Former Nike runner Mary Cain alleges emotional and physical abuse from Oregon Project

Scott Gleeson | USA TODAY

American professional runner Mary Cain alleged that she was "emotionally and physically abused" by Nike's Oregon Project and coach Alberto Salazar.

In an op-ed for The New York Times published Thursday, Cain wrote that she developed suicidal thoughts and starting cutting herself as a result of the intense tactics and pressure enforced by Salazar.

Cain, now 23, said when she arrived in Eugene at 17 to train for the prestigious track team, she was met with an all-male staff who told her in order to better her performances she needed to become "thinner and thinner and thinner." No nutritionist was on staff. As a result of the demand from coaching staff, Cain said she broke five bones after she lost her menstrual cycle.

Cain called out Nike directly, noting the company "is not acknowledging the fact that there is a systemic crisis in women’s sports and at Nike, in which young girls’ bodies are being ruined."

"I joined Nike because I wanted to be the best female athlete, ever. Instead, I was emotionally and physically abused by a system designed by Alberto and endorsed by Nike," says Mary Cain. https://t.co/CzGsVRQD0m pic.twitter.com/XymyuD5dQw — New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) November 7, 2019

In a public statement responding to the allegations, Nike wrote: “These are deeply troubling allegations which have not been raised by Mary or her parents before. Mary was seeking to rejoin the Oregon Project and Alberto’s team as recently as April of this year and had not raised these concerns as part of that process. We take the allegations extremely seriously and will launch an immediate investigation to hear from former Oregon Project athletes. At Nike we seek to always put the athlete at the center of everything we do, and these allegations are completely inconsistent with our values.”

The Oregon Project is officially defunct. Cain left the team in 2015 and explained her reasoning for attempting to return in the spring to her old team Friday on Twitter.

"I’m not afraid anymore," she wrote. "As recently as this summer, I still thought: 'maybe if I rejoin the team, it’ll go back to how it was.' But we all come to face our demons in some way. For me, that was seeing my old team this last spring."

Olympic runner Kara Goucher blasted Nike for the company's response to Cain, and also affirmed the allegations.

She wrote on Twitter: "So (Nike) responds to (Cain). Takes the time to victim shame Mary, before saying they will investigate. I hope you come to me, because I have stories to match all of Mary’s claims and so much more. Don’t let this be more lip service, actually do something."

Several other notable runners supported Cain, including New York City Marathon winner Shalane Flanagan, who wrote on social media: "I had no idea it was this bad. We let you down. I will never turn my head again."

Cain claimed Salazar, who was recently banned from the sport for four years related to doping charges, would publicly shame her in front of teammates if she did not weigh 114 pounds and attempted to give her birth-control pills and diuretics to assist with weight loss.

“I got caught in a system designed by and for men, which destroys the bodies of young girls,” she said.