State Record Snapshot - Mary Cain Crushes Own NR in 1500m

While there might not be much track going on in New York State, there is plenty of history to pore through. In our time off, we are looking to revisit all of the State Records for the Outdoor Season. Who these athletes were, where their marks came from, and where are they now. Twice a week, we'll be releasing "Snapshots Of A State Record," where you can learn what it takes, to put your mark on history. Tune in!

Mary Cain is at it again. She's been busting state and national marks from seemingly now since the time she first learned to walk -- and swim and run. Ever since World Juniors last year in the summer after her sophomore year, she has owned the national record in the 1500m. Now still as a student at Bronxville HS but running unattached, she started her junior season for outdoors in April at the Drake College meet in Iowa and shaved another second off her own record with a 4:10.77.

Tonight at Occidental College in LA, it's 2013, and Cain is running with much older athletes who are running on the pro circuit and who are already eying spots three years hence in the 2016 Olympics. The top dozen elite international runners from club teams here are used to running down below 4:10, so Cain is in very good hands with a herd pack that can pull her to a great time on a Southern California evening that is just made for running.

Early on its two runners from Nike TC that are leading the way as Australian veteran Zoe Buckman and Dutch athlete Susan Kuikjen pull the pack around at a strong pace. On the final lap though it is a battle between Canadian future Olympian Nicole Sifuentes and Fort Collin HS and University of Washington grad Katie Mackey. Cain is staying in among the older and bigger runners and riding the wave.

Coming down the home straight, Sifuentes is in the lead and stretching for the tape, but she is about to attacked on both sides. Mackey comes up strong on the inside and gets the lean to win in a time of 4:04.60. And way out on the outside Cain has blasted from far back to stretch out her arms and duck in slightly ahead of Sifuentes in what may be a victory celebration. She is actually in 2nd, as Mackey has won by .02 seconds.

For Cain though, another national record has been set at a time of 4:04.62 that lops more than 6 seconds off her mark from Drake three weeks before. This is of course an NY state record also, and it also sets a new US Juniors mark (19 and under), breaking Suzy Favors record from 26 years earlier. All in all, a good night's work.

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Mary Cain's story has been told in part through many different articles, and it will continue to be told as things evolve. We will just finish off here with a quick review of the rest of her 2013 season when she was a high school junior. By the time she detached from Bronxville, she had won five NY state championships in track or XC, won an individual national title and been part of two relay titles with the Broncos, and then gone on to compete in the US Olympic Trials in the 800m and also set an HS national record in the 1500m at the IAAF World Junior championships.

Following her 1500m race at Occidental, Cain would have a spectacular finish to the year running always against pro athletes, meaning some great times but no top places. Two weeks later at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene OR, she set an all-time state and national mark of 1:59.51. Running in six more 1500m races, she would have her second best time of the year at 4:05.21 in the IAAF semis. She would also try her hand at the 5K at the Portland Track Classic and run an all-time nationals best outdoors at 15:45.46. with only Katelyn Tuohy's indoor mark of 15:37.12 being better at that distance.

And yes, Cain will be back soon in this series for a little discussion about that 800m mark.