Jul. 16, 2014:  After years of competitive racing during high school, Mary Cain took a break this spring to finish her final semester of high school, attend year-end festivities, and gear up for graduation. In May and June, this world-class teenage running phenom was "just Mary," taking AP exams, attending the prom, and enjoying the last months of her senior year at Bronxville High School. 

This summer Cain starts a new chapter in her life, transitioning from teenage prodigy to world-class professional. Cain turned pro last fall and joined the Nike Project in Portland, Oregon, but she remained in Bronxville to finish her senior year with her classmates. This coming fall, she will attend the University of Portland and will finally be on the same coast as her coach, Alberto Salazar. 

Cain is already getting used to the cross-country trip. The week after graduation she began her outdoor professional career at the USA Track and Field Championships at the University of Oregon's historic Hayward Field. On a day when the air temperature was well above 90 and the heat on the track was almost unbearable, Cain finished the 1500m in 4:06.34, taking second place to reigning world silver medalist Jenny Simpson. She was just 1.38 seconds behind the experienced Simpson, who has had an impressive collegiate and professional career. To put Cain's early success and exceptional talent in perspective, it is worth noting that Cain was just twelve years old when Simpson was competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. 

In fact, Cain stepped on the track for the first time as a twelve-year-old at Bronxville Middle School and started breaking records in her very first season. In the spring of 2009, she set a New York State 7th grade record for the mile at the Eastern States Championships (5:03.08). By the time Cain was a sophomore at Bronxville, she set a New York State high school outdoor mile record at the Penn Relays with a time of 4:39.28. In January of her junior year, she ran the indoor mile in 4:32.78, shattering the national high school record that had been previously set in 1972. This past winter, she won the renowned Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in 4.27.23. 

The mile is just one of Cain's events. At just 18 years old, Cain has a list of accomplishments too numerous to count. She holds the U.S. high school outdoor records for the 800m (1:59.51), the 1500m (4:04.62), and the 5000m (15:45.46), and she holds the U.S. Junior (age 19 and under) indoor records in the 1500m (4:06.63), the mile (4:24.11), and the two-mile (9:38.68). She is also the world junior indoor champion in the 1000m (2:35.80). 

Next week, Cain will compete in Oregon once again at the 8th IAAF World Junior Championships, this time in the 3000m. She earned a spot on the U.S. team with a 9:15.81 first-place finish at the USA Track and Field Junior Championships in early July. Cain is scheduled to run at the World Juniors on Thursday, July 24, at 11:15 pm. Universal Sports Network will have live coverage of the event. 

With Cain's graduation from Bronxville, she has left behind an impressive set of record-breaking performances. We will never see high schooler Mary Cain again, but Cain the professional will be a formidable force for years to come. 

Pictured here:  Mary Cain receives her high school diploma from her father, Charles Cain, who is a former member of the school board.

Photo by Jim Hudson