Mary Cain makes more allegations: Claims her HS coach took a perverse interest in the sex lives of his female runners

wsj reader · 2026-04-28T12:55:07-04:00

I just realized the WSJ had a book review of Cain's memoir in its weekend edition that came out in print on Saturday. It included this excerpt: [quote]James S. Hirsch wrote:As bad as Ms. Cain’s professional experience was, her experience during high school wasn’t much better. She writes that she was taunted for her physical appearance and badgered by her petty teammates, their overbearing parents and her creepy coach, who took perverse interest in the sex lives of his female runners.[/quote] https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/this-is-not-about-running-and-the-long-run-a-race-to-the-finish-line-c39756fb?st=ieRKaQ&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalinkAny truth to this?It seems odd to me that Cain supposedly had an awful HS coach (didn't she have like 2-3 of them), awful pro coach, etc. Has anyone actually read the book? Is the unluckiest woman in the world who just is put in awful situation after awful situation or just brilliantly good at playing the victim?[i]PS. Update from Rojo:[/i]Outside's Run has an excerpt of the Cain's book where Cain writes about obsessively trying to lose weight. https://run.outsideonline.com/people/mary-cain-tells-her-story-and-shes-not-holding-back/ Man, that's a hard read. I think we can all agree Darren Treasure - who acted like a sports psychologist expert but didn't even have a license - comes off really bad there.

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We merged two Mary Cain threads into 1. The 2nd one was entitled, "Update: Mary Cain makes another sexual allegation - Alberto Salazar looked at her exposed breasts while she was sleeping"

1 month ago 04/30/2026 12:37pm EDT

re: wsj reader

wsj reader wrote:
I started the thread yesterday about how I read in the WSJ review of Cain's memoir that Cain claims her HS coach took a perverse interest in her sex life. Today I've read another review in RW and find out she's accused Salazar of looking at her exposed breasts?
Yet another day. Yet another sexual allegation.
I guess I'm going to have to buy this book. I really didn't want to. But I'm supposed to believe she has like the 3 worse HS coaches ever and then Salazar as well?
There clearly isn't a zero percent chance that she was the problem and the common denominator here, but at least the RW reviewer had some skepticism to begin with.
But why would her breasts be exposed? Someone who has read the book, can you write exactly what she has alleged by Salazar and HS coach in terms of sex?
Open link

Why wouldn't her breasts be exposed while she is sleeping? Do you think girl put on a burka before going to bed to preserve their modesty?

1 month ago 04/30/2026 12:39pm EDT

re: rojo

rojo wrote:
room39 wrote:
Can someone please explain. Cain had a sister on the hs team the same time she was running for Bronxville. Why did the sister stay on the team if the coach was so bad? Why didn't her parents allow her sister to stay in such a toxic culture?
I was told the sister wrote an editorial in the school paper or local paper about how awful the experience was. Trying to figure out how to get a copy of it.

A kid will stay on the school team because they love the sport and have no choice about who the coach is. It’s not like college where you can transfer to wherever without sacrificing eligibility.

1 month ago 04/30/2026 12:45pm EDT

re: book reader

book reader wrote:
malmo wrote:
I'm finally fed up with this sheet. She is wallowing in drama. She's taking it into as many overtimes (5, 6, 7?) as she can get out of it. Alberto is a strange guy, who was doing creepy things to his female athletes, that is true, but this is just too much. At some point you have to decide who is actually telling the truth, and who is not? She could have quit Alberto/Nike after months, or a year at most. But she didn't. Enough.
This is the take you give when you lack empathy and critical thinking. May you never find yourself or a loved one in an abusive dynamic.

Why would I have empathy for a dysfunctional situation like that? Normal people feel disgust not empathy for the Nike cult. They leave it behind and don't look back. She didn't.

I was part of Nike's original cult way back in 1977. I saw Nike for what they were in less than two months, and fired them in less than a year. That's what Cain should have done.

1 month ago 04/30/2026 12:47pm EDT

re: Dnrnrn

Dnrnrn wrote:
Thank you for saying this about the Julian story. That’s how I interpreted it. Prednisone is a “cancer medication” y’all. Cancer patients take it to keep their energy levels up during chemo treatments. her story falls in line with others stories of the Salazar camp transporting drugs.
Mary never came forward about sketchy drug use stories until now. Her stories in the book sometimes are not stated but heavily implied but they are there.

Give it a rest. If you knew the medication he had to take, you would swallow your words because it would never ever be performance-enhancing; it has the complete opposite effect. Your post emphasizes how, in an attempt to trash other people, she implies things without telling (or knowing) the full story. So many instances of this in the book.

1 month ago 04/30/2026 12:52pm EDT

re: malmo

malmo wrote:
book reader wrote:
This is the take you give when you lack empathy and critical thinking. May you never find yourself or a loved one in an abusive dynamic.
Why would I have empathy for a dysfunctional situation like that? Normal people feel disgust not empathy for the Nike cult. They leave it behind and don't look back. She didn't.
I was part of Nike's original cult way back in 1977. I saw Nike for what they were in less than two months, and fired them in less than a year. That's what Cain should have done.

People don't understand the word empathy. They use the word incorrectly and swing it around like a cudgel. If they knew what the word meant, they'd realize it is offensive to say you empathize with Mary unless you've been in a similar situation.

1 month ago 04/30/2026 12:53pm EDT

re: ohsu_

ohsu_ wrote:
Dnrnrn wrote:
Thank you for saying this about the Julian story. That’s how I interpreted it. Prednisone is a “cancer medication” y’all. Cancer patients take it to keep their energy levels up during chemo treatments. her story falls in line with others stories of the Salazar camp transporting drugs.
Mary never came forward about sketchy drug use stories until now. Her stories in the book sometimes are not stated but heavily implied but they are there.
Give it a rest. If you knew the medication he had to take, you would swallow your words because it would never ever be performance-enhancing; it has the complete opposite effect. Your post emphasizes how, in an attempt to trash other people, she implies things without telling (or knowing) the full story. So many instances of this in the book.

Okay. So please inform me why someone with cancer travels all the way to Russia without enough medication, when they know when the world championships occur? And there solution isn't to talk to their own physician but to get a different physician who is a parent of one of their athletes to carry it out?

Is that something that a normal person does?

1 month ago 04/30/2026 1:19pm EDT

re: i read it too!

i read it too! wrote:
as critical as I am of Mary with certain competitors etc, this book was actually a difficult and heartbreaking read. Whatever you think of Mary or her parents and their choices, this was a horrible situation for a teenager to be in. And Mary is SO naive, and SO innocent, and I think she's well meaning too. She just had no idea what she got herself into. I feel like she stepped into quicksand.

These are all attributes readily on display to her parents. Even in interviews it came across that she was a bit socially awkward. Despite either the parents ignoring these traits or the parents being ignorant to the traits, they apparently allowed her to travel across the country to live in a situation in which she had no friends, no peers, and no one for life day to day guidance. The parents are much more responsible for this fiasco than too many are willing to place.

1 month ago 04/30/2026 1:21pm EDT

re: Actuallyreadthebook

Actuallyreadthebook wrote:
look at da timing wrote:
A lot of interesting thoughts here.
What often gets forgotten is that Salazar removed Cain from team due poor performance. Cain then begged Salazar to take her back and was refused. Only after this did any of the complaints and issues arise.
Cain's complaints would have had more validity if she had left the team on her own at the peak of her powers.
Sort of:
"Yes, I'm having a lot of success now with Alberto, but there are things happening to me in the program I am unhappy with. Choosing to leave now gives me a chance to help women in sports and to simply do the right thing."
...of course it did not happen like that.
Similarly, despite all the stress, Cain was able to maintain a 4.0 GPA in college, and later be admitted to Stanford Med School. So from a parents perspective, all the suffering under Salazar did not have any impact on her academics, or future career options.
2. People need to understand what it's like for a young teenager to go through abuse and not have anyone help.

How about her parents?

1 month ago 04/30/2026 1:23pm EDT

re: looking at you kid

looking at you kid wrote:
i read it too! wrote:
as critical as I am of Mary with certain competitors etc, this book was actually a difficult and heartbreaking read. Whatever you think of Mary or her parents and their choices, this was a horrible situation for a teenager to be in. And Mary is SO naive, and SO innocent, and I think she's well meaning too. She just had no idea what she got herself into. I feel like she stepped into quicksand.
These are all attributes readily on display to her parents. Even in interviews it came across that she was a bit socially awkward. Despite either the parents ignoring these traits or the parents being ignorant to the traits, they apparently allowed her to travel across the country to live in a situation in which she had no friends, no peers, and no one for life day to day guidance. The parents are much more responsible for this fiasco than too many are willing to place.

While I think there's some truth to this, but Salazar was at her house convincing them that she'd be fine and one of the best in the world, while she was already one of the best in the country and they couldn't find anyone to coach her after the school removed her from the boys team. He set her up with a fake psychologist that made things worse.

Salazar, the abuser, and Nike, deserve all the blame here.

1 month ago 04/30/2026 1:25pm EDT

re: let's connect the dots

let's connect the dots wrote:
Cinderfella wrote:
Mary Cain's recent Runner's World interview gives her parents a pass on not realizing there were serious problems at the Oregon Project because she claims she didn't tell them what was going on. Mary does not want to paint her parents in a disparaging light, but they were part of the problem.
Her parents were the adults and should have been more perceptive about the potential problems and issues that were liable to occur when sending their immature teenage daughter 3000 miles away to train in the hyper-competitive and aggressive environment of the Nike Oregon Project track club. Once she started to struggle, they should have taken charge of the situation and pulled their daughter out of this toxic environment.
But they were caught up in the allure of world class training and coaching without stepping back and being honest about what was going to work for Mary regardless of her remarkable teenage success on the track. They forgot to understand the person and instead allowed their daughter to be defined by competitive running.
She is clearly still resentful and has not moved past this traumatic period in her life even though she is 30 years old. This will continue to hold her back even though many still feel sorry for her.
Yes the parents are to blame. So it the agent. And so is Mary.
I'm not saying what happened to her is great. But the one common thing in all of these stories - HS team not working out, pro team not working out, triathlon not working out, Atalanta NYC not working out, job at tracksmith not working out - is what?
Mary Cain.

....and here it is....

...the answer

1 month ago 04/30/2026 1:30pm EDT

re: Actuallyreadthebook

Actuallyreadthebook wrote:
looking at you kid wrote:
These are all attributes readily on display to her parents. Even in interviews it came across that she was a bit socially awkward. Despite either the parents ignoring these traits or the parents being ignorant to the traits, they apparently allowed her to travel across the country to live in a situation in which she had no friends, no peers, and no one for life day to day guidance. The parents are much more responsible for this fiasco than too many are willing to place.
While I think there's some truth to this, but Salazar was at her house convincing them that she'd be fine and one of the best in the world, while she was already one of the best in the country and they couldn't find anyone to coach her after the school removed her from the boys team. He set her up with a fake psychologist that made things worse.
Salazar, the abuser, and Nike, deserve all the blame here.

There's not some truth to this. It is all truth. While Salazar conducted himself in a whatever word you wish to apply way, the parents permitted all of it to happen. Take Salazar, any other coach you want to substitute, her track career or any other aspect of the situation at the time and allowing their kid to move across the country with zero support system is on them. She wasn't some Woodstock Era hippie going out on her own and them advising against it. They were signing off on it.

1 month ago 04/30/2026 1:58pm EDT

re: Not Helpful

Can everyone be at fault here? We already know Salazar is suspended for the Kara insertion and now we have this stuff coming to light. But at the same time Cain comes off as trying to turn up the victim card with another book (see Goucher) going after Salazar.

1 month ago 04/30/2026 2:00pm EDT

re: Use

Use wrote:
All so very disturbing.
A guy I was teammates with lived in Bronxville, his daughter ran on the 4x8 with Mary in High School.
The girls all got along, enjoyed Mary, and the coach was a good guy.
Not sure why it’s all so different now.

Because the truth and getting along doesn’t fit in with her victim narrative!

1 month ago 04/30/2026 2:02pm EDT

re: what in the world

what in the world wrote:
ohsu_ wrote:
Give it a rest. If you knew the medication he had to take, you would swallow your words because it would never ever be performance-enhancing; it has the complete opposite effect. Your post emphasizes how, in an attempt to trash other people, she implies things without telling (or knowing) the full story. So many instances of this in the book.
Okay. So please inform me why someone with cancer travels all the way to Russia without enough medication, when they know when the world championships occur? And there solution isn't to talk to their own physician but to get a different physician who is a parent of one of their athletes to carry it out?
Is that something that a normal person does?

How about the fact that some of these medications cost upwards of 10K a month and insurance won't front multiple months worth? Who says Pete wasn't talking with his oncologist? Regardless, the point is that Mr. Cain's response was not one that would be expected from a physician and likewise for Mary's subsequent commentary.

1 month ago 04/30/2026 2:08pm EDT

re: What's the constant here

What's the constant here wrote:
Actuallyreadthebook wrote:
Yes, but were people in the NOP likeable? Not a lot of good people to be surrounded with.
I can't speak to Alberto or other staff, but I don't think the runners in NOP were unusually malicious people. From at least my experience with a subset of runners associated with NOP, they were broadly comparable to other runners I've known, although quite a bit faster. (To be clear, I was no where near good enough to be on NOP itself).

I know a few myself and to your point none were mean or malicious. They were either involved with people outside the team, older and more mature, kind and funny. Each description here refers to different runners. Can’t name one that would have bullied her. Waste of time and energy and not in their personality.

1 month ago 04/30/2026 2:19pm EDT

re: looking at you kid

looking at you kid wrote:
i read it too! wrote:
as critical as I am of Mary with certain competitors etc, this book was actually a difficult and heartbreaking read. Whatever you think of Mary or her parents and their choices, this was a horrible situation for a teenager to be in. And Mary is SO naive, and SO innocent, and I think she's well meaning too. She just had no idea what she got herself into. I feel like she stepped into quicksand.
These are all attributes readily on display to her parents. Even in interviews it came across that she was a bit socially awkward. Despite either the parents ignoring these traits or the parents being ignorant to the traits, they apparently allowed her to travel across the country to live in a situation in which she had no friends, no peers, and no one for life day to day guidance. The parents are much more responsible for this fiasco than too many are willing to place.

Yeah, I’ve been thinking this too. As a parent I’d like to think I’d manage this situation much differently than the Cains did including her participation in HS sports if Mitchell and the other girls’ treatment of her was *that* bad…

1 month ago 04/30/2026 2:33pm EDT

re: ohsu_

Before Mar Cain, Caitlin chock went to live and train with Salazar as a high schooler too. I think she always had positive things to say about him? She was open about her eating disorder as well. I wonder if that was reassuring to the Cain family…

1 month ago 04/30/2026 2:46pm EDT

re: Oldendayssssss

Oldendayssssss wrote:
Before Mar Cain, Caitlin chock went to live and train with Salazar as a high schooler too. I think she always had positive things to say about him? She was open about her eating disorder as well. I wonder if that was reassuring to the Cain family…

Cain writes about chock in the book. She said that Salazar frequently backstabbed chock and they kicked her out of the hospital when chock came to visit after his heart attack. Still, chock defended him. However chock did call rupp a bully to Mary in an email.

1 month ago 04/30/2026 2:48pm EDT

re: queen_bee

queen_bee wrote:
looking at you kid wrote:
These are all attributes readily on display to her parents. Even in interviews it came across that she was a bit socially awkward. Despite either the parents ignoring these traits or the parents being ignorant to the traits, they apparently allowed her to travel across the country to live in a situation in which she had no friends, no peers, and no one for life day to day guidance. The parents are much more responsible for this fiasco than too many are willing to place.
Yeah, I’ve been thinking this too. As a parent I’d like to think I’d manage this situation much differently than the Cains did including her participation in HS sports if Mitchell and the other girls’ treatment of her was *that* bad…

We always criticize Mary’s parents but never Galen. Both sides were groomed and manipulated by Salazar. I hold both sets of parents accountable but it’s an easy thing to say. at least Mary’s parents saw the light

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Mary Cain makes more allegations: Claims her HS coach took a perverse interest in the sex lives of his female runners

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