Should Mary Cain drop out of high school and go pro?

Mary should finish high school first then skip college and go straight into Al Sals camp and be a serious medal contender by the 2020 olympics.

She should be on the next plane so she can get started right away.

No need to drop out of HS. C'mon OP.

And also NO NEED at all to do that kind of mileage. That would destroy her and ruin the greatest talent America has ever had in the women's 800/1500.

This young girl is NOT a 5k distance type, she is clearly suited for 1500m.

She can be running 3:55 by age 20 doing exactly the same thing she's doing now. AND YES she should go Pro because you only get so much time at that level. Her talent will be a huge waste in college as college coaches won't know what they have.

Other than Rupp Salazar has a dismal record.

Caitlin Chock wrote:

Other than Rupp Salazar has a dismal record.

Farah, Ritzenhein, K. Goucher, and he had a better record with Webb than Vigilante.

rupple stiltskin wrote:

Caitlin Chock wrote:

Other than Rupp Salazar has a dismal record.

Farah, Ritzenhein, K. Goucher, and he had a better record with Webb than Vigilante.

Adam Goucher also had his most success under Salazar.

Menace wrote:

Mary should finish high school first then skip college and go straight into Al Sals camp and be a serious medal contender by the 2020 olympics.

This is correct. Or another coach like John Cook

rupple stiltskin wrote:

Other than Rupp Salazar has a dismal record.

Farah, Ritzenhein, K. Goucher, and he had a better record with Webb than Vigilante.[/quote]

Every single one of them were accomplished before Alberto "coached" them.

The list of Albertos failures outnumber those guys by 10 to 1.

Caitlin Chock wrote:

rupple stiltskin wrote:

Other than Rupp Salazar has a dismal record.

Farah, Ritzenhein, K. Goucher, and he had a better record with Webb than Vigilante.

Every single one of them were accomplished before Alberto "coached" them.

The list of Albertos failures outnumber those guys by 10 to 1.[/quote]

So. That reply was to the statement that "other than Rupp, Salazar has a dismal record." This is not true. To prove your point you need to name 40 runners that failed under Al.

By her senior year she could already sign a contract with a shoe company and still attend high school.

Forget the "only 40 miles per week stuff", she is better off running mileage. The problem is too much hard track work, something Bronxville is known to do. Be interesting to see how far she goes off of the type of stuff she has been doing since 7th grade.

Really - think a young woman raised in Bronxville is not going to go to college, likely at a very prestigious place? I know this sounds absurd to many on this board, but there is more to life than running, and someone with this background is going to almost always factor education into any major decision.

Kudos to Mostpeople.

Cain is a great talent, but she is a person, not a running experiment, and she should go to high school and college. If, after starting college, she then decided to turn pro that would be a totally different thing than opting out of the opportunities that any talented young person should have.

How much time do you think the 17-19 year old Africans who already run world class times spend focusing on school? They live and breath running.

We have no idea whether she is a 1500 type or a marathoner because her aerobic development is awful at this point. A couple years of 100+ miles/week will improve her at every distance from 800-marathon. Only then can she and her coach make an intelligent decision regarding her best event. It is a shame that US runners wait until they are 25+ and past their primes to attempt the marathon. The marathon is clearly where the money is.

I worry that she will not improve much in the US high school/college system. 90+% of our female high school distance stars stagnate and are done by the time they finish college. 3:55 by age 20? She has zero chance of doing this off a 40 mile/week, speed-based quick fix training program. She must build the mileage and focus on long term aerobic development if she hopes to run 3:55.

I agree 100%. She is never going to build a proper base like the African runners in the US high school/college system. Top 18-19 year old African distance females often have better aerobic development than our 25 year olds. If Cain wants to win the medals and the money, she needs to start training like the Africans ASAP. More mileage, less speed, more international experience, and less distractions. Top African juniors understand that school is a distraction and a waste of time/energy. It is mainly the slower Africans who choose to come to the US to run in our flawed collegiate system.

You would honestly rather go to college like every other sheep than travel the world living the pro distance runner lifestyle? Her opportunities as she travels the world will be endless. Believe it or not, it is very possible to educate yourself without college. What college did Geb, Bekele, and Tergat go to? Yet they are far more educated, intelligent, and compassionate than most American college grads. If Mary Cain approaches her career like every other US distance runner, she is going to get very US results. Her pro career needs to begin today if she hopes to compete at the highest level.

No way. She can go to any college or university she wants to. That boils down to Harvard or Stanford, but Stanford has a better climate. Plus Stanford has athletic scholarships so she gets a nice ride financially. Runs for fun and still helps the track/XC teams. Just has to maintain the level she's already at. Then in four years she graduates, works for venture capital in SF, or goes back east and works for a hedge fund, or goes to a prestigious law school, and makes about five or ten times as much salary as a professional runner (and about 50 times as much if we're talking about career earnings). And she doesn't have to compete with the Kenyans.

1/10.

Caitlin Chock wrote:

rupple stiltskin wrote:

Other than Rupp Salazar has a dismal record.

Farah, Ritzenhein, K. Goucher, and he had a better record with Webb than Vigilante.

Every single one of them were accomplished before Alberto "coached" them.

The list of Albertos failures outnumber those guys by 10 to 1.[/quote]

You could say this of any coach.

Great runners are few and far between. Long running careers are also few and far between.

most people wrote:

Really - think a young woman raised in Bronxville is not going to go to college, likely at a very prestigious place? I know this sounds absurd to many on this board, but there is more to life than running, and someone with this background is going to almost always factor education into any major decision.

Hey DIPSH*T howabout I give you an ensured 500k a year from age 18 to age 30, then 750k from age 31 to age 35, on top of another 200-300k a year in appearance fees then a cushy coaching job at a D1 school OR in media your choice until your retirement at age 50 with 10-15 million in the bank.

How's that sound? Oh yeah and she can go to college part time while making that get a degree in anything she wants.

This girl is way above that level of trying to get into college with her running. She is an Allyson Felix level athlete.

Quite simply going to college as an athlete will cost Mary Cain a few million dollars and probably many millions more after the coach breaks her legs and destroys her, just like Oregon has done to our last standout talent. RING ANY BELLS?

Joining a pro training group doesn't mean she can't go to college. NIKE will pay for college.