ideation.About Mary CainMary Cain is a medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine. After sharing her story with the world in a 2019 New York Times op-ed, Cain has dedicated her career to driving change in sport, with an emphasis on athlete well-being and gender equity. She is the founder of Atalanta NYC, a nonprofit that employs professional female runners to serve as mentors for young girls, and serves on the board of The Athlete Survivors’ Assist (formerly known as The Army of Survivors), a nonprofit that brings awareness, accountability, and transparency to sexual violence against athletes at all levels. She is also a runner. Cain had a record-breaking professional running career that included becoming the 2014 World Junior Champion in the 3000m and a 2013 World Championships finalist in the 1500m.Link for 20% discount on Caffeine Bullet  https://caffeinebullet.com/RUNNINGBOOK Discount automatically applied and visible on checkoutSupport the showAny feedback or suggestions on this review or any of our other podcast episodes would be greatly welcomed. Leave us a review using your favorite podcast player or contact us on social media.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/runningbookreviews/Twitter: https://twitter.com/reviews_runningInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningbookreviews/ Podcast webpage: https://runningbookreviews.buzzsprout.com  If you have been enjoying the podcast and want more, you can find some extras on our By Me a Coffee site! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/runningbookreviews