Courtesy of Tracksmith canceled competitions, Guide to Mental Health Master the Half, U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.
Astronauts May Need to Run on a Wall of Death, Tracksmith, the Boston-based apparel brand known for its retro-cool designs, announced its new partnerships with Mary Cain and Nick Willis. Unlike the contractual sponsorships both Cain and Willis have held with other brands before, the two runners are full-time employees of Tracksmith, and there are no performance standards that they have to hit in order to get paid.
“I think we see now, more than ever, that traditional sponsorship models and performance incentives can leave athletes in precarious positions,” Tracksmith founder and CEO Matt Taylor told Runner’s World. “We hired Nick and Mary for their ability to contribute to Tracksmith’s growth, not just for their ability to run fast.”
Tracksmith caters to amateur runners who love the sport and “balance life and racing at a very high level,” Taylor said. For example, the company offered a Cain trains around her neighborhood on Long Island, New York for sub-elite runners who qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials—and at the Trials on February 29 in Atlanta, one in five runners wore patriotic-themed Tracksmith uniforms.
As a champion for the everyday runner, Tracksmith’s choice to recruit professional runners for its team may seem strange at first, but Taylor insists otherwise. “As I got to know Nick and then Mary—two ‘professional’ runners—it became clear that their goals and challenges were no different [than those of amateurs]. They were just faster,” Taylor said. “They both felt that more balance in their lives could help them achieve their goals on the track, and also had a lot of excitement about the opportunity to contribute their vision and experience to the sport.”
Cain Is Competing on Her Own Terms
Cain, 24—who lives in New York City, but is currently living and training in New Suffolk, New York, amid the coronavirus pandemic—is part of Tracksmith’s community engagement team, with the primary goal of helping grow Tracksmith’s following in the Big Apple through group runs and discussions (both conducted virtually for now). She told Runner’s World that she and Taylor instantly saw eye-to-eye on the issues surrounding professional running today.
“We sat down to talk a few months ago and bonded over our frustrations with the sport,” Cain said. “One of the biggest problems is that when a professional athlete works as a contractor for a company, they can’t give their own input in what the company does. If you speak up against something or offer your own insight, you’re always at risk of losing your sponsorship. And no matter how big of a fanbase you have, if you don’t meet certain performance parameters, you can lose your sponsorship. We want to change that.”
Last November, Cain, who signed with Nike when she was just 17, revealed in a scorching documentary by Advertisement - Continue Reading Below that she was “emotionally and physically abused” while training under Alberto Salazar with the Nike Oregon Project from 2013 to 2016.
After the video was released, Cain said she felt like “a weight was lifted off my shoulder.”
“There was no longer a shadow hanging over me,” Cain said. “I could run without feeling like I had to live up to someone’s expectations. When I was depressed, every stress felt terrible. But after I spoke up about my experience, stress became a motivator. I still get nervous when I race, but it’s a healthy nervousness, more like excitement.”
In January, Cain, who has been coached by John Henwood since splitting with Salazar in 2016, stepped back onto an indoor track for the first time in years. She competed in a few 3Ks at The Armory, running a best time of 9:07. If races resume this fall, she hopes to try a few more distance events, such as the 5K. Then in 2021, she’ll focus once again on mid-distance training, with the hope of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Only Two U.S. Men in Olympic Marathon.
“Mile-specific training is the hardest to tap into, because you have to be so sharp,” said Cain, who holds a 1500-meter PR of 4:04.6. “Right now, I’m making goals based on where I am in my fitness. I want to enjoy the process. I’ve had several months of healthy running so far, which is the most important thing.”
A huge part of Cain’s courage to speak up and continued success as a runner can be attributed to New York City.
“I owe the New York City running scene a lot. They stood by me when I was hurt and when I didn’t share my story. They made me define myself as a runner even if I didn’t compete on the level people expected of me,” she said. “My goal is to give back to that scene by helping athletes get together and share their own running journeys.”
“When we met, [I was] immediately struck by her desire to not only race at the highest level of the sport but also to be a leader,” Taylor said. “She really understands and respects the running community [in New York City], especially the standard of personal and professional excellence that’s expected. We’re excited to see her start putting her ideas into practice.”
For Willis, the Fun of Running Never Dies
In his new job as athlete experience manager, Willis, 37, is responsible for planning and organizing events for Tracksmith, such as running “boot camps” and competitions. The Kiwi runner, who won the 5on February 29 in Atlanta for the fifth time last year, has been thinking about transitioning to the corporate world for some time now. After a seven-year run with Adidas, his contract was up this year, he told Runner’s World.
His initial plan was to negotiate for a final year, so that he could continue training for the 2020 Olympics. But when the Olympics were postponed and most spring and summer races were canceled, he was freed up to begin his regular life sooner rather than later.
“Matt and I have been friends for a while, and we’ve always shared a similar passion for running and the community aspect of racing,” said Willis, who first met Taylor at the grand opening of Tracksmith’s retail store on Newbury Street during the 2017 Boston Marathon.
“Over the years, we’ve talked about some event ideas, like cross-country meets and training camps. So when my pro schedule was freed up this year, I reached out to see if there was a partnership opportunity with Tracksmith. The timing worked out perfectly,” Willis said.
Willis will continue to work and train in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he lives with his wife and their two children. His goal is to compete for New Zealand in the 1500 meters at the Tokyo Olympics, which would be his fourth Olympic Games. While he doesn’t have a shoe sponsor at the moment, Willis said he has “about a 100 pairs of shoes” in his basement to tide him over for several years.
“I’ve always wanted to set an example of longevity,” Willis said. When he won bronze in the 1500 meters at Rio in 2016, he became the oldest man to win an Olympic medal in the event. “I’m going to be 38 next year, which is much older than most of my competition. But I’m still having fun with running.”
Hailey first got hooked on running news as an intern with Running Times, Astronauts May Need to Run on a Wall of Death Runner's World and Bicycling magazines.
