Do you think Mary Cain regrets not running in College???

Why don't you ask her?

Nah. She was never a good teammate or cared for the team atmosphere. She would've hated running for a team in college.

I can't believe you sit around thinking about this. You have some kind of axe to grind probably.

I'm sure she is too smart and forward-thinking to spend her time thinking about what she could have done. You might not know that high-achieving people focus on their goals and what's coming up in their future, and preparing for those things.

Well I think the decision for her and the few others that went pro was made in order to give them the best chance to make it to Rio. That didn't happen. It's likely that she would be more successful if she were in college. She'd be learning how to win and wouldn't 2nd guess herself every time she fails to PR.

yeah, i think that mark cain missed the chance to shower with the girls on a girls collegiate cross country team at some school. tough to hide his stuff from all the girls tho.

I wouldn't know, alls I do know is she could run a hell of alot faster if she wore 2-sized under bun huggers.

I dont, know, but I do know, that she is in a slump, but Salazar is a great coach and she will have the World records at 1500, Salazar said 2 years ago she was in 3:52-3:55 shape for 1500, I also think before Hillary is done with her 8 years (January 20th 2025 to be exact) of being President she will be better than Ayana ever was at 3k, 5k, and 10k.

By January 1st 2030 Cains Personal best's will be.

The 8 Standard Distances

800-1:52.7

1500-3:43

3000-7:58

5000-13:49

10000-28:39 (Ayana's coach said Ayana will lower her 29:17 record by 30 seconds so 28:47 and I think Cain is more talented than Ayana and has a better coach)

Half Marathon- 1:02:39

Marathon-2:10:15,

Steeple-8:38 I think she will run a few Steeples just to get the World Record.

She will PROVE she was not just hype. Look at what Salazar did with a non talented but hard working athletes like Rupp and Ritz and Farah all 3 would have a hard time breaking 13:30 without Salazar, now we will see what he does with a REAL talent

We will see if I am right in 12-14 years.

$$$ �� Happiness wrote:

Especially missing the team atmosphere of XC? The school she transferred from , their girls are doing really well this year.

She didn't even want to engage in the team atmosphere in HS XC. What makes you think she'd have wanted it in college?

Douglas in dreamland for sure! Leave Mary alone and let be. If she wants to pursue other things in life away from running, that is great. Running is just a tiny bit of all the human interests that make life worth it. Don't pressure her, please!

Seyta wrote:

$$$ �� Happiness wrote:

Especially missing the team atmosphere of XC? The school she transferred from , their girls are doing really well this year.

She didn't even want to engage in the team atmosphere in HS XC. What makes you think she'd have wanted it in college?

Great point. So if you are going to ask the question about college, you have to ask it about HS where her team was amazing as well.

It appears the answer is no. The question maybe should be, "Would she have been better off running on a team in HS and college?"

Financially, the answer is no. She made the right decision.

At the moment the answer to the financial question appears to be no. It's not, however, a question that we'll ever be able to answer properly. She earns money now as a professional athlete but we don't know what the future holds for her. Although she's a pro now, had she gone to college and turned pro after four years of collegiate athletics she might have been in better position for a large signing bonus and better prepared for a longer and more successful professional career than that for which she's currently on track. It's incorrect to suggest that you can say for sure she made the right decision.

rojo wrote:

The question maybe should be, "Would she have been better off running on a team in HS and college?"

Financially, the answer is no. She made the right decision.

Er... wrote:

At the moment the answer to the financial question appears to be no. It's not, however, a question that we'll ever be able to answer properly. She earns money now as a professional athlete but we don't know what the future holds for her. Although she's a pro now, had she gone to college and turned pro after four years of collegiate athletics she might have been in better position for a large signing bonus and better prepared for a longer and more successful professional career than that for which she's currently on track. It's incorrect to suggest that you can say for sure she made the right decision.

rojo wrote:

The question maybe should be, "Would she have been better off running on a team in HS and college?"

Financially, the answer is no. She made the right decision.

Why would she be better prepared for a pro career after 4 years of racing against inferior runners and why would her bonus be bigger?

douglas burke wrote:

Look at what Salazar did with a non talented but hard working athletes like Rupp and Ritz and Farah all 3 would have a hard time breaking 13:30 without Salazar, now we will see what he does with a REAL talent

Farah ran 12:57 before being coached by Salazar and Ritz was a 27:35 guy pre Salazar, but yeah no talent for either of them haha...I do think that this whole notion of Ritz being super tough is the most over-hyped garbage out there, but the guy IS super talented. Salazar coached or not.

I said "she might have been." My point is that we'll never know whether she made the right decision. Rojo's confidence that from a financial perspective she did is misplaced--it's purely hypothetical.

I'm talking from a racing and being good stand point. Clearly right now $ wise she is ahead of where she would have been.

My thoughts are:

1. No guarantees she wins everything in college, she isn't running that well right now, people that didn't win national titles in their events the last few years are making it to the Olympics, when she who avoided that wasn't really close.

2. She would have learned how to race and most likely win some in an environment with a lot less pressure. Right now every time she race she has to face the fact that it isn't her best. In college it might have been not her best but would have the satisfaction of winning or scoring points for team.

3. Not sure how much she pays attention but every time she races a thread is made about how bad she is doing. If she at all pays attention that's not exactly a confidence booster.

I say she never gets back to what she was, never makes a world or olympic team again and is done running within 5 years. This is my opinion and it's highly debatable but I believe that would not be the case had she gone to college.

While we're at it, Drew Hunter isn't going to amount to much for the same reasons.

Definitely made a poor choice.

Racing is more than running fast it's about development and learning how to race. College would have provided that natural progression.

Is she ahead financially? I doubt it. She missed out on a full ride scholarship worth in excess of $300,000.00. If she wants a university education she now has to pay for it from her earnings from Nike. Don't think for a minute Nike is giving her big $$$ and paying her tuition.

She is now 2 years into a 3 to 5 year deal with Nike and she has done nothing. Is Nike going to resign her? Based on what she has done NO.

$$$ �� Happiness wrote:

Especially missing the team atmosphere of XC? The school she transferred from , their girls are doing really well this year.

She WAS feeling regrets, until Robert Young's incredible acts of athletic endurance in the face of overwhelming personal obstacles inspired her to redouble her efforts.

Is there any idea "financially" what she is getting from Nike. Her family has plenty of money so I doubt that was the primary factor in her decision. It isn't like the nba where guys have to give up millions to keep going to college. I'd have to think if she doesn't get out of the physical/ psychological slump that she would second guess the decision but Salazar has repeatedly said she is on some "10 year plan" so maybe we won't know for another 6-8 years.

Elite Parent wrote:

Definitely made a poor choice.

Racing is more than running fast it's about development and learning how to race. College would have provided that natural progression.

Is she ahead financially? I doubt it. She missed out on a full ride scholarship worth in excess of $300,000.00. If she wants a university education she now has to pay for it from her earnings from Nike. Don't think for a minute Nike is giving her big $$$ and paying her tuition.

She is now 2 years into a 3 to 5 year deal with Nike and she has done nothing. Is Nike going to resign her? Based on what she has done NO.

Cain had no problem racing at a world class level. Problem is that for whatever reason, she stopped getting faster and 4:05 runners don't have much of a place at the elite level.