Cara Feain-Ryan

BIOGRAPHY

After missing Olympic selection in 2021, Cara Feain-Ryan achieved key results in 2022 to earn selection for the World Championships in the 3000m Steeplechase. In her green and gold debut in Eugene she was 11th in her heat.

In 2023 she raced rarely, but when she did she was unbeatable. She won the Brisbane Track Classic and a thrilling National title in March. Ahead of being named in her second world championships team, in August she won the World University Games title in China. She sprinted home in the last lap to take the title running away from the field.

“I’m so happy to have taken home the gold medal! I knew conditions would be tough coming into this race with the heat and humidity,” she said. “I’m so grateful to my coaches, family and the rest of my support team back home, even though I wasn’t able to share last night with them in person, I couldn’t have gotten this result without them.”

Her confident running continued when three weeks later at the Budapest world championships she clocked a six seconds PB time of 9:29.60, moving from 10th to 6th Australian all-time. She placed seventh in her heat, requiring top-5 to progress to the final.

Her 2024 campaign included third at Nationals and second at the Oceania Championships, gaining sufficient points to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

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Cara Feain-Ryan started her involvement in athletics running cross country at primary school and at athletics carnivals in Alstonville in NSW. When old enough she progressed through the district, regional and on the State Championships.
“During primary school and even my first few years of high school I didn’t do a lot of training specifically for running because there were no training groups near where I lived.”
Cara would jog either with her mum or with friends. She would also join in with the local triathletes for some runs a few mornings a week.
“I was very involved in swimming and would train for that throughout the week and compete in competitions on the weekends as well as doing other team sports like netball and water polo.”
Her earliest success in the sport was in cross country events and made her first track Nationals aged 15.

By the end of 2015 Cara, 16, was now down to 6:54 in the 2000m steeplechase. But she would make a big life change that year, moving schools from Lismore to Brisbane.

Within a few months, Cara had made significant progress running a most impressive 6:40 in the steeplechase and winning the National U18 title.
“It was through my new school that I met and started training with my current coach Ben Norton so the success I had at both nationals was a large part due to his training as well as the support I received from Moreton Bay College.”
It was a turning point in her sport too.  
“My 2016 nationals played a big part in my decision to continue pursuing the sport after I finished school.”

Cara continued to progress, also successfully stepping up to the 3000m steeplechase. During the summer of 2021, now aged 22, she make a breakthrough on the track and over the steeple barriers. In pursuit of Olympic selection at 1500m she ran 4:22, and 3000m 9:21. In the steeplechase she went from 10:19 to 9:55, then to 9:38 and placed second at Nationals. In June she ran 9:36 in Townsville, but remained just short of selection for Tokyo.

Cara reflected on her breakthrough season.
“I put it down to a few really consistent years of training from 2018 to 2020. During this time, I was able to stay uninjured and could gradually build up my training load both on the track and in the gym. While I didn't set many personal bests on the track in those years, I felt it all came together in the 2020/2021 season and I was able to make some big progressions particularly in the steeplechase event.”

In 2022, although not setting a PB, she placed well in some key competitions to gain sufficient World Athletics rankings points to qualify for the World Championships. She was third at Nationals and second at the Oceania Championships and recorded a season’s best of 9:40.66.

Most influential person: My Mum has definitely been the most influential person in my career. She has always encouraged me to go for every opportunity and tried to make sure I never took my training or competing too seriously when I was young. Without her I would have never had the wonderful experiences I did throughout school as she got me to every training session and every race. Even now she is always happy to jump on the bike and keep me company on any runs or training sessions I do and travel with me to any race. Her support means the world to me…Advice to your young self: Don't take training and competing too seriously when you’re young, it’s more important to fall in love and enjoy the sport rather than the results…Hobbies: reading…Occupation: cross country/athletics coach at Moreton Bay College and with the junior group that is part of my own training squad ‘On Track Running’…Education: part time in 3rd year University of Queensland studying a Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours)…Biggest challenge: I had a string of injuries when I was finishing school and starting university. It is definitely a challenge staying in the sport when facing extended periods of time off from running and then having to jump straight into the open age group competing against women a lot older than you. Famous relative: Her cousin Matt Ryan is a dual Olympian and Olympic silver medallist in rowing...Coaching: I coach athletes from the ages of 6 through to 18. It is more than just being a job for me, coaching allows me to give back to my sport by helping inspire and mentor a new generation of young sportswomen. It provides a constant source of motivation that I apply to my own training.

@ 30 June 2024 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au